A husband and wife from Alabama could face the death penalty after they were charged in the killings of five family members, including an unborn child, multiple children and the man’s second wife, WHNT-TV reports.
Christopher Henderson, 42, and Rhonda Carlson, 44, have been indicted for the murders that occurred two years ago in Huntsville.
Among the evidence authorities have against the pair: home security video that shows the suspects entering the home with a gas can and then exiting just before the house became engulfed in flames.
Police also found a gun in Carlson’s truck, WAFF-TV reports.
The victims included Henderson’s wife, who was 9 months pregnant at the time she was killed, in addition to her 8-year-old son, her mother and a 1-year-old nephew.
Investigators believe the victims were either shot or stabbed before the residence was set ablaze, according to the indictments.
Indictments on Alabama couple, Christopher Henderson and Rhonda Carlson
Carlson faces 19 counts of capital murder and Henderson faces 18 counts. The charges include additional counts of arson and burglary because those factors played a role in the deaths.
Henderson and Carlson were married in 2013, while Henderson married the wife who was killed in 2014, WHNT-TV reports.
The slain woman had filed for divorce earlier this year; she also had sought an abuse restraining order against Henderson, court records show. Authorities believe that a court hearing on the restraining order, which was held just one week before the killings, may have triggered the violence.
Prosecutors have said they may seek the death penalty against Henderson and Carlson.
[Feature Photo: Madison County Sheriff’s Office]