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

[Backwoods]

Does anybody have any idea why the cops keep refusing to say whether The Runion's were carrying cash with them or not ? What difference does it make to them ? They either were, or they weren't.

They already pressed armed robbery charges against Towns, and they are pretty certain that he murdered them, so why all the secrecy around whether or not they were carrying a wad of cash on them ?

I'll probably get the usual comments about how that information will impede the investigation, and if you are one of the ones that make that kind of comment, please explain further what possible difference it makes.

I think LE may not have a definite answer on that yet for themselves. They might not share, if they did -- but just think maybe they still don't know for sure if or how much.

 

[steelman]

I agree with you.

And may I say. I really like your abrupt style. Straight forward. To the point. "Get her done!"
I like it.

Well, I think it is a big factor for a couple of different reasons.

Were Bud and June killed so Towns could steal 20K from them ?.... or.....

Were Bud and June killed because they showed up with NO money and it enraged Towns.


If Bud and June showed up with a bunch of cash, then the motive is pretty clear why he murdered them. Take their money, hide the crime.

On the flip-side, if Bud and June showed up with no money, then Towns had every opportunity to just walk away from this deal without hurting anybody. A part of me wonders, if they showed up with no money, whether an argument and a fight got going between Bud and Towns and that shouting match escalated into a killing. Towns would have been furious that he wasn't going to get rich, and Bud would be furious that he just got flim-flammed by some snot-nosed kid. Things could have gotten out of hand quickly.

Whether or not they brought money with them would go a long way in understanding what happened out there at the retention pond.

 

[JudyBolton]

Well, I think it is a big factor for a couple of different reasons.

Were Bud and June killed so Towns could steal 20K from them ?.... or.....

Were Bud and June killed because they showed up with NO money and it enraged Towns.


If Bud and June showed up with a bunch of cash, then the motive is pretty clear why he murdered them. Take their money, hide the crime.

On the flip-side, if Bud and June showed up with no money, then Towns had every opportunity to just walk away from this deal without hurting anybody. A part of me wonders, if they showed up with no money, whether an argument and a fight got going between Bud and Towns and that shouting match escalated into a killing. Towns would have been furious that he wasn't going to get rich, and Bud would be furious that he just got flim-flammed by some snot-nosed kid. Things could have gotten out of hand quickly.

Whether or not they brought money with them would go a long way in understanding what happened out there at the retention pond.

BBM - Anything is possible but somehow (to me) this doesn't fit Bud's personality. Someone who has worked in ministry with low income children and needy adults has likely "seen it all" as they say. Have you watched the video of Bud explaining his bike ministry? His demeanor shines through clearly in that clip- imho.

Editing to add: As to why LE won't release info on the cash or lack of cash - it's possible they didn't know at first. I'm sure they have checked now but (as in many cases) they don't usually release information unless it will benefit their case or search for missing persons.

 

[JDB]

Things to ponder here . If Bud & June were killed on Thurs. the LE down in that area were not involved till Friday correct . When did they talk to RT ? Then we hear the LE trace his phone going south later on. That I think was on Sunday . Now how can that be if his family saw him Saturday night and he went into the woods to hide when the warrants were issued.
So who had the phone?


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[FragileSugar]

You may have already been answered but I think the sister simply had the day wrong. I believe she meant Sunday not Saturday. I can imagine with all they have gone through that it would be easy to mess up. As to Cobb county, it was reported that the flat out dropped the ball and didn't contact McRae county. Now that we know they were killed on Thursday, I guess it isn't that big of a deal but had they still been alive it sure would have been. A lot of time was lost because of that.

BBM - Anything is possible but somehow (to me) this doesn't fit Bud's personality. Someone who has worked in ministry with low income children and needy adults has likely "seen it all" as they say. Have you watched the video of Bud explaining his bike ministry? His demeanor shines through clearly in that clip- imho.

