Homeless man killed 2 with high-powered rifle, then stole family’s truck, NC cops say

A homeless man is facing two counts of murder after he allegedly used a high-powered rifle to kill two members of the same family outside a rural home west of Durham this week, according to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office.

Justin Lynn Ramirez, 31, was captured 50 miles south of the crime scene Tuesday, driving a pickup truck stolen from the victims, a press release said.

He is being held without bond in the Alamance County Detention Center, officials said Wednesday.

The victims were identified as Jerry Darrell Williamson, 77, and his grandson Steven Bryant Somers, 31, and a warrant says their murders were premeditated.

A motive has not been released, but The Burlington Times-Union reports Ramirez and Somers were friends and had been “shooting a rifle near Williamson’s home earlier in the day Monday.” Williamson had gone out to ask the two men to stop firing the gun at some point, the news site said.

Investigators discovered the two bodies at about 10:21 p.m. Monday, outside a home at 2101 Payne Road in Graham, about 35 miles west of Durham along Interstate 85, according to a press release.

Williamson “was found dead lying in a field near his residence” and Somers was in a nearby building on the property, officials said. Both had suffered fatal gun shot wounds. The home and several buildings are at the end of a long gravel drive, in a largely rural area.

Alamance County officials have not revealed how they came to suspect Ramirez, but a manhunt was launched and investigators said he likely would be found driving the stolen 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup owned by Williamson.

Ramirez was described as “armed and dangerous” and authorities warned the public to call 911 but not to approach him if they saw the vehicle. Officials did not say where he got the rifle.

The stolen truck was spotted by a police officer at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday outside an Asheboro convenient store, and Ramirez was arrested as he exited the store, a release said.

He was in possession of a rifle at the time of his arrest, The Times-Union reported.

In addition to two counts of first degree murder, Ramirez is accused of larceny of a motor vehicle, the release said.

This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Homeless man killed 2 with high-powered rifle, then stole family’s truck, NC cops say."