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    Russell David Tillis Sentenced to 2 Life Sentences in May 2015 FL Murder of Joni Lynn Gunter


    Joni Lynn Gunter





    ‘House of horrors’ suspect now charged with murder; buried body identified; police fear more victims

    By Dan Scanlan
    The Florida Times-Union

    Neighbors said for years Russell David Tillis hurled insults and threats at them, once chained a woman to his fence and was ultimately arrested in May 2015 after turning on officers with knives before luring them into his yard booby-trapped with half-buried boards studded with 4-inch nails.

    When they learned the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced that the 55-year-old — who lived in what they called a “house of horrors” on East Bowden Circle — was charged with murder and kidnapping late Wednesday, many neighbors were elated with the latest turn in the long-running case. It had been months since a woman’s dismembered body was dug up in his backyard in February while he was in jail.

    The sobering news is that there may be more victims based on what he has said in jail since his original arrest nine months ago, Assistant Chief Scott Dingee said. He said Tillis sought out vulnerable young females with a history of drug abuse and prostitution.

    “We believe it is highly likely that other females were victimized by Tillis, including potentially other murders,” Dingee said Thursday. “… I can’t stress enough — Tillis targets vulnerable, forgotten members of our society, the people who don’t get reported missing typically, the ones who don’t have contact with family members.”

    The charges — along with counts of human trafficking, abuse of a dead body and evidence tampering — come after the woman was identified by forensic analysis as 30-year-old Joni Lynn Gunter, who died from blunt force trauma, Dingee said. He said she was a transient. The arrest report detailed how an inmate informed police that Tillis told him she was a prostitute whom he restrained, provided drugs and sexually exploited before killing and burying her.

    Her sister, Ashley Gunter, had a succinct comment after police called to tell her.

    “I hope he rots,” she said.

    “It’s crazy. She’s been missing. I tried to report her missing, but I couldn’t because I was in Virginia at the time,” Gunter said. “Whatever her past, she did not deserve that. She was good-hearted. She helped people whenever she could, even though she was arrested for things and what she did. She was very sweet.”

    Annette Campbell, who lives across the street from the now-condemned house, called it fantastic when she read Tillis’ updated arrest report. She said neighbors were afraid to go to bed at night with Tillis there. She said he once threatened to burn her home down.

    “I am elated. It’s has made my Christmas and I am so excited,” Campbell said with emotion in her voice. “I won’t have women banging on my door crying for help, screaming that, ‘He’s going to kill me, help me!’ He won’t be standing in his yard anymore calling me wart face, saying ‘I will come over and carve those warts off your face.’ He’ll never be back!”

    Others said they continued to live in fear that his previous charges of aggravated assault, battery of a law enforcement officer and making threats wouldn’t be enough to keep him locked up.

    “After all the years of trying to get rid of him, we have the best Christmas present we could ever have,” said Jeanie Eichenlaub, who could see the hole where police found Gunter’s body from her backyard. “… I believe there could be more [victims] in other states, all over the states where he’s been incarcerated.”

    Anyone victimized by Tillis or who knew Gunter or other victims are being asked to contact police.

    Terrorized neighbors had also complained that since Tillis moved there in mid-2012, he’s been an intimidating menace. Some filed injunctions for protection against him, and many said they installed security cameras after he moved in. They saw too many instances and knew they were in the presence of evil.

    “One [woman] was running down the street naked because he was going to kill her,” Eichenlaub said. “We would hear screams, pressure washing all night. It was just horrible.”

    “One was chained to a fence, that fence right there one night,” husband David Eichenlaub added. “A police officer told him to let her go and two guys picked her up. We don’t know why they didn’t get him there for kidnapping.”

    Neighbor Dolores Powell said he would do “weird things, talking to himself and yelling at neighbors when no one would say anything to him. He was just a weird kind of person.”

    Tillis had a lengthy criminal record in Jacksonville before the 2015 arrest. He had been arrested eight times since 2005 on charges including sexual battery, stalking and exposing himself, according to jail records.

    The incident that initially landed him in jail in May 2015 started when officers went to his ramshackle home to serve more warrants. They saw him jump a fence into a neighbor’s yard and chased him, but he pulled out knives before jumping into his front yard where the half-buried boards with nails had been hidden, according to that arrest report.

    While Tillis was jailed on those charges, Dingee said police got a break.

