Found Deceased GA - Bud, 69, & June Runion, 66, McRae, 22 Jan 2015 #2 *Arrest*

New Posts

jking said:
He had to be on drugs, or just completely oblivious to the fact that people would be looking for the missing couple. Could he have been dumb enough to think they wouldn't tell anyone where they were going and why?
Click to expand...

I'm interested to know whether or not these items were actually found at the landfill, or at his house. The article doesn't say which search (or both), turned up their belongings.
 
McMunn said:
I'm interested to know whether or not these items were actually found at the landfill, or at his house. The article doesn't say which search (or both), turned up their belongings.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am curious about that, too.

I actually was a little surprised that they searched the landfill. I'm thinking maybe they haven't (or at least, before the search, hadn't) collected a weapon they thought likely to be the murder wearpon...and they need it badly. It seems as if they must have been looking for something specific, at any rate.
 
Backwoods said:
I actually was a little surprised that they searched the landfill. I'm thinking maybe they haven't (or at least, before the search, hadn't) collected a weapon they thought likely to be the murder wearpon...and they need it badly. It seems as if they must have been looking for something specific, at any rate.
Click to expand...

It looks like the Telfair County Landfill is less than a mile from the location where the Runions were found. You're probably right; maybe they didn't find the weapon at his property, so they decided to look at the closest and most likely place.
 
This double murder is heinous - It has been noted JT hunted the woods as most of the residents in those areas do. They put out bait, salt, use tree stands and, if needed poach - unfortunately, many almost live off the land to feed their families. JT could have, in his warped mind viewed the Runions as 'game' to be lured and executed for money. He baited Bud Runion and Bud fell for the line. Bud also threw aside all caution entering territory unfamiliar to him - I almost bet he talked about how thrilling it would be show off his much-talked about mustang to family and friends. I just do not see it as much of a stretch for JT to convince himself he was owed this and would be able to pull it off. He did not anticipate the publicity surrounding their disappearance plus he might not have understood the cell tower pings, burner phones, internet footprints. Let me be clear, I am not disparaging of Budd and June, far from it - They did not deserve this - they were just enjoying the American Dream after a lifetime of hard work - JT (if he is guilty-which I think he is) has probably never done an honest day's work in his life.
 
I don't think this case is drug related in any way. What I do think is that Ronnie Towns was wrestling with his inner demons as the Runion's were making their drive down from Marietta.

The conflicting directions, the confusion in finding the correct location, the need to stop and ask the locals for directions....it all points to Ronnie Towns deliberately giving them the runaround prior to their arrival. Maybe he was prepared to walk away from the entire scheme and had created enough confusion while giving them directions that he had the option to just fade away were he to choose such. In other words, he had some wiggle room were he to change his mind about robbing them... he had an "out".

That is part of the reason why I was asking about whether or not Bud took the cash with him or whether he didn't. The lure of that 20K+ was eventually too much of a temptation for Towns, and he eventually led them right to where he was. If Bud was able to make contact with Towns via his burner phone and tell him he had the cash money in hand, that may well have been the turning point in RT's mind as to whether or not to go through with the initial plan.

I think part of the reason this crime appears to be so sloppy and not thought out very well, is because Towns himself couldn't believe that these two people were going to drive 180 miles and dump a box full of money in his lap. By the time his inner demons won over his morals, he was forced to make quick decisions due to the fact that the Runion's had arrived in town and were actively seeking him out.
Every time he powered his phone on, there was a text or a message from Bud trying to locate him. He finally gave in to the temptation.

Those quick decisions eventually led to all kinds of mistakes being made and led the authorities right to his doorstep.
 
steelman said:
The conflicting directions, the confusion in finding the correct location, the need to stop and ask the locals for directions....it all points to Ronnie Towns deliberately giving them the runaround prior to their arrival. Maybe he was prepared to walk away from the entire scheme and had created enough confusion while giving them directions that he had the option to just fade away were he to choose such. In other words, he had some wiggle room were he to change his mind about robbing them... he had an "out".
Click to expand...

I agree. I thought the same thing, if he had his phone turned off and that is why they stopped to ask the antique dealer then that implies Towns was fidgeting around debating on whether he was going to do it.

Question is, why did he need the money that bad? If it wasn't drugs what was it? Back child support?

He may have been broke but Towns had what he needed, he was able to live on family land behind his parents. That meant he had a roof over his head and food etc....
 
steelman said:
I don't think this case is drug related in any way. What I do think is that Ronnie Towns was wrestling with his inner demons as the Runion's were making their drive down from Marietta.
Click to expand...



Sonya610 said:
I agree. I thought the same thing, if he had his phone turned off and that is why they stopped to ask the antique dealer then that implies Towns was fidgeting around debating on whether he was going to do it.

Question is, why did he need the money that bad? If it wasn't drugs what was it? Back child support?

He may have been broke but Towns had what he needed, he was able to live on family land behind his parents. That meant he had a roof over his head and food etc....
Click to expand...

Steelman, I do agree with your assessment. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes perfect sense that he was giving them the runaround about where he was because he wasn't sure about going through with it.

There had to be something going on in his life that he needed that much money. If it wasn't drugs for himself, did he have a girlfriend that needed lots of money in a hurry or did he owe someone money?
It seems that if he owed child support his family would have helped him so it must have been something else that he couldn't go to them for.
 
jking said:
Steelman, I do agree with your assessment. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes perfect sense that he was giving them the runaround about where he was because he wasn't sure about going through with it.

