Written by: E. George
Published April 19, 2024 @ 10:30 AM ET
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. – A Dallas fugitive who has evaded arrest for nearly two years after failing to appear in court in October 2022 for his wife’s murder has been apprehended. According to allegations, Jonathan Bates killed his 28-year-old wife, Cynthia “Cynde” Bates, in their Paulding County home on May 5, 2017.
According to reports, Bates and his wife were fighting that day. Bates told police that he pushed his wife away from him causing her to hit her head on the family’s couch. His wife died in the hospital the next day after Bates told police she began to have trouble breathing. Police said the Bates’ children, ages 4 and 7 at the time, witnessed their parents fighting that day and ran to a nearby family friend’s home. The autopsy revealed that Cynthia died from blunt-force trauma to the back of her head.
Bates was charged with murder, battery, and two counts of child cruelty but Paulding County Chief Judge Tony Beavers later threw out all the charges except for the battery charge. This decision angered the victim’s family and the community. An online petition was created calling for Beavers’ removal from the bench. Subsequently, a grand jury still indicted Bates on a murder charge.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office took Bates into custody. On April 17, he was transferred to Paulding County Jail.
Officials have yet to release information regarding his next court date. This case is pending in court.