Two men were indicted Tuesday by a Lee County Grand Jury for their involvement in a violent home invasion that resulted in the deaths of two women.
According to State Attorney Amira Fox, Shad Robert Loveless, 45, and Zachary Dean Williams, 21, each face two counts of first-degree murder, a capital felony, and one count of robbery with a deadly weapon.
Williams also faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
“This was an extremely violent home invasion where the perpetrator showed no regard whatsoever for human life,” Fox said. “As horrendous as this attack was, one of the victims found the strength to call 911 for help for her and the other victim before they both later died.”
The crimes happened between Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 in the Tice area, where deputies found two women suffering from stab wounds.
According to the arrest report, crime scene investigators found multiple indications of drug activity at the home, including vacuum-sealed bags consistent with marijuana sales and a small bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms in the kitchen where one of the victims was found.
Detectives also found an unloaded firearm in the back bedroom, though there was no evidence it had been used in the attack.
During the course of the robbery, both victims were stabbed. One woman died at the scene, and the other died hours later.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the attack happened during a planned narcotics transaction.
Marceno praised investigators for their efforts, explaining how analysts used advanced technology to identify the suspects’ vehicle.
Loveless and Williams were arrested within two days of the murders.
“These investigations take hundreds of hours,” Marceno said. “This indictment doesn’t bring back the lives of the lost, but it gives the family what they need to move forward, knowing we got both killers.”
The sheriff noted a decline in homicides across Lee County in recent years, with 12 homicides recorded so far in 2024, all of which he said have been solved.
Fox emphasized that the indictments mark the beginning of the judicial process, thanking the grand jury for reviewing “troubling and graphic details” of the case.
“The family of the victims in this case are mourning the loss of two loved ones, and these indictments will serve as the first steps toward holding those responsible accountable in a court of law,” she said.
Loveless and Williams remain in custody as the case moves forward.