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Homer and Jo Ann Staton were reported missing last week.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

A man has been arrested for killing an elderly South Carolina couple who disappeared after leaving a restaurant on Friday, authorities said today. The suspect, Matthew Brandon Fullbright, 29, of Belton, was charged with two counts of murder and armed robbery.

Homer L. Staton and his wife, Jo Ann Staton, were both beaten to death, officials said in a news release. Mr. Staton’s body was found Sunday near a rural road in Greenville County. The body of Mrs. Staton was discovered today in a grassy area in Iva. Both victims died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Investigators believe robbery was the motive behind the slayings. According to the police, Mr. Staton, who bought and sold jewelry and gold, agreed to meet Fullbright for a business transaction in Anderson County Friday night. When Fullbright met the couple that evening, he allegedly robbed and killed them.

Matthew Brandon Fullbright, 29, has been charged with two counts of murder and armed robbery.

Their 2007 black Toyota Corolla was found the next day with blood stains on the interior of the car.

Phil Gillespie, who has known the Statons for 30 years, was devastated to hear the news.

“It’s just been a terrible thing to have happened to our area,” he told CNN. “They were special people, they cared about everybody, they would do anything for anybody.”

For more crime coverage go to cnn.com/crime.