Examiners: man buried in concrete died of head wounds

WINDER, Ga. (WALA) - A Georgia medical examiner has ruled the death of man, found buried in a backyard under cement, a homicide.

Georgia authorities are working with Pensacola police on trying to identify the body, which may be that of a missing Pensacola newspaper reporter.

Winder, Georgia, police said autopsy results show the man, found in a blue storage container, was killed by several blows to the back of the head, and that the crime happened about a month ago.

Winder police also said authorities need to find out where the homicide occurred so that the appropriate agency can file charges.

On Wednesday, brothers William and Christopher Cormier were charged with murder in the case, in addition to a charge of concealing the death of a person.

Sean Dugas, the missing Pensacola news reporter, met the Cormier brothers at a Pensacola comic book shop.

"I first met Sean, up here at TBS Comics, when I first moved to town about eleven or twelve years ago,” said Steve Wilcox, manager at the Pensacola TBS Comic Book store.

Wilcox said Dugas met the Cormier brothers through a card game tournament.  They all played a fantasy card game called Magic, the Gathering.

"They were interesting guys, they were twins; one was really well off, just got out of the military -- really nice guy. The other brother was a little more intense than the other one was, both of them really competitive when it came to playing magic and apparently a lot of other things as well," said Wilcox.

Wilcox said he got to know Dugas outside of the store; during parties at Dugas' home.

"Really easy going -- a free spirit, as a lot of people tend to know him as, always friendly, nice to get along with," said Wilcox.

Wilcox said the Cormier brothers would also attend the parties.

“As far as I knew they were friends, I've been friends with them at one time as well. The brothers have come and gone; sometimes they'd move out of town, sometimes they'd come back,” said Wilcox.

Pensacola police on Tuesday said a friend trying to contact Dugas – for some time, at his home was told by neighbors that a man moving things out of the home said Dugas had been beaten up...and that he planned to live with him.

Wilcox said the last time he saw Dugas was a few days after the attack, which happened outside a Pensacola Beach bar.

“He had his jaw broken and his jaw was swollen about the size of a baseball and was wired shut,” said Wilcox.

But, Wilcox said, Dugas remained in good spirits despite the injury.

Authorities said they are checking dental records, fingerprints, and trying to verify a tattoo found on the body.