Deputies: Relative charged after elderly couple killed with shotgun in Northampton Co.

(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.