February 23, 2026

Suspect in Killing of 73-Year-Old Alabama Bondsman on the Run

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

February 23, 2026

BLOUNT COUNTY, AL. A man is on the run after killing an Alabama bondsman who was trying to arrest him for violating the conditions of his bond.

James Paul Eastis, 73, was shot and killed by Francisco Sinecio-Alvarez, 38, on February 11, 2026. An arrest warrant has been issued charging Sinecio-Alvarez with murder.

Authorities said Eastis was trying to take Sinecio-Alvarez into custody when the suspect shot him multiple times inside the suspect’s Hayden home.

A $10,000 reward has also been offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect.

Sinecio-Alvarez was arrested in September 2025 and charged with a firearm possession by an alien, court records show. Authorities allege he was in possession of a pistol while being unlawfully in the U.S.

The arrest took place in Bibb County and Senecio-Alavarez was released the following day on $5,000 bond posted through Wade Bail Bond.

The victim was discovered dead when Sinecio-Alvarez’s employer went to his home to see why he had not shown up for work that day.

The investigation began Tuesday morning when the suspect, who goes by the nickname Paco, did not show up for work, Moon said. His employer went to his home on Harris Road in Hayden and found Eastis dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso from an AR-style rifle.

The discovery was made just before 11 a.m., but Moon said the shooting is believed to have happened between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon on Thursday said 25-year-old Christian Perez-Reyes, of Birmingham, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of tampering with physical evidence in connection with the case. He said he could not elaborate on Perez-Reyes’s involvement with the suspect.

The sheriff also announced a 5,000 reward from the Alabama Bail Bonding Association, and said he was matching that amount for a total of $10,000.

Moon again offered his condolences to Eastis’s family.

“I know they are hurting and asking a lot of question,” Moon said. “They want justice and so do we.”

“I want the family to know we will not stop working for them,” he said.

Chris McNeil, president of the board of directors for the Alabama Bail Bond Association, said he personally knew Eastis.

“This is something I never imagined I’d be doing,” McNeil said. “This is a call no one wants to get.”

“This is absolutely a very unique profession, and it is a dangerous profession,” he said.

“We make every attempt we can to avoid any situation that could bring harm to the recovery agent of the defendant,” McNeil said, “but no matter what you do, sometimes the situation turns out to not be the best situation and that’s what happened here.”

McNeal said he has spoken with the victim’s wife since his slaying.

“The world has changed for her, it’s changed for her family, and it’s changed our profession here in Alabama,” he said.

Deputies quickly determined which vehicle they believed Sinecio-Alvarez was driving – a blue and white Ford F-150 step side with a solid white front passenger side fender – and began to search for truck. It was later found abandoned with a rifle inside.

The sheriff said there is some information that Sinecio-Alvarez could still be in Alabama. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force is also assisting, and ICE investigators are involved.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Blount County Sheriff’s Office at 205-625-4127. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Eastis has a son who is currently a police sergeant in Alabama.