A 20-year-old suspect has been arrested in this case.
By Raif Karerat
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An elderly Indian American couple was gunned down in Ridgeland, S.C., leading to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect.
Kantibhai Patel, 72, and his wife Hansaben Patel, 67, worked and lived at Best Western Point South were shot and killed there on Sunday morning. The Patels lived at the Point South-based hotel and had worked there for 10 years, according to police.
“A beautiful couple, no doubt,” said Sheriff Greg Jenkins. “Lives were taken from them, senselessly. You could not give an account for such a tragedy; why an individual would do such a thing.”
The sheriff’s office told local media outlets that 20-year-old Joshua L. Poacher has been charged with two counts of murder in the double-homicide, but did not release many other details about the investigation, which is ongoing.
Jenkins disclosed the motive behind the slayings is still unknown. Jenkins said they were able to track down Poacher after he tried to use credit cards taken from the Patels. Police also viewed surveillance footage and received phoned-in tips.
“What led up to that, what was the relationship between the three individuals, we have no idea,” Jenkins said, according to the Jasper County Sun Times.
The Patels were found shot inside a room at the hotel, but Jenkins said there were no eyewitness accounts and no reports of any commotion to indicate an argument or an altercation.
“To say that nothing was heard, I find that hard to believe,” Jenkins remarked. “You find it hard to believe that nobody heard anything,” he continued.
1 Comment
Obvious hate crime.