Man accused of using a shotgun to shoot dead a 70-year-old couple in their front yard

The suspect is now being held in a North Carolina jail without bond

Ryvaries Butcher, 35, is accused of shooting a couple dead in the front yard of their North Carolina home. (Northampton County Sheriff’s Office)

A man has been arrested for killing a couple in their front yard by shooting them at point-blank range with a shotgun, cops say.

Around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, deputies from the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina responded to the couple’s home. There, they found a 72-year-old man and his 70-year-old wife dead in the driveway of their front yard, according to WBTV.

They had both shot with a shotgun at point-blank range, according to police.

Their names have not been released.

Police identified Ryvaries Butcher, 35, as the suspect and said he stole the victims’s truck after the shooting and fled. The truck was found at a hotel, and Butcher was arrested around 4:30 a.m. on Friday.

Ryvaries Butcher, 35, is accused of shooting a couple dead in the front yard of their North Carolina home. (Northampton County Sheriff’s Office)

A motive for the shooting has not been released.

But authorities said Butcher was a relative of the victims and lived near their home.

He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and a felony count of larceny of a motor vehicle. Butcher is being held in jail without bond.

Butcher’s next court date is scheduled for November 19.