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

[margarita25]

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.

Imo it's all about the trial, keeping things on the low down for strategic purposes re: the upcoming trial, keeping things close to the vest as they gather information and try to put together a package which can seal a guilty verdict in a courtroom. They seem to hold back basic details in many cases I've seen.

It it is amazing what can come out in later proceedings/documents. In Jessica Ridgeway's case, so many things came out, everything from how they traced they dna on her water bottle to many other things nobody knew (nor would you want to know). This might be one of those cases where we do not learn much more until trial. So many cases like this here in WS imo. Heather Elvis (Moorer's trial in May), GG, Noelle Paquette's upcoming trial..the list goes on...

In a nutshell, securing an airtight case, making sure no defense lawyer can get stuff thrown out, just trying to gain/ maintain as much of an upper hand as possible.

 

[margarita25]

Msm's been quiet...any updates?

 

[margarita25]

I think that he needed to get his hands on money for more than just a drug habit. Maybe he owed money to someone who has helped him get out of trouble before? Hush money of sorts? Just thinking of maybe's here.

Was he desperate, or just greedy?

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I wish a mod would take McRae off the title and put the hometown of the couple instead.

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

On tying the phone to RT so quickly... Maybe it's as simple as the phone pinging in the location of his trailer where he lived. This is a rural area, so likely no other homes are close. Police could have gone straight there and questioned him. Maybe. he gave an alibi that didn't check out. They know he bought it for the crime, but maybe that's based on when it was first activated and used, so phone company data not store data. Moo

 

[FragileSugar]

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

I wonder if Bud & June's cell phone plan was a shared plan with one or more of their daughters? That might explain how the phone records were obtained so quickly - the kid(s) could just log on to the shared account to see what calls/texts Bud received.

 

[FragileSugar]

After reading the article again, that someone posted about the searches and pings, I'm thinking it pinged and moved south on Friday then was turned off by saturday??

I wonder if he made any other calls - before or after the crime - using the phone.

 

[Sonya610]

Do we know anything more about the gun used? The articles say a small caliber handgun but I think I remember hearing it was a .22?

That makes me wonder if they were shot in the car and then pulled out, which would explain why they would both be on opposite sides of the road. Most small caliber handguns have short barrels and are hard to aim, if the targets were a few feet away landing a headshot would not be easy, especially since the second victim would surely start moving.

I also don't see why both would get out of the car on their own since obviously there was no Mustang in sight, they would either think they hadn't arrived at the site yet OR the guy was a scam artist/thief. But JT could have approached to say "Hey, follow me down to..." or maybe even looked like a stranded motorist with the hood up, on a rural dirt road anyone passing by would stop.

I am thinking maybe JT met them on the road and came up to the car to say something and then shot them the second they rolled the window down, Bud first and then June. Hopefully that is how it happened, fast with neither of them having time to suffer.

 

[apschnee]

1. More than likely the photo of Jay with shaggy hair and blue background is the GA DMV Photo. They all have a blue background and are real close up like that

2.Isnt the Towns property south of McRae? Maybe thats what "moving south" could indicate?

3. I bet the Runions had to stop and ask for directions becuase they did not have cell service. According to the lady at the store, they stopped around 5:30. (probably lost cell reception by this time). According to family, Runions last spoke with someone on the phone at 3:30. This would be around Metro Atlanta I believe where there is plenty of AT&T Reception.

I cant 100% connect Jay to the burner phone without more evidence. For all we know he purchased the phone (police connect him to the phone based off of the fact he purchased it (?) ) and someone stole it from him, or he let someone borrow it??? We need more info on this phone.

Also, why did the people at the antique store tell the Runions that the road they were looking for was futher away (isnt there where they were supposed to meet the person to buy the car?) but then the Runions were found not far from the Antique store?? Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Sonya610]

I cant 100% connect Jay to the burner phone without more evidence. For all we know he purchased the phone (police connect him to the phone based off of the fact he purchased it (?) ) and someone stole it from him, or he let someone borrow it??? We need more info on this phone.

If his phone was borrowed or stolen one would think he would TELL the police that and there would be another huge manhunt in progress right now.

 

[apschnee]

If his phone was borrowed or stolen one would think he would TELL the police that and there would be another huge manhunt in progress right now.

unless the police do not believe him, or the other person has an "alibi"

Or, Jay does not want to throw the other person under the bus? who knows?

 

[apschnee]

I guess it is just really hard for me to wrap my brain around, if Jay in-fact did this, he did absolutely nothing to "cover his tracks". Why would he contact them with a phone HE purchased, Kill them and leave them close to his parents property, and sink their car in a pond close to his parents property? Hello! All eyes point to him!!! Why wouldnt he use a phone that had ZERO connection to him, dispose of bodies/car at a location far far away from him/his family? I guess the only answer is ignorance or drugs?

 

[JudyBolton]

This is something I had not noticed before (from the Daily Mail article)

"Owens and her sister, Stephanie Bishop, say the last conversation they had with their parents was one in which they had expressed excitement over the car.
They said their father had wanted the car ever since he returned from duty in Vietnam in 1966."