Editing to add: As to why LE won't release info on the cash or lack of cash - it's possible they didn't know at first. I'm sure they have checked now but (as in many cases) they don't usually release information unless it will benefit their case or search for missing persons.

If they showed up with no money and Towns got angry, I could see Bud and June offering to help. They strike me as the type that would extend their hands without anger or judgment.
If they did show up with money, I could see Bud tell Towns to take it, just don't hurt June. I could even see him still offering to help Towns in some way.
Regardless the outcome still occurred. I pray that neither suffered long.

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

IMHO he thought he could get away with it. He probably didn't plan well. However the phone was traced, he obviously left a trail. He leaves the car and the bodies so close to home. For theory's sake, lets say he didn't know if they would have car money on them, but they would probably have something such as jewelry, credit cards, pocket cash, etc. He probably thought he could rob them, maybe the plan was never to kill them. Regardless of his plan, he seems highly disorganized after the crime. I have seen lots of comments on the FB page questioning how he would start with such a crime. Yet it seems to all add up. He got caught, and pretty quick. It seems if he was an experienced killer or criminal he would have had a better plan. Maybe chalk it up to drugs or simply inexperience. I am leaning more towards him coming up with a quick scheme and not really thinking it through. I don't think he had any help, or that he was set up. Just my personal opinion. I am open to evidence pointing in another direction.
Question- What is the mugshot for if he doesn't have a criminal history?

I can agree with that

About the mugshot, someone suggested it might be a license photo, do we know what it was and I'm assuming you are referring to the facial shot, closeup, blonde, longer hair photo of him

 

[Backwoods]

Things to ponder here . If Bud & June were killed on Thurs. the LE down in that area were not involved till Friday correct . When did they talk to RT ? Then we hear the LE trace his phone going south later on. That I think was on Sunday . Now how can that be if his family saw him Saturday night and he went into the woods to hide when the warrants were issued.
So who had the phone?




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You know, we've heard that the phone was "apparently purchased for the crime" or something along those lines and turned off soon afterward. One thing I'd really like to know (and I know we're not likely to, any time soon) is exactly WHEN it was purchased...and whether it was also used for other calls (and to what numbers).

 

[JDB]

You know, we've heard that the phone was "apparently purchased for the crime" or something along those lines and turned off soon afterward. One thing I'd really like to know (and I know we're not likely to, any time soon) is exactly WHEN it was purchased...and whether it was also used for other calls (and to what numbers).

The phone has many questions concerning it. But I still can figure out if RT is in the woods how was it being tracked going south ? Who had it


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[dancinunderthemoon]

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local...county-/njymb/

Sheriff says Towns had been interviewed in the past over "...a rash of
metal and antique thefts..."

Hmmm. Metal...as in copper? A popular crime of crackheads et al.

wellll, there it is, I've been a recipient of such theft, crackheads usually...........

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Well, I think it is a big factor for a couple of different reasons.

Were Bud and June killed so Towns could steal 20K from them ?.... or.....

Were Bud and June killed because they showed up with NO money and it enraged Towns.


If Bud and June showed up with a bunch of cash, then the motive is pretty clear why he murdered them. Take their money, hide the crime.

On the flip-side, if Bud and June showed up with no money, then Towns had every opportunity to just walk away from this deal without hurting anybody. A part of me wonders, if they showed up with no money, whether an argument and a fight got going between Bud and Towns and that shouting match escalated into a killing. Towns would have been furious that he wasn't going to get rich, and Bud would be furious that he just got flim-flammed by some snot-nosed kid. Things could have gotten out of hand quickly.

Whether or not they brought money with them would go a long way in understanding what happened out there at the retention pond.

after watching the video of Bud all teary eyed talking about why he does the bike ministry, I would see him trying to be calm or witness to Towns or even ask why, but that's JMO, towns on the other hand could be hot tempered, IDK

 

[Ghostwheel]

I believe at the point of sale the upc is scanned and then an activation code or IMEI for gsm phones. The esn id is used for cdma networks. A burner phone is really nothing more than a prepaid phone which uses common large networks.Sometimes Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in the United States lease wireless telephone and data spectrum from major carriers such as AT&T Mobility, Sprint Corporation, T-Mobile US, and Verizon Wireless for resale.