There had to be something going on in his life that he needed that much money. If it wasn't drugs for himself, did he have a girlfriend that needed lots of money in a hurry or did he owe someone money?
It seems that if he owed child support his family would have helped him so it must have been something else that he couldn't go to them for.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of people out there that believe it is their right to take what belongs to someone else and claim it as their own. We would commonly refer to these people as thieves, robbers, and scam artists.

Any ploy that works in order to line their pockets with quick money and not have to do anything for it, will work fine for them.

Ronnie Towns appears to be one of those people.
 
steelman said:
There are plenty of people out there that believe it is their right to take what belongs to someone else and claim it as their own. We would commonly refer to these people as thieves, robbers, and scam artists.

Any ploy that works in order to line their pockets with quick money and not have to do anything for it, will work fine for them.

Ronnie Towns appears to be one of those people.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's true. I was scammed by someone many years ago and I've been a little paranoid ever since.

It seems possible that RT may have been looking at Craig's List, came across the ad for someone wanting a Mustang, suddenly got the idea that he could make a lot of money and answered the ad. It sure doesn't look like much planning went into his scheme so it may not have been planned ahead of time at all.
 
Another thought is JT stalling answering the Runions because he was waiting for it to become darker thereby to hide the car and planned ambush.
 
A touching column from Macon (GA) The Telegraph columnist Ed Grisamore about the Jonesy and Wendy Lee family of Telfair County, who recently lost their home and material possessions in a house fire.

In 2001, this same family lost a young child in a tragic accident. The family started a ministry in her memory, and ... (bbm in the quote)

...Wendy and her family channeled their sorrow by starting the Sailor Kate Ministry. Homemade quilts are now sent all over the country to families who have experienced similar tragedies. Teddy bears, known as Sailor’s Snuggles, are collected and given to hospitals, children’s homes and law enforcement agencies.

“They are for anyone who needs a hug,’’ Wendy said.

On the Thursday night of the fire, she had tagged teddy bears for the grandchildren of Bud and June Runion, the Marietta couple who were shot and killed a week earlier.

Their bodies had been found 14 miles south of McRae two days before. Their funeral was two days away. She had planned to send the bears with a group of 18 people from the community who attended the Saturday service at the Mount Paran North Church of God in Marietta.

She also selected a teddy bear to give to the 2-year-old daughter of Jay Towns, who has been charged with murder in the deaths of the Runions.

Wendy is a coordinator of the gifted program with the Telfair County school system. She knows the Towns family.

“Everybody knows everybody in this community,’’ she said. “The family is having a really hard time, so we are praying for them, too.’’

The fire destroyed those teddy bears, along with about 100 others and three handmade quilts.

So if you ask Wendy what the family needs, that’s what she will tell you. Teddy bears....
Click to expand...

read more at:

Gris: Rising up from the ashes
Click to expand...
http://www.macon.com/2015/02/07/3574358/gris-rising-up-from-the-ashes.html




​
 
My question is what would possess Budd Runion to travel to McRae a strange area with money to make a deal -- was it because it was a fellow Georgian- who said he was down on his luck and needing money? Budd must have wanted this car badly.
 
wicket said:
Another thought is JT stalling answering the Runions because he was waiting for it to become darker thereby to hide the car and planned ambush.
Click to expand...

Maybe JT was waiting for a buddy/partner who just never showed up. He seemed to be stalling for some reason.
 
wicket said:
My question is what would possess Budd Runion to travel to McRae a strange area with money to make a deal -- was it because it was a fellow Georgian- who said he was down on his luck and needing money? Budd must have wanted this car badly.
Click to expand...

Bud Runion was an honest man who expected the same. It's not uncommon to travel to look at cars, antiques, properties, etc. Who would expect to meet someone with a gun and nothing else to offer? It's a nightmare for everyone involved, but the Runions did nothing wrong, unusual or possessed.
 
Originally posted by Wicket:
It has been noted JT hunted the woods as most of the residents in those areas do. They put out bait, salt, use tree stands and, if needed poach - unfortunately, many almost live off the land to feed their families. JT could have, in his warped mind viewed the Runions as 'game' to be lured and executed for money.
Click to expand...
Kind of OT but not all that hunt are backwoods dummies.
I am from West Virginia and hunting (though it's not for me but my family and many others I know do it) is practically a holiday around here. Poaching is completely looked down upon by most everyone.
However, I can assure you that we do not to live off the land to feed out families (I work as management at a grocery store) and only the truly psychotic would view any human as game.
Others have pointed out that JT may not have understood technology and either (a) could not have trolled Craigslist or (b) didn't understand cellphones but JT is of the generation that has never grown up without either a computer in the classroom or at home.
I do not buy that JT was technologically dumb.
I don't know why he would decide that the best thing to do was scam two unsuspecting people and ultimately kill them but I do think that he would have the technological know-how to do it.
 
Interesting...Same town as the Runions...Wonder if they saw Mr. Runions ad and/or have any connections in the McRae area..

Classito
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 210 more.
Total: 4,423 (members: 211, guests: 4,212)

Online statistics

Members online
211
Guests online
4,212
Total visitors
4,423
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,764
Messages
17,958,546
Members
228,603
Latest member
megalow
Back
Top