The man accused of fatally shooting James Caswell Jones had bond set at $1 milllion on March 19, by Liberty County Superior Court Judge Robert Russell.

Eptwarnd Saunders, 31, of Midway is charged with one count of murder and one count aggravated assault.

Jones, 62, was found Jan. 29, lying beside his pickup at 790 Freedman Grove Drive near Highway 17 shortly after 3 p.m. by a bus driver. The bus driver saw a patrol car at the intersection and flagged him toward the scene. The officer reported Jones was face down in a pool of his own blood.

At the scene, the LCSO used dogs to search wooded areas and a vacant structure near the victim’s body, which yielded no results.

A week later, Saunders was arrested in front of Angie’s Diner, where he was employed. According to Liberty County Sheriff Office Detective Capt. Tracy Jennings, interviews with witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting, pointed to Saunders as a person of interest.

Jennings has said Saunders became the prime suspect after interviewing members of Jones’ family and after speaking with Saunders.

Saunders was denied bond at his first appearance hearing Feb. 6, at the Liberty County Jail.