Also this : “He said, ‘You can’t take money with you when you’re gone,’” said the couple’s daughter, Brittany Patterson. “You might as well spend and enjoy it.”


...so all of the daughters knew about the car and hopefully they shared something with one of them about Jay - even something he said or any small detail might help.

We've discussed whether they took cash (I think one daughter didn't think they took cash - but that part read like she wasn't 100% sure. ) Sometimes parents can "surprise" you - my parents flew down to south Fla. to "look" at a retirement home to rent. (both in their 80's). When I picked them up at the airport - they had purchased it! Without telling me! And they told me everything (I was their only child). So maybe they planned to get it on Thur. and drive it over to her house on Fri. when they arrived to babysit.

The good news is this is one piece of the puzzle that I suspect will be rather easily solved by checking their accounts for withdrawals.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-car-seller-met-Craigslist.html#ixzz3QJAgwGXP

 

[oceanblueeyes]

"Telfair County sheriff’s deputies searched the area where the Runions’ last phone call took place on Friday. Police say the phone they called was a burner cell phone.

The burner phone's ping has since moved south, according to police. "

http://www.wgxa.tv/news/local/Missi...ed-on-Craigslist-in-Telfair-Co-289674831.html

I believe the Telfair Sheriff's Department knew about the Runions being missing on Friday. I just read in one of the articles that Bud and June's family also called the Telfair PD, which would make sense, along with calling the Cobb County PD. So SS knew they were missing in his area even before the Cobb County police got in touch with them.

Since JTs sister said she saw him on Saturday that was the day they probably had interviewed him. She said he acted normal and that may have been due to the police letting him go at that time. Maybe he felt at that time he had pulled it off. Then they checked out his story and it didn't add up. So when he knew they had warrants out for his arrest is when he headed into the woods to hide out. The GBI came there and talked with his father and told him if he didn't bring him in they would be back in full SWAT gear and all hell was going to break loose. So that is when his dad brokered a deal to go in and get him and surrender him to the police. Imo, the father was standing on his own property when he was interviewed and that is why he said he was in the woods 'back there' (paraphrasing). I wouldn't be surprised if he went in and got him on Sunday afternoon and didn't turn him in until the next day. The GBI probably told his father he had to bring him in no later than Monday morning.

IMO

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I guess it is just really hard for me to wrap my brain around, if Jay in-fact did this, he did absolutely nothing to "cover his tracks". Why would he contact them with a phone HE purchased, Kill them and leave them close to his parents property, and sink their car in a pond close to his parents property? Hello! All eyes point to him!!! Why wouldnt he use a phone that had ZERO connection to him, dispose of bodies/car at a location far far away from him/his family? I guess the only answer is ignorance or drugs?

I imagine he thought the burner phone couldn't be traced.

Why does any murderer do the things they do? I don't think we will ever know the answers to that.

But countless murderers have buried their victims right on their very own property even in their backyards.

So I guess he felt as long as he didn't leave the bodies on his own property he would never be tied to the case.

Thank goodness most murderers do turnout to be rather stupid and that is why they get caught. Heck we have even seen a NASA rocket scientist, doctors or lawyers who have murdered and they made very stupid mistakes.

 

[apschnee]

I imagine he thought the burner phone couldn't be traced.

Why does any murderer do the things they do? I don't think we will ever know the answers to that.

But countless murderers have buried their victims right on their very own property even in their backyards.

So I guess he felt as long as he didn't leave the bodies on his own property he would never be tied to the case.

Thank goodness most murderers do turnout to be rather stupid and that is why they get caught. Heck we have even seen a NASA rocket scientist, doctors or lawyers who have murdered and they made very stupid mistakes.

True, It just seems like he did not try to hide them very well, being that they were just covered in sticks and leaves, so close to his parents property where he was living.

 

[Sonya610]

True, It just seems like he did not try to hide them very well, being that they were just covered in sticks and leaves, so close to his parents property where he was living.

He might have planned to bury the bodies but never got around to it. Didn't they say the car was NOT completely submerged? If that is the case maybe he freaked when the car wouldn't disappear, that put a hitch in his plan and he never finished by burying the bodies.

 

[Monkey41]

Obituary

http://www.barnesville.com/archives/7979-Elrey-Bud-and-June-Runion.html

 

[JudyBolton]

True, It just seems like he did not try to hide them very well, being that they were just covered in sticks and leaves, so close to his parents property where he was living.

My guess would be that he thought moving them posed a bigger risk than leaving them there - such as being stopped with bodies in his car/truck or leaving traceable blood evidence. In my opinion, this is another thing that makes me think he acted alone. Maybe he planned to hide the bodies later but didn't expect the full out search to happen so quickly (with GBI, helicopters, etc.).

 

[apschnee]

My guess would be that he thought moving them posed a bigger risk than leaving them there - such as being stopped with bodies in his car/truck or leaving traceable blood evidence. In my opinion, this is another thing that makes me think he acted alone. Maybe he planned to hide the bodies later but didn't expect the full out search to happen so quickly (with GBI, helicopters, etc.).

That would make logical sense to me.