TELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. — A nearly 10-year-old murder trial reached its conclusion on Monday, when Jay Towns received a double-life sentence for the murders of Bud and June Runion.
Judge Sarah Wall says what happened to the Runions shouldn't have happened.
Wall told the courtroom the murder case took almost 10 years because of a faulty indictment, the pandemic, new evidence and other legal delays.
One of the Runions' daughters, Brittany Patterson, says her parents were good people who didn't deserve what happened to them. She says she was nervous about the plea.
"We were afraid that maybe Mr. Towns wouldn't go through with the plea again as we were down here on November 5th and he didn't have the courage to admit to it," Patterson said.
13WMAZ has been covering this case since the beginning of January 2015. Oconee Circuit District Attorney Tim Vaughn says a lot of effort went into seeing the case through to the end.
"It just demonstrates the real tragedy of what Towns did to these folks, but the family is satisfied that he won't ever be out again and ever do this to anybody else in the free world," Vaughn said.
In January 2015, the Runions' car and their bodies were found in three different locations in Telfair County, within about a one-mile radius of each other, according to investigators.
The couple was traveling to Telfair County after seeing a Craigslist ad for a 1966 Mustang, which is where Towns lured, robbed and killed them. Their granddaughter, Amanda Carr, was 13 years old at the time of their death. She says it has tested her faith.
"Christ forgave those who killed him on the cross while he was being killed," Carr said. "So if I cannot forgive somebody who killed my own loved ones how can I call myself a follower? He gives me the strength to forgive - it's not my own."
Towns will serve two life sentences without the possibility of parole.