Raleigh man pleads not guilty in fatal 2013 St. Patrick's Day DWI collision

In addition to two counts of murder, Ray Norman Rouse IV, 35, faces two counts of felony death by motor vehicle and one count of driving while impaired in connection with the deaths of Ormond Jackson Bailey, 83, and his wife, Gaynell Batton Bailey, 79.

Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens on Monday also set Rouse's trial date for the week of Sept. 15.

Raleigh police say the Baileys were headed east on Wade Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. on March 17, 2013, when Rouse, traveling west at 43 mph in a 35 mph zone, struck their 2002 Mercury Marquis head-on.

Court documents indicated Rouse had been at brunch prior to the wreck and had a blood-alcohol content of .17, more than twice the legal limit.

The Baileys, friends said, had been at church and lunch and were on their way home to watch the ACC Tournament.

Witnesses reported that several cars swerved to avoid Rouse's 2008 Kia Spectra before it struck the Baileys near Glenwood Avenue.

The Baileys died at a local hospital, and Rouse, according to his defense attorney, suffered several broken bones and head injuries that put him into a medically induced coma for three weeks.

Rouse, who is in the Wake County Detention Center under a $2 million bond, pleaded guilty to DWI in Durham County after a September 2001 arrest. Similar charges were dismissed against him in April 2005 in Wake County and again in February 2006 in Wake County, according to court records.