Two more charged in Enfield quadruple homicide

Two Roanoke Rapids men have been charged in the the August deaths of four people in an Enfield home, authorities said Monday.

Posted 9:03 p.m. Jan 8, 2018 — Updated 6:06 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

ENFIELD, N.C. — Two Roanoke Rapids men have been charged in the the August deaths of four people in an Enfield home, authorities said Monday.

Keyon Quarice West, 23, and James Edward Powell, 25, each face four counts of murder in the Aug. 21 deaths of Janice Harris, James Harris, Peggy Whitley and James Whitley.

The Harrises and the Whitleys were shot while sitting at the Harrises' kitchen table playing cards, authorities said.

Authorities said a family member went to check on the residents of the home at 980 Fishing Creek Road, in the Glenview community west of Enfield, and found the bodies. Some items were missing from the home, but there were no apparent signs of a struggle, authorities said at the time.

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said last fall that the home might have been targeted and the killings might have been gang-related. He declined to elaborate on that statement, but Jim Harris, 88, was a gunsmith and had a federally licensed firearm business that he ran out of his home.

James Whitley, 76, was a farmer and his 67-year-old wife a former hairstylist. Janice Harris, 72, was an administrative assistant for a local builder.