    A fellow inmate contacted detectives this year with a tip, saying Tillis talked about killing a woman at his home, dismembering her and burying her on the property. Detectives then secretly recorded a Feb. 5 jailhouse conversation with Tillis.

    “The detectives were able to obtain a recorded statement using that inmate, where Tillis provided additional details about this murder and dismemberment,” Dingee said.

    That allowed police to get a search warrant and methodically tear apart his ramshackle house and fenced backyard a week later, uncovering human remains on the northeast corner of the home.

    Gunter’s autopsy showed she was hit in the head and killed anywhere from February 2014 to May 2015, Dingee said. Further tests on a bone sample pulled up enough DNA to run it through a federal database to make an identification and link.

    Dingee said they don’t think any other bodies remain on the property as they seek leads for other possible victims. But they don’t have any place else to search after looking through missing persons reports for possible tie-ins.

    Neighbors say they can’t see anyone ever wanting to live on Tillis’ property again, some suggesting a memorial park be built there.

    For Ashely Gunter, there at least is some closure.

    “I know where she is now, and in a safe place,” Gunter said. “She doesn’t have to suffer anymore.”

    She said her sister will always be with her and her family — Joni Gunter will be cremated and her ashes placed in necklaces for her family to wear.

    http://jacksonville.com/news/2016-12...lice-fear-more
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Man accused of killing, burying woman in court on other charges

    Russell Tillis tells judge officer lied, asks that evidence be thrown out

    By Ashley Harding
    News4JAX

    Russell Tillis, the man charged last week with killing a woman, dismembering and burying her body in the yard of his Southside home, was in court Tuesday, but on different charges -- charges he want's thrown out.

    Tillis has been in jail since May 2015, when police said he attacked two officers with knives as they served him with arrest warrants for threatening a neighbor and violating an injunction.

    Tuesday's court appearance is a pretrial hearing on those charges, not the murder, kidnapping and abuse of a body charges filed connected with the death of Joni Gunter, whose remains were found buried in Tillis' yard in February.

    During Tuesday's hearing, Tillis submitted his own motion, saying the officers lied about what happened when they came to his home, and asked that their statements and other evidence be thrown out. After the brief hearing, the assault case was passed on to Jan. 3.

    "Allegations that have been made are obviously very difficult to even swallow, much less, they're going to be very difficult to defend," said Gene Nichols, a defense attorney not involved with Tillis' case.

    Tillis is being represented by the Office of Regional Conflict Counsel after he parted ways with the public defender first appointed in the case. But court records show Tillis is still dissatisfied with the taxpayer-funded lawyer defending him.

    In a letter to the judge, Tillis said his new attorney wasn't working with him on the case and, "became physically flirtatious, using her sexuality as a means to subdue defendant’s requests." He also said she “stroked him in the courtroom.”

    "Clearly, it has been difficult representing this defendant. He's made multiple allegations against excellent lawyers, that they're doing things wrong; that they're not doing things the way he wants to," Nichols said.

    Nichols said that despite his behavior, Tillis' attorney still has a legal responsibility to give him the best defense possible.

    "When you're in that role, you have an absolute obligation to represent your client. Period. Whether they're difficult; whether they're not difficult," Nichols said.

    Tillis be back in a courtroom later this month to be arraigned on the murder and other charges.

    http://www.news4jax.com/news/crime/m...-other-charges
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    State Attorney’s Office will seek death penalty for Russell Tillis

    By Garrett Pelican
    The Florida Times-Union

    The State Attorney’s Office will seek the death penalty for Russell Tillis, the Jacksonville man charged with murder in the death of a homeless woman whose remains were buried in his booby-trapped yard, a spokesman confirmed Thursday.

    The Tillis case marks the first time State Attorney Melissa Nelson will pursue the death sentence for a defendant since taking office in January.

    The news comes the same day that a grand jury indicted Tillis on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, human trafficking and abuse of a dead human body in the death of 30-year-old Joni Lynn Gunter.

    “We are finalizing paperwork and will be filing a notice to seek the death penalty,” spokesman David Chapman wrote in a statement provided to the Times-Union.

    http://jacksonville.com/news/public-...russell-tillis
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Tillis will not be representing himself in murder trial; death penalty on the table

    By Destiny Johnson
    First Coast News

    The death penalty is on the table for Russell Tillis. He has been charged with the murder of 31-year-old Joni Gunter, a woman whose remains were found on his property.

