The person accused of killing two in Colorado last year before fleeing the state made his first appearance in court on Monday, months after his arrest.

Johnny Rankin Morris, 46, faces homicide charges in both El Paso County and Park County for the deaths of Stephen Walker, 37, and Timmy Huston, 65, respectively.

According to previous Gazette reporting, on Dec. 19 Walker and Morris were both reported as missing after law enforcement discovered pools of blood at the residence the pair lived at together on the 1800 block of Pima Drive in unincorporated El Paso County just east of Colorado Springs.

After several days the investigation led authorities to a wooded location outside of El Paso County, where Walker’s body was found.

Huston was found dead prior to Walker in a residence in Park County. Evidence showed that the “known occupant” of that residence had at least indirect ties to Morris and/or Walker, officials said at the time.

Morris was arrested in Pear River County Mississippi in December along with another person of interest, 43-year-old Hailey Cole, after a call came in about an attempted car break-in.

In El Paso County Morris faces 11 total charges including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, tampering with a human body, aggravated robbery and more. At Morris’ first appearance on Monday morning, where he appeared from the custody of the El Paso County jail on a $5 million cash-only bond, his attorney requested to set for a hearing next week.

The hearing, according to defense attorney Savannah Fox, is to speak on a series of motions she intends to file but could not on Monday because she had yet to be confirmed as Morris’ attorney.

Morris and his attorney will return to court on March 21 for the status conference. A preliminary hearing date will be set for Morris at that time.

Morris and Cole are expected to appear in Park County on charges related to the death of Huston later this month on March 24; Morris for an appearance on bond and Cole for a filing of charges hearing. The full list of charges has yet to be filed for either in Park County.

Cole is currently in custody in the Park County jail on a $5 million cash-only bond, according to jail records.