ROCKY MOUNT — A violent home robbery in Rocky Mount left one man dead and his wife in the hospital.

James Whelan, 86, and his 73-year-old wife, Margie, were both found Sunday in their home on Fairfield Drive.

The medical examiner says James had been bound with duct tape. The medical examiner also says he could not take his medicine for heart complications and may have died Sunday morning.

Margie Whelan was found with a broken hip. She is in Nash General Hospital.

Neighbors and friends in the area cannot believe this incident would happen to such a respected couple.

"They're very nice and quiet people that fix in the community very nicely," says Peggy Makita, a family friend.

"I've been here for years and it has just been quiet," says Arvelle Moore, a neighbor of the Whelans. "Everyone tends to their own business. It's been a model neighborhood."

Police believe it may have been a break-in even though there are no obvious signs of forced entry.

If you have any information about the case, please call Rocky Mount Crimestoppers at(252) 977-1111. -->