A man in North Carolina who was arrested in June on accusations that he tried to murder his girlfriend’s father is now charged with murdering his girlfriend’s mother while out on bond.
Michael Steven Ricker, 36, was arrested on Sunday by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the death of Lesa Armstrong Rose in Maiden, North Carolina.
Rose, 63, was pronounced dead at the scene and Ricker, who lived in the same home, was quickly identified as a suspect.
Family members called 911 when they arrived at the residence and found Rose on a bathroom floor in the house. The Lincoln County EMS initially thought that she had suffered from cardiac arrest, but later realized her injuries were not consistent with a natural death.
Rose was identified as the mother of Ricker’s girlfriend. The girlfriend’s father, Terry Rose, was also shot by Ricker in June.
Ricker was arrested on a charge of attempