Suspect arrested in murders of elderly couples playing cards

ENFIELD, N.C. — A North Carolina sheriff says a man has been arrested in connection with a home invasion in which four people were shot and killed.

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp told local media outlets that 25-year-old Matthew Simms of Enfield was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.

[Sheriff: Murders of elderly couples playing cards may be gang-related]

Earlier in October, Tripp said the killings may have been gang-related and that the home may have been targeted.

[RELATED: 2 elderly couples in NC killed while playing cards, sheriff says]

Investigators have said the two married couples had been sitting around a kitchen table playing cards when they were killed sometime between Aug. 20 and 21. They were identified as 72-year-old Janice Harris, 88-year-old James Harris, 76-year-old James Whitley, and 67-year-old Peggy Whitley.

Simms is jailed without bond and scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Troopers identify driver killed in crash that shut down I-485 for hours
• Police identify Rock Hill man who crashed truck, died of gunshot wound
• VIDEO: Vicki Graf's weekend outlook
• Navy rescues 2 women, dog stranded for 5 months in Pacific Ocean
• Tanker plows through I-485 cable barrier, crashes into woods
• Suspect arrested in murders of elderly couples playing cards

Associated Press