A North Carolina home that was the scene of a horrific accidental shooting just over a year ago has now become the site of a double murder, with an elderly couple found dead inside.
A Grisly Discovery on New Year's Eve
Deputies from the Pitt County Sheriff's Office were called to a house in Greenville at approximately 9.30am on 31 December following a report of injured persons. Upon arrival, they discovered the bodies of Rayfield Ruffin, 73, and his wife Frances Ruffin, 67.
Sheriff Paula Dance later confirmed that the couple had suffered injuries from both blunt force trauma and knife wounds. The authorities stated that a family member discovered the bodies upon returning from a store and alerted the police.
A Grandson Arrested and Charged
Law enforcement officials swiftly located the couple's grandson, Martinez Corvell Ruffin, 34, who resided at the property with the deceased. He was found walking along a roadside in the vicinity.
Ruffin was placed under arrest and now faces two open counts of murder and two counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill, Inflicting Serious Injury. The Pitt County Sheriff's Office has not disclosed a possible motive for the attacks.
A Home Already Scarred by Tragedy
The recent murders mark the second devastating incident at the Greenville address in little more than a year. In October 2024, five-year-old Karter River Rosenboro, the great-grandson of Rayfield and Frances, was fatally shot in the head by his six-year-old sibling in what was described as a horrific accident.
Following that tragedy, Rayfield Ruffin, who owned the home, was charged with failing to store a firearm properly to protect a minor. He was later released on a $2,000 unsecured bond.
The family remembered Karter in a GoFundMe campaign, set up to raise funds for his memorial, describing him as a child with a 'bright smile' who was 'loved by so many'. The fundraiser has gathered over $7,500 towards its $10,000 goal.
Karter's mother, Niasia Knight, expressed her profound grief on social media, writing 'I'm hurt, broken, angry, and confused'. The child's grandmother, Meke Jones, lamented the unbearable pain of losing a second grandchild, noting that Karter's sister, A’Raeya Sunshine Boyd, had also died in March 2023.
In a poignant and now tragic contrast, Frances Ruffin had once posted on Facebook about her home being spiritually protected, writing: 'The anointing was here, the power of the blood was here.'
The investigation into the double murder continues as the community reels from this latest blow to a family already enduring unimaginable loss.
