ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WVEC) — The Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation arrested two people on Tuesday in connection with the murder of an Elizabeth City business owner. One of the people arrested was his wife.
Milton Henry Sawyer, Jr., 55, was killed in a home invasion on August 2. Investigators said someone broke into his house around 12:30 a.m. and attacked him. The person took money, jewelry, and other valuables from the home. Sawyer's wife was hurt that morning and treated at the hospital.
Deputies arrested 45-year-old Angel Marie Sawyer and 38-year-old Isaac Dustin Melcher for first-degree murder. Both are being held without bond.
Melcher and Sawyer will make their first appearance in court on Thursday, August 23.
Officials still are investigating, so anyone with information about this case is asked to contact police at (252)-338-2191.
Milton Sawyer owned and operated The Treasure Hunter vintage that had long been a mainstay of downtown Elizabeth City.
“I’m very shocked, I’m very shocked. It’s like a movie come to life,” said resident Jeff Stokely.
From the surface, Elizabeth City residents said it appeared like Milton Sawyer Junior and his wife Angel Sawyer were happily married.
“She seemed great, real great, real joyful, didn’t seem to be depressed, or angry or nothing, they seemed to get along real good. I always thought they did,” said Stokely.
“It floored me, I had no idea things like that happen in a small town, but I guess of course they happen everywhere,” said resident Josh Smith.
Sheriff Randy Cartwright said Angel Sawyer and Melcher were suspects early on.
“In any investigation, you can’t go down it with blinders going down one road. You have to look at any and everybody, and we’re not a community that has home invasions,” said Cartwright.
The sheriff would not comment on the relationship between Angel Sawyer and Melcher, or the motive. However, he did confirm that Melcher also knew the victim.
“That will be part of the evidence we put on in a trial, and again being a small community and drawing our jury pool out we have to find people who haven’t heard about it or read about it in the media, so we can get a fair and partial trial,” said Cartwright.
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