Watch CBS News

Cops: N.C. pair caught hiding a body charged with murder

ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. --A North Carolina man and woman allegedly caught last week trying to hide a body now face murder charges, reports CBS affiliate WBTV.

Tony Hearne and Linsey Lentz were reportedly caught by deputies March 9 trying to dispose of a body in the woods near an abandoned home in Alexander County, north of Charlotte. A witness who is a former law enforcement told the station he spotted a vehicle on the abandoned property and notified police.

Police say the two lived in an Albemarle home, about 80 miles southeast, with Hearne's uncle Robert Hearne. When police searched the residence, they say they found evidence indicating Robert Hearne was killed there and then moved to Alexander County, the station reports.

Tony Hearne told the station as he sat in a patrol car that his uncle came at him with a knife and he killed the man in self-defense.

Hearne and Lentz have been charged with first-degree murder and concealment or failure to report a death and are being held without bail.

Their next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday March 16.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.