So every cell phone has a unique ID by phone and computers allowing it to be used on a network. While the purchaser of the phone can use a false ID to identify themselves, the phone itself is traceable back to the point of sale.

Here's where it gets tricky. Most stores but not all use point of sale surveillance and can retrieve the receipt giving them info on the sale like time of day, how it was paid for and that IMEI or ESN number scanned. They can then match up the surveillance video to the day and time of sale and possibly ID the person who purchased the phone.

IMO this is what occurred and LE isn't willing to share that info. MOO

That would mean that between Friday when the Runions were reported missing, and the first time they talked to RJT, which was before Saturday night, LE managed to:
Find the phone number the Runions had called regarding the Mustang.
Then:
Called the number and asked who it belonged to and RJT told them it was him? That would be pretty stupid on RJT’s part.
Tracked the ID number to the store it was issued at, got the time it was purchased, got the video that showed who bought it, and ID’d the person in the video? Dang, they are faster than 99.9% of other LE agencies.
Tracked the number to a certain area with GPS provided by the Runion’s family and the location was the Towns property? Did they have a name to go with the number?
If so, then the first contact with RJT follows.
If not, did they jump on RJT because they had investigated him for petty theft? That would be pretty thin unless the local LE are the ones trying to railroad him.

These guys must have had a lot of information to move that fast, so I can only assume that the Runion's Family were able to provide them with all communications regarding the Craigslist interaction.

Does anybody have any idea why the cops keep refusing to say whether The Runion's were carrying cash with them or not ? What difference does it make to them ? They either were, or they weren't.

They already pressed armed robbery charges against Towns, and they are pretty certain that he murdered them, so why all the secrecy around whether or not they were carrying a wad of cash on them ?

I'll probably get the usual comments about how that information will impede the investigation, and if you are one of the ones that make that kind of comment, please explain further what possible difference it makes.

Scenario 1: If it could be proven the Runions had $20,000 on them, but only $10,000 was found with RJT, where did the rest of the money go? If someone else was involved, trying to get that information out of RJT without letting whomever else know LE knows there is a discrepancy might keep other person (who thinks they are home free) from running. Scenario 2: Armed robbery could be regarding the Envoy. If so, that one might be hard to make stick in the long run (it can't have been taken by force if the Runions were already dead). Saying nothing means no media giving opinions on that and second guessing charges. Scenario 3: RJT had $30,000, but the Runions were only carrying $20,000. Where did the rest of the money come from? Could there be someone involved in that? If so, see Scenario 1 above. Scenario 4: No money found. Where is the motive for killing the Runions? LE might need to find that motive first, or might need to adjust the charges depending on the investigation (this happens frequently). JMO, as per the norm.

You know, we've heard that the phone was "apparently purchased for the crime" or something along those lines and turned off soon afterward. One thing I'd really like to know (and I know we're not likely to, any time soon) is exactly WHEN it was purchased...and whether it was also used for other calls (and to what numbers).

I agree. I keep reading conflicting reports (it was shut off shortly after, it pinged the next day further south, it was purchased for the crime, it was purchased for the crime or some similar crime planned...). Need facts....:waiting:

 

[Cinnamon]

FYI. Somebody created a prayer & support fb page for JT and family. 465 likes so far. Think it would be a violation of WS t&c to post the link here, so I won't. But, you can probably google it and find it.

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Things to ponder here . If Bud & June were killed on Thurs. the LE down in that area were not involved till Friday correct . When did they talk to RT ? Then we hear the LE trace his phone going south later on. That I think was on Sunday . Now how can that be if his family saw him Saturday night and he went into the woods to hide when the warrants were issued.
So who had the phone?