    However, at his last court appearance on June 19, Tillis said he wanted to represent himself in the murder case because he was displeased with his council. At the hearing on June 27, he was originally firm in his stance to defend himself, before withdrawing that at the end of the hearing.

    Tillis will now be represented by two attorneys.

    Now with the death penalty as a possibility, Judge Borello said it is his duty to find Tillis a second attorney to try and fight against the death penalty. Attorney James Boyle has been added to the case.

    Tillis would like James Boyle appointed as first chair in his case because he feels that Boyle, unlike his current first chair James Hernandez, has been helpful. He feels that Boyle should be his first chair attorney.

    But Judge Borello isn't so sure. The judge said he was unsure whether Boyle had enough experience, unlike Hernandez, in handling cases of this matter and because the death penalty is on the table, it is their responsibility to fight for Tillis' rights as his attorneys.

    It is believed that now Hernandez will handle the death penalty portion of the case and Boyle will handle preparing and the trial. Tillis has agreed to those circumstances.

    The next pre trial hearing is July 13.

    http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/t...able/452428495
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Russell Tillis faces jury in battery trial; death penalty case to come

    By Eileen Kelly
    The Florida Times-Union

    Russell David Tillis walked into a Duval County courtroom with a confident stride Tuesday, the opening day of his trial. A guard handed the 56-year-old a plaid tie and black belt to complement his outfit of black slacks and a light-colored button-down shirt. Tillis then took a seat next to his attorneys and for the next several hours he listened closely as two prosecutors and two police officers laid out a case against him.

    Tuesday was part of a long battle he faces with the state of Florida.

    The police officers testified that twice in May 2015 they tried to serve Tillis with arrest warrants and twice their efforts were stymied when Tillis ran into his Southside house. During the second attempt, an officer hopped a fence and came down on a board partially covered in sand but riddled with 4-inch nails sticking upright.

    There were other dangers in the yard as well: a tripwire connected to an electrical outlet and rusty razors fastened in hedges, prosecutors say. About eight hours after trying that second time to serve Tillis with warrants — on allegations he violated an injunction and a threat to someone — three officers came back to Tillis’ home with a plan to draw the man out of his house.

    It was past midnight when the officers started lobbing rocks at an RV and a metal fence on Tillis’ property in an effort to get his attention. It worked.

    Armed with two knives Tillis gave chase until he fell, kicking a police officer, the arrest report said. Tillis’ defense on Tuesday seemed to indicate that Tillis didn’t realize he was being chased by police but rather others who apparently had it out for him.

    Dale Beam who was living in the RV at the time, testified that three days earlier, three men came to the property with bats and knives and roughed Tillis up. Beam told the jury that Tillis called him when the rocks were being lobbed and Tillis suggested to him that the three men were back to get him. Beam also testified he heard Tillis say to police that he didn’t realize who they were.

    Tillis was arrested on aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He faces 30 years in prison. The case is expected to wrap up Thursday.

    Win or lose, Tillis’ problems will be far from over after this week’s battery case.

    Last month the State Attorney’s Office filed a notice that it intends to seek the death penalty against Tillis in the death of Joni Lynn Gunter. Investigators believe Gunter died sometime between February 2014 and May 2015 when Tillis was arrested on battery charges. Her bones were unearthed from his property after a tip from a fellow inmate last year.

    When juries consider sentences, past criminal convictions can lead to more serious penalties. So a guilty verdict in the battery case could be used to bolster the state’s claim that Tillis should be condemned to death should he be convicted in Gunter’s death.

    http://jacksonville.com/news/public-...alty-case-come
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Mistrial ruled in Russell Tillis battery case; records weren’t provided

    By Eileen Kelly
    The Florida Times-Union

    The battery trial of murder suspect Russell David Tillis abruptly ended Wednesday with a mistrial after a judge declared that Tillis’ defense team was not provided with records it is entitled to receive to prepare its defense.

    The mistrial comes a day after two police officers gave multiple conflicting statements about the case and one officer flat out said there were not any particular records that Tillis’ lawyer had been seeking.

    However, at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, well after the jury had been dismissed for the day, that officer, Sgt. Joel Bailey, found the records and forwarded them to the prosecutors. Those records were then shared with the defense.

