NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) — An elderly couple is dead after they were shot in the head with a shotgun at point-blank range outside a residence in Gaston, North Carolina, on Thursday night, deputies said. A relative is now facing charges.
Around 10:25 p.m. on Nov. 7, the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at a home in Gaston. Officers found a 72-year-old man and 70-year-old woman were dead with gunshot wounds to the head from a shotgun at close range, deputies said. The man and woman were determined to be husband and wife.
Following the shooting, the suspect stole the victims’ truck and fled.
Around 2:20 a.m. on Friday, law enforcement found the stolen truck at a local hotel parking lot in Roanoke Rapids.
Two hours later, law enforcement officers arrested 35-year-old Ryvaries Butcher of Gaston.
He’s been charged with felony larceny of a motor vehicle and two counts of first-degree murder.
The motive behind this homicide shooting unclear at this time, the sheriff’s office said. It was discovered from investigation that Ryvaries was a relative of the victims who lived close to them.
He received no bond on the first-degree murder charges and he received a $35,000 secured bond for the motor vehicle larceny charge.
The next court date is scheduled for Nov. 19.