A Georgia jury convicted a man who had been on the run for more than a year after skipping a court hearing, following the 2017 murder of his wife.
Jonathan Bates has been convicted and given a life sentence for the killing of 28-year-old Cyndie Bates. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that a jury in Paulding County also determined him to be responsible for manslaughter, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children.
Bates skipped a court hearing in October 2022 and fled the area. The Dawson Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service arrested him in April 2024z
The incident occurred in the couple’s Dallas residence, as per the investigators’ findings. Prosecutors detailed that Bates shoved his wife, causing her to tumble and strike her head on a loveseat. This tragic event unfolded with their two young children, aged 4 and 7, present.
As Channel 2 Action News disclosed, Judge Tonny Beavers, the Chief Magistrate of Paulding County, made a ruling in 2022. Beavers concluded that the available evidence did not sufficiently establish probable cause for charges of murder and cruelty to children. Subsequently, it came to light that Beavers had familial ties to the Bates family.
He subsequently recused himself from the case.
“How are you going to say there’s not enough evidence whenever the autopsy revealed blunt trauma to the back of the head?” Bates’ sister Sandy DementI asked. “It’s not right and he doesn’t deserve to get away with this.”
Before Bates was assigned to a new judge, he fled before being arrested again.
He also received an additional two years on misdemeanor convictions.
[Feature Photo: Jonathan Bates: Dawson County Sheriff’s Office; Cynde Bates: Facebook)
