BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — A man charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend was supposed to make his first appearance before a Bibb County judge Wednesday, but he wasn't there.
Deputies said during what was supposed to be his initial appearance that Joey Fournier was in the jail's infirmary on suicide watch.
Early Monday, Cynthia Berry's father found her dead in her Winchester Place home. Her family says she had just moved into the home earlier this year. It was so recently that her neighbor Dolly Potkulski hadn't even met her yet.
"I looked at the house and I think, 'Oh, I haven't gotten to meet these people yet. I have to make cookies and bring them down,'" Potkulski said. "I'm kind of the welcome committee."
Potkulski said she didn't even realize Berry had been killed until the next day.
"I didn't hear anything. There must not have been any sirens," she said.
She says this neighborhood is quiet.
"It's just a great neighborhood. I mean, the neighbors are always with the neighbors. It just isn't something that would happen here," Potkulski said.
Deputies say Fournier killed Berry in her new home.
"It was just sad, you know? It was just a shock to all of us, and we were all afraid, locking our doors because we didn't know where he was, and there's a lot of woods around here," Potkulski said.
Berry's daughter says she moved into the home to get away from Fournier. Last year, Berry filed a protective order against him. She said he assaulted her several times over their eight-year relationship. Tuesday night, US marshals found him in Rome and arrested him.
"I hope he stays there," Potkulski said.
They also arrested Fournier's brother, Jeffrey, who deputies say drove him to Rome. Jeffrey Fournier was released Wednesday morning, and his charges were dropped. The Bibb Sheriff's Office declined to comment.
The Magistrate Court says investigators now think Jeffrey didn't know his brother was a murder suspect. Meanwhile, Joey Fournier was set to have his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, but in court, deputies said he was in the jail infirmary on suicide watch.
There's no word yet on when Fournier's first appearance will be rescheduled.