Jury expected to hear reckless murder case against Rounsavall in September
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
There’s no guarantee that motions and rulings won’t extend the proceedings, but the reckless murder case against former Atmore businessman Shawn William Rounsavall, accused of reckless murder in the February death of his 2-year-old son, is set to go before a jury in September.
Escambia County Circuit Clerk John R. Fountain said this week the Rounsavall case is scheduled for trial on September 9.
“There could be any number of motions that could change that, but that’s what the record shows right now,” Fountain said.
Rounsavall spent just over three months behind bars before he was released from the Escambia County Detention Center May 30, 2023. He was freed under a $500,000 bond that was posted by an area bonding agency after District Court Judge Eric Coale rejected a request by Rounsavall’s attorney for a reduction.
The former owner of 30 Below, a local ice cream parlor that has since closed, and principal in at least two other local companies that have also closed, had been jailed since February 27, 2023, the day Rounsavall found his son dead inside his truck.
According to Atmore Police Department investigative reports, the child had been left unattended inside the vehicle for an estimated eight hours after his father forgot to drop him off at a local daycare center.
A grand jury indictment, handed up on April 21, 2023 included the addition of simple (intentional) murder as an alternative to the reckless murder charge, as well as one count of perjury after grand jurors learned that Rounsavall lied to court officials at his initial appearance, telling them he was indigent.
Rounsavall’s bond reportedly also included several sanctions or conditions, including that he stay away from his former wife.