DOUGLAS, Ga. (WALB) - A man charged with the murder of his wife in Douglas in 2006 is scheduled for a bond hearing later this month.

According to the Coffee County Clerk of Court’s Office, Jon Worrell, 58, is scheduled to appear before Judge Dwayne Gillis on June 26 at 9 a.m.

Authorities announced Worrell had been arrested for the murder of his wife, Doris, on May 20, in Maryville, Missouri, following a nearly 20-year investigation.

On Sept. 20, 2006, someone shot and killed Doris Worrell inside Jon’s Sports Park, a business the Worrell family owned and operated in Douglas.

In a motion for bond, Worrell’s defense attorneys, J, Travis Griffin and P. Mackenzie Miller of Macon, Ga. argue that, if granted bond, Worrell will not pose a flight risk, despite moving away from Coffee County and living abroad in the years since the murder.

They state he cooperated with law enforcement officers immediately after his wife’s murder.

“Mr. Worrell continued to live in Coffee County with his three minor children for several months despite the polarization of the community over Doris’ murder and the subsequent harassment leveled at Mr. Worrell by some in the community who thought him responsible,” according to the motion.

In addition, Griffin and Miller point out that Worrell has no criminal history prior to being charged for Doris Worrell’s murder.

“Mr. Worrell is not a convicted felon and does not have any felonious criminal history. Absence of criminal history is indicia that the accused, should he be granted bond, will continue to live a law-abiding life, one free from significant risk of intimidation of witnesses, obstruction of justice, or danger to the community. Though Mr. Worrell has lived outside the Coffee County community for several years, he has significant ties to this community. Should he be granted bond, Mr. Worrell can remain and live in Coffee County pending trial in this case. Despite him living outside the United States for several years, Mr. Worrell is not a flight risk. Mr. Worrell has no history of not appearing when summonsed by a court, and he has significant ties to the community. Mr. Worrell is amenable to electronic monitoring and any other measures this Court wishes to impose to ensure Mr. Worrell’s appearance when summonsed,” the defense attorneys state in the motion.

To read the full motion, please see the document below.

The day following Worrell’s arrest, authorities said they believed the murder resulted following marital problems between the couple.  Investigators said they believe Jon feared he would lose his children if he divorced Doris.

The GBI also said the investigation revealed Jon Worrell had an inappropriate relationship with the children’s live-in nanny, Paola Yarberry.  Investigators said though the two denied a relationship, they lived together in Costa Rica and raised the children as their own.

According to the GBI, the relationship between the two ended and Jon Worrell returned to the United States, where he had been living in Missouri.

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