TELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. -- Murder charges have been filed against a man in the deaths of a Cobb County couple.
Authorities say Ronnie Adrian "Jay" Towns shot 69-year-old Elrey "Bud" Runion and his 66-year-old wife June Runion in the head with a small caliber gun.
Towns is charged with murder and armed robbery, according to Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson.
Family members say Bud Runion, of Marietta, had placed an ad on Craigslist searching for a vintage 1966 Mustang. Someone in McRae, Ga. responding and said he had one to sell.
The Runions planned a trip to the Telfair County town to purchase the vehicle. They had planned to leave Thursday and return that night. They never made it home.
The couple's SUV was found submerged in a pond on Monday, and the bodies of the Runions were found nearby. The two bodies were not next to each other when they were discovered, authorities said.
Towns had turned himself in to authorities earlier Monday. He initially was charged with giving false statements and criminal attempt to commit theft by deception.
Robbery appears to be the motive for the couple's killings, but Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson would not say whether the Runions were carrying cash or disclose other details about the case. On Monday, he said investigators had found no evidence that Towns owned the sort of classic car that Runion in a Craigslist ad had said he wanted.
"This community feels betrayed," Steverson said. "For an individual who was raised in this community to have orchestrated such a heinous act, we are very upset to say the least."
The bodies were found within a mile of the home Towns was staying in with his parents, police said.
The arrest also shocked Towns' family. He grew up on a farm beside a long dirt road where his father grew soybeans, cotton and peanuts. The property isn't far from where the bodies were found.
Towns lived in neighboring Wheeler County with his family, a wife and a young daughter whom he supported by doing construction work for a local homebuilder, said his uncle, Buddy Towns.
"He's a good kid, and very smart," said the uncle, who often saw his nephew's truck pass by as the younger man headed to work. "It just doesn't make any sense why this would even go down. It's hard for his parents. They're not understanding."
Towns made an appearance before a Telfair County magistrate judge Tuesday afternoon. He waived a preliminary hearing and was denied bond.
Towns is being held in a Dodge County jail.
Contributing: USA Today, WMAZ, The Associated Press
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