Crime & Safety

Bond Denied for One Twin Charged with Murder in Case of Body Found Buried in Winder Backyard

According to a report by the Associated Press, William Cormier's twin brother Christopher was not at the bond hearing because he is awaiting appointment of a lawyer.

A judge has denied bond for one of the twin brothers charged in the death of a former newspaper reporter from Florida, the Associated Press reports in a post on the CBS 12 News website

Barrow County Superior Court Judge Penn McWhorter said 31-year-old William Cormier did not appear to have significant ties to the community and seemed to be a flight risk. According to the report, Cormier's twin brother Christopher was not at the bond hearing because he is awaiting appointment of a lawyer.

The Winder Police Department charged the brothers Christopher Cormier and William Cormier with murder Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Find out what's happening in Barrowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The brothers had been in police custody since Oct. 8, when a body was found buried in the backyard of a Sixth Street residence in Winder. According to Winder police, a medical examiner declared the case a homicide Oct. 10 and estimated the time of death to be approximately one month ago. The body was later identified as that of 30-year-old Christopher Sean Dugas of the Pensacola, Fla. area. Dugas was a former reporter for the Pensacola News Journal and had been missing since September.  A GBI forensic pathologist used dental and facial bone CT scans and surgically implanted dental hardware serial numbers to make the identification.

According to police, the body was found . The residence is rented by the brothers' father. The father told police his sons arrived from Florida about three weeks ago. They reportedly told their father they were taking care of the missing person’s dog but ended up killing the dog and burying it in the backyard. 

Find out what's happening in Barrowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In a post to his own website, . 

You might also be interested in reading: 

  • Body Found Buried in Winder Backyard Identified as Missing Florida Man
  • Brothers Face Charges of Concealing Death while Police Await Autopsy on Body Found Buried at Winder Residence
  • Winder Police: Brothers in Custody after Body Found at Sixth Avenue Residence

Subscribe to Barrow Patch’s newsletters, follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Barrow