Couple in their 70s found shot dead in front yard, North Carolina cops say. ‘Senseless’
A married couple in their 70s were found dead in their front yard, sparking a search for clues in North Carolina, deputies said.
Michael Powell, 72, and his 70-year-old wife Carolyn died after suffering “gunshot wounds to the head from a shotgun at point blank range,” the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office told news outlets and wrote Nov. 8 in a social media post.
“This is such a tragedy,” Sheriff Jack Smith told The Daily Herald newspaper. “This family was a pillar in the community and very good people. It’s very senseless that they had to die this way.”
Now, one of the couple’s family members and neighbors is charged with murder, deputies wrote on Facebook. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as 35-year-old Ryvaries Butcher.
Deputies responded late Nov. 7 to the shooting in the Gaston area, near the Virginia border and a roughly 90-mile drive northeast from Raleigh. Investigators said the person accused of killing the husband and wife left the scene in their stolen truck.
The next day, the sheriff’s office said the couple’s truck was spotted outside a hotel. Deputies also arrested Butcher, who was charged with one count of felony larceny and two counts of first-degree murder.
The sheriff’s office said the motive behind the deadly shootings wasn’t clear. As of Nov. 8, the case remained under investigation.
“It’s a terrible situation,” Maj. Jimmy Barmer told WRAL. “Anybody that would go out and take two individuals’ lives — much less two individuals in their 70s, who’s lived a prosperous life, who to my understanding has never caused any harm with anyone — to go out and take their life is brutal.”
Butcher, who is from Gaston, is scheduled to appear in court later in November. He “received no bond on the first-degree murder charges” and a “$35,000 secured bond for the motor vehicle larceny charge,” deputies said.
“My thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt sincerity goes out to the family of the victims during this tragic time,” Smith wrote on Facebook.
The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Nov. 11.
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Couple in their 70s found shot dead in front yard, North Carolina cops say. ‘Senseless’."
