North Carolina Man Accused In Ax Deaths Of Wife, Father Held In LA

LOS ANGELES (AP)  — A North Carolina man was arrested Sunday in California on a murder charge after authorities said he killed his wife and father with an ax and escaped on a West Coast flight.

Michael Allen Joyner, 38, of Wilson was arrested on two counts of murder, multiple media outlets reported.

"This incident appears to be domestic in nature with an ax being the choice of weapon use to facilitate this crime," Wilson County Sheriff Calvin Woodard said. "We were able to locate his vehicle as well as gather intelligence as to his whereabouts in California."

Joyner allegedly killed his wife, Michelle, 36, and his father, Dennis, 63, authorities said. Deputies were called to check on the family after Dennis Joyner didn't show up for work on Friday. Officers found the two adults on the floor and the uninjured toddler alone locked in a bedroom.

Authorities found Joyner's car at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, about 60 miles east of Wilson.

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