GREENSBORO, Ga. — A homeowner in the affluent neighborhood of Reynolds at Lake Oconee in Greene County has been charged with murder following the shooting death Tuesday morning of a man in the basement of his two-story dwelling, authorities say.

Initially, deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office treated the 911 call made shortly after the shooting as a home invasion because the caller indicated three intruders were in his home, Sheriff Donnie Harrison said.

As it turned out, the man accused in the slaying and the victim knew each other and were in the basement of the home together at the time of the shooting, Harrison said.

“It was a friend of his (the suspect),” Harrison said. “He (the victim) was a just a friend (of the suspect) as far as we know, now.”

Harrison identified the shooting suspect as Chad Louis Haufler, who resides at 1090 Jones Bluff Court, off Linger Longer Road.

Such information was learned during an interview with the suspect by Greene County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Lt. Brian Moore and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Michael Maybin from the GBI Region 6 Office in Milledgeville, according to Harrison.  

The 45-year-old Haufler was formally charged with murder Tuesday afternoon, Harrison said.

The suspect is accused of shooting to death 51-year-old Marc Dimos, of Minvera, Ohio, the sheriff said. Dimos’ body was discovered in the basement of the million-dollar home.

Harrison said Dimos had been shot at least once.

He also indicated that sheriff’s office investigators, along with GBI agents, had found a handgun, believed used in the shooting.

Asked why the two men were in the basement, Harrison said it was his understanding they were prepping for the upcoming (Labor Day) weekend.

“I don’t really know; I just know they were in the basement at some point and that’s where the shooting happened,” Harrison said.

Haufler, who also lives in Ocala, Fla., appeared before Greene County Chief Magistrate Laverne Ogletree Wednesday morning for his first appearance hearing, Harrison said.

The suspect was made aware of his rights and informed of the criminal charge against him, Harrison said. 

“They (Haufler and his wife) recently purchased the home, is my understanding, and they reside down in Florida,” Harrison said.

Because a chief magistrate cannot set bond in a murder case in Georgia, Haufler remains in the Greene County Law Enforcement Center in Greensboro awaiting a bond hearing before an Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge. Such a hearing had not been scheduled as of Wednesday afternoon.

Harrison said an autopsy was performed Wednesday at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Crime Laboratory in Decatur to determine the exact cause of the victim’s death. As of Wednesday afternoon, the preliminary autopsy report still was pending.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and GBI.