Magnet fisherman stumbles across 'vital' new clue in killing of charity worker ... trends now
A man using a magnet to fish has unearthed crucial new evidence in the 'Craiglist Killing' case nine years after a beloved charity worker couple were murdered.
Elrey 'Bud', 69, and June, 66, Runion had driven 200 miles to buy their dream car when they disappeared in January 2015. Their bodies were later discovered at the side of a country road after they had been robbed and fatally shot.
Earlier this year, an unnamed individual was magnet fishing in a Georgia creek when he unwittingly discovered evidence linked to the murder case.
The fisherman first pulled up a .22-caliber rifle from a creek nearby the crime scene on April 14.
Two days later, he found a bag containing the couple's drivers' licenses and credit cards as well as what authorities believe to be their cellphones.
Elrey 'Bud', 69, and June, 66, Runion had driven 200 miles to buy their dream car when they disappeared in January 2015. Their bodies were later discovered at the side of a country road after they had been robbed and fatally shot
Murder suspect, Ronnie 'Jay' Towns, is set to face trial as soon as August - though no date has been determined, according to District Attorney Tim Vaughn
A man using a magnet to fish has unearthed crucial new evidence in the 'Craiglst Killing' case nine years after a beloved charity worker couple were murdered
Murder suspect, Ronnie 'Jay' Towns, is set to face trial as soon as August - though no date has been determined, according to District Attorney Tim Vaughn.
Vaughn said the newly discovered evidence - that was dragged from Horse Creek in rural Telfair County - should prove vital.
He said the rifle from the creek is the same caliber as the gun that killed the Runions, though investigators are still working to determine if it is the weapon used in the crime.
'It was a good case already,' Vaughn said Tuesday, 'but this makes it an even better case.'
Towns was indicted in the murders of the elderly couple who believed they were meeting him to buy their dream car in 2015. He was 28-years-old at the time.
Towns was arrested on January 26, 2015, and formally charged with multiple counts, including malice murder, felony murder and armed robbery, in Telfair County, Georgia.
According to the indictment, Towns lured the couple to Telfair County by replying to an online ad that Bud had posted seeking a classic car, even though Towns didn't own such a vehicle.
Bud had been looking for someone willing to sell their 1966 Ford Mustang convertible as he had bought the same model after returning from the Vietnam War decades ago.
After receiving a response from a potential seller, the couple from Marietta, north of Atlanta, made the three-hour drive to Telfair County to check out the car. They were last seen on January 22.
According to the indictment, Towns lured the couple (pictured) to Telfair County by replying to an online ad that Bud had posted seeking a classic car, even though Towns didn't own such a vehicle
