NC - Jakir Sheikh, 58, manager, found strangled at Raeford Inn, 19 Jan 2015

The Hoke County Sheriff's Office has issued warrants charging a couple with the murder of a man found strangled inside a Raeford motel room on Monday. Jakir Mohammad Sheikh, 58, was found dead inside a motel room at Raeford Inn by his brother, who owns the motel. The Hoke County Sheriff Office said Sheikh, who was the manager of the Raeford Inn, was reported missing on Friday.

Deputies said Sheikh was found strangled inside a room rented to 21-year-old Tyler Mark Pierce and his girlfriend Samantha Shilts, 21, who were not in the room when officers arrived to investigate.

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A man with an outstanding murder warrant issued from North Carolina was arrested in Reno after an off-duty U.S. Marshals deputy spotted him driving along Interstate 80 near Truckee on Monday evening. Mark Pierce, 21, was awaiting extradition to North Carolina after he was taken into custody during a traffic stop for an arrest warrant issued last week, authorities said in a news release.

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Two people charged in the slaying earlier of a North Carolina motel manager earlier this month have been arrested in California.

The U.S. Marshals Service tells area media outlets that 21-year-old Tyler Mark Pierce surrendered to the California Highway Patrol after being stopped Monday on Interstate 80.

His girlfriend, 21-year-old Samantha Lynn Shilts, was arrested separately and is in custody in Sacramento County, California.

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A young man and woman arrested this week in California in the slaying of a North Carolina motel manager are from Southern Oregon.

The Mail Tribune reports that 21-year-old Samantha Lyn Shilts, is from Medford, and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Tyler Mark Pierce, is from the neighboring town Phoenix.

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A Hoke County judge said Friday he will have court-appointed lawyers who handle capital murder cases appointed for a couple accused of killing a Raeford motel manager...

Shilts and Pierce have been in custody in California, where they were arrested in January. They were extradited and arrived in Hoke County on Thursday, the Hoke County Sheriff's Office said...

The next court date for Shilts and Pierce is April 1. They are being held in the Hoke County Jail without bail.

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