Twins charged in Fla. murder; body put in concrete

[October 27, 2012]  PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- Florida authorities charged 31-year-old twin brothers on Friday with murdering a former Pensacola newspaper reporter whose body was found buried in concrete in Georgia.

Pensacola police said Christopher and William Cormier of Georgia also face armed robbery charges.

Authorities say they killed 30-year-old Sean Dugas. Dugas worked for the Pensacola News Journal from 2005 to 2010 doing various newsroom jobs including clerk, multimedia reporter, entertainment reporter and crime reporter.

Investigators say the twins were Dugas' house guests in Pensacola before they killed him on Aug. 27 and stole his belongs. That included a collection of cards for the game "Magic: The Gathering," valued at up to $100,000. Pensacola Police Detective Danny Harnett said the cards were sold in Pensacola, Tennessee and Georgia. Friends said Dugas and the twins met at a Pensacola comic store where they played the game and bought and sold game cards.

Georgia investigators unearthed Dugas' plastic and concrete-encased body in the backyard of the twins' father's home in Widner, Ga., after a weekslong search. A friend reported Dugas missing in early September after he missed a lunch meeting.

Police say Dugas died of blunt-force trauma.

The Cormiers are in jail in Georgia, but Florida authorities say they will be extradited to Pensacola. They did not give a date for the extradition.

Prosecutors in Georgia are awaiting charging documents from Florida and have not dropped Georgia charges of murder and concealing a death, said Barrow County Chief Assistant District Attorney Deborah Wilbanks.

Florida Circuit Judge Thomas Santurri signed the charging warrants Thursday.

Investigators say William Cormier drove to a nearby Walmart after killing Dugas and bought materials to hide the body.

Police said their investigation continues even though the men have been charged.

[Associated Press; By MELISSA NELSON-GABRIEL]

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