They first found the spot where they believe Sean Michael Nance was shot. Three days later, they found what dental records would confirm was Nance's body.
This week in Richmond County Superior Court, jurors will decide if Zachary D. Allen, 28, committed murder or shot his friend in self-defense. Testimony continues Wednesday.
"No good deed goes unpunished," Assistant District Attorney Tianna Bias told the jury in her opening statement. Nance's fatal good deed was giving his friend Allen a ride.
It was Dec. 22, 2016, on Simpkins Lane that Nance, 35, was shot, Bias told the jury.
»Click here to get the new AJC Mobile App
Jimmy Stone testified it wasn't unusual to hear gunshots near his south Augusta home. Initially he didn't associate seeing two men in a white car on Simpkins Lane that morning and hearing gunshots shortly afterward.
But he began to wonder about it and went outside to take a look. He saw blood.
Richmond County Sheriff Sgt. Tom Johnson testified not only was there blood on the road, two shell casings were found nearby.
The day after Christmas 2016, Johnson, then with the crime scene unit, was sent to a wooded area off 4-H Club Road. A body burnt beyond recognition had been found.
The mother of Allen's ex-girlfriend called 911 after being taken to the scene. Allen had shown his ex-girlfriend the body on Dec. 22, 2016.
Defense attorney Danny Durham told the jury in his opening statement that Allen was guilty of concealing the death of a person when he made the terrible decision to burn Nance's body.
Allen panicked, Durham said. He had just shot his friend after Nance turned the gun on him and demanded money. The two struggled for control of the gun and during the fight the gun fired twice, hitting Nance, Durham said.
The shot that killed Nance, the prosecutor told the jury, was a bullet to the back of the head. It was an execution, Bias said.