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OH interesting point, but I kind of assumed they got the days mixed up, then I thought maybe LE or GBI gave them a day to bring him in, a little good ole boy system, being they all know each other most likely

somewhere I THINK I read that it took cobb PD 24 hours to get in touch with Telfair PD, that might have been late friday or even saturday, because I'm wondering when exactly they were reported missing because Friday the Runions didn't show up to babysit their grandkids as was planned?

Someone elsewhere questioned why it took so long to find the car and RT and the bodies, they weren't buying it took so long

But if it wasn't until Saturday that telfair LE got involved, sunday would make sense that they were trailing RT

Just some thoughts, IDK

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

The phone has many questions concerning it. But I still can figure out if RT is in the woods how was it being tracked going south ? Who had it


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Thinking he heard the news and took off to hide out because his family had been in touch with him,

What does SOUTH mean to you? Is it pings from the same tower ? How far apart are the towers?

South could be 1 mile or 1000.

just some thoughts

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

I have AT&T and I can usually see my call log and text log within an hour of the activity.

Thanks, that helps, so the family probably gave LE the number or numbers of suspicion within the timeframe of a few days before they left most likely, things went pretty darn quick in this case in MY opinion in regards to phone records, but Im no expert

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Great minds, and all of that, Dancing...

There hasn't been a formal Obituary published as yet. With that said, local media has discussed that the funeral is at 1pm Saturday at the Mount Paran Church of God North in Marietta. I would expect to see an obituary - and guestbook - on the AJC site very late tonight, or early tomorrow morning.

This story has affected me more profoundly than any of the many cases, both local and national, that have touched me deeply over the years. I'm laid up with a severe ankle sprain right now, but am hopeful that it will improve enough to allow me to attend the visitation likely tomorrow night (no idea yet which funeral home is handling), or perhaps even the funeral service itself on Saturday.

I'll post any updated info I can find should it not be here already.

Westie Mom

Thanks Westie! I saw where the service is Saturday too, hope you can attend, good luck with your ankle healing! It can be torture, I had a sprain twice in my life, miserable and pain is worse than a break, had that in my arm once lol

Thanks for updates on obituary

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

I could be totally wrong on this, but I picture where RT lives to be similar to where I am from..going and getting someone from the woods doesn't necessarily mean that they were running or hiding.
There may not have been a hunting season going on, but RT could have been out there doing any number of things, but I just don't see hiding being one of them considering his father and the unnamed person where able to locate him so quickly and easily.
While I have a lot of questions about this case and why one person did this or one person did not do this, I still think RT is guilty and, let's face it, he doesn't look like the sharpest tool in the shed and his actions have proven it.

In the family interview video, the journalist asks why RT was in the woods, or some such and RT father said he was scared he reckoned, if someone was going to take you to jail for something you didnt' do..........etc, sounded to me like he was hiding out but dont know how they located him in those particular woods

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Why would he do this? Why would he do that?
A lot of criminals do stupid things. That's how they get caught.

haha, I've found myself saying that in my lifetime, and add, we can ask but we'll never know, we can never understand the mind of somenoe like that

But these questions do lead to other thoughts and angles too i suppose

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Does anybody have any idea why the cops keep refusing to say whether The Runion's were carrying cash with them or not ? What difference does it make to them ? They either were, or they weren't.

They already pressed armed robbery charges against Towns, and they are pretty certain that he murdered them, so why all the secrecy around whether or not they were carrying a wad of cash on them ?

I'll probably get the usual comments about how that information will impede the investigation, and if you are one of the ones that make that kind of comment, please explain further what possible difference it makes.

Ok..... maybe they dont' want any possible accomplices to know what they know yet in order to keep them off guard, SS did say that there were no others being charged at this time but that could change........

just some thoughts

 

[Ronso]

What if he threw the phone away or in a dumpster or something of the sort and it pinged while in a garbage truck? Hard to say. Where was it said that the phone pinged south? I must've missed this.