Man who lured Cobb County couple to buy car on Craigslist pleads guilty to murder

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a metro Atlanta couple was lured to a rural southeast Georgia county to buy a classic car almost a decade ago.

Ronnie Adrian “Jay” Towns pleaded guilty to two counts of malice murder in connection to the deaths of Bud and June Runion. Towns was sentenced to two concurrent life without parole sentences.

The Runions, who were from Cobb County, were robbed and shot to death before their bodies were found off a Telfair County road in January 2015.

Authorities said the Marietta couple drove three hours to Telfair County to meet someone offering to sell Bud Runion a 1966 Mustang.

Just days later, Towns was charged with murder and armed robbery, according to law enforcement.

Law enforcement officials said they believed Towns lured the Runions to Telfair County by replying to a Craigslist ad that 69-year-old Bud Runion had posted seeking a classic car — though Towns didn’t own such a vehicle.

Before the guilty plea, Georgia courts had thrown out Towns’ first indictment over problems with how the grand jury was selected. Towns was indicted a second time in 2020 for the killings but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the case.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Someone fishing with a magnet dredged up new evidence in Cobb County couple’s killing, GBI says

In April, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said new evidence — a .22 caliber rifle, a bag with driver’s licenses and credit cards belonging to the Runions and a cell phone — was found by someone who was magnet fishing in Horse Creek in Telfair County.

The Runions were laid to rest on Jan. 31, 2015.