    The matter was laid out in court before the jury reconvened Wednesday morning. Judge Mark Borello was not happy.

    “To say that the court is not pleased would be an understatement,” said Borello on what was to be the second day of the trial.

    This matter for a case that is now a little more than two years later should have been resolved long ago, Borello said.

    Assistant State Attorney Tom Mangan had this to say: “I didn’t know these documents even existed.” And Tillis’ attorney, James Boyle who asked for the records 16 months ago, responded this way: “I’m not sure what else I could have done.”

    Just before 11 a.m. Wednesday the jurors were brought back into Borello’s courtroom and excused: “The good news is I’m going to free up your day and the rest of the week. The bad news is, I’ve declared a mistrial.”

    There will be a hearing July 27 to sort out record matters and determine what to do next. Unless State Attorney Melissa Nelson decides not to go forward with the case, all indications Wednesday were that there will be another battery trial for Tillis.

    Boyle expressed frustration with the records — which in the legal world are called discovery — being withheld.

    Tillis, 56, was arrested in the early morning hours of May 28, 2015, after police threw rocks at an RV on his property and at a metal fence with the hopes of luring him out. Police said the East Bowden Circle yard was booby-trapped with partially covered boards studded with 4-inch nails, trip wire and razors in hedges. They said Tillis pulled out two knives and gave chase.

    Police records at the time of the arrest say police were in the Southside neighborhood to serve Tillis with warrants. But the police reports don’t tell the entire story.

    Tillis was arrested on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, criminal mischief and loitering. Those charges could carry a 30-year prison sentence.

    In March 2016 Boyle learned during sworn depositions the police had not only gone to Tillis’ home on May 28, but May 26 and 27 as well. In both visits, police testified — in depositions and in court Tuesday — that Tillis ran from his yard into his house. Boyle also learned that during the May 27 visit, Bailey stepped on a nail in one of the boards that were partially covered in sand in Tillis’ yard.

    Boyle said after the 2016 depositions he asked the State Attorney’s Office for records on the police activity around the time of Tillis’ arrest. He only received scant records detailing police presence at the Tillis property from late in evening on May 27 to Tillis’ arrest on May 28.

    The trial then began Tuesday. During Boyle’s opening statements, he suggested there will be conflicting statements throughout the trial. Other than the facts that there were warrants for Tillis’ arrest and that he was arrested, everything else would be “clear as mud.”

    “You will have doubts as to how things went down,” Boyle said Tuesday morning before the two police officers were called to testify.

    Following the mistrial, Boyle said, “Mr. Tillis and I are both frustrated with the recent developments concerning items of discovery that were requested more than 16 months ago. We look forward to reviewing these documents, attempting to determine why they were not disclosed to the defense sooner and whether there are any additional materials that have been withheld.”

    This is at least the second time that police have withheld discovery from the defense, according to Boyle.

    In April a hearing was conducted regarding the existence of surveillance video from Tillis’ neighbor. Leading up to the hearing, the defense had been told that no such video or photographs were ever recovered by law enforcement. However during that hearing, one of Tillis’ neighbors testified that he made a recording of his surveillance video specifically for the Sheriff’s Office and it was turned over to them on the day of Tillis’ arrest.

    In that matter, Borello agreed that evidence had been withheld but that it was not the fault of the prosecutors. Wednesday, although he appeared very frustrated with the prosecution regarding the newly discovered records after the trial began, Borello did give the prosecution a pass.

    The State Attorney’s Office declined to respond to numerous questions following the mistrial, citing that the case is still ongoing.

    “We respect the court’s decision and will be prepared to retry Mr. Tillis when the court schedules jury selection,” said David Chapman, State Attorney’s Office spokesman.

    Regardless of the battery case, Tillis has bigger issues ahead. While in jail on battery charges, he was arrested on murder and other charges after an inmate advised authorities that Tillis said he killed, dismembered and buried a woman on his property. Investigators said Tillis restrained, provided with narcotics and forcibly subjected the woman to sexual exploitation before killing her. In February 2016 authorities unearthed the remains of Joni Lynn Gunter outside his home. Gunter died of blunt force trauma to the head sometime from February 2014 to May 2015, police said.

    Nelson is seeking the death penalty in that case.

    http://jacksonville.com/news/public-...ren-t-provided

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