An Effingham County man charged with two counts of murder was denied bond Wednesday in Effingham County Superior Court.

 

Judge Gates Peed denied bond for Christopher Todd Lowery and bound his case over to the grand jury. Lowery also faces two counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of theft by taking, one count of possession of a firearm or knife in the commission of a crime and one count of theft by taking among his charges.

 

Lowery, 45, was a person of interest after Rincon police officers discovered the body of Linda Shaffer in the kitchen of her Rincon home on May 28.

Lowery was eventually declared a suspect and was apprehended by U.S. Marshals and local police June 1 in a Marietta, Ohio, motel.

 

Judge Peed also is expected to discuss with attorneys if a new trial date will be necessary in Craig Heidt’s case. Heidt is accused of killing his father, noted realtor and developer Philip Heidt, and brother Carey Heidt and severely wounding his mother, Linda Heidt, in an August 2008 incident. 

 

The trial is scheduled to start next month but defense attorney Dow Bonds may have a conflict with a federal case. Bonds asked for a postponement

in May after his mother was scheduled to undergo treatment for cancer. He is her sole caregiver.

 

Bonds asked in April for a continuance, informing Judge Peed of his hardship, and also pointed out his upcoming drug case in federal court. Federal court scheduling takes precedence, he noted. 

 

Jury selection originally was set to begin May 17 before Judge Peed granted the delay.