JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Documents and evidence photos obtained from the State Attorney's Office reveal some of what investigators found at the Southside home of Russell Tillis, where the dismembered remains of a woman were found last year.
Tillis, 56, has already pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers in 2015 at his home on Bowden Circle East, but prosecutors are seeking a murder conviction and the death penalty after finding the remains of Joni Lynn Gunter buried in his backyard.
Among the evidence: clear pictures of what police described as booby traps of rusty nails hidden under the dirt and trees lined with razor blades around the property
There's also surveillance video from a neighbor's camera showing the night Tillis was arrested. He hid by his fence, then jumped over it and ran with three officers on his tail. When they caught up with him, the video shows Tillis kicking a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office sergeant in the chest.
The newly released evidence includes 911 calls reporting a series of disturbances from neighbors.
"He hides," one caller said. "They have been trying to get this man for two days."
One year after that arrest, a tip led investigators to dig up the yard and find human bones and hair.
After DNA analysis, the remains were identified as those of Gunter, who investigators believe was killed in 2014 and 2015.
A chain from a chainsaw was found buried near the remains. Evidence photos show the saw it may home come from, along with power tools, saw blades, hammers and knives that could have been used in the murder.
Tillis is awaiting trial on charges including first-degree murder. He's due in court for a Jan. 31 hearing and is scheduled to be tried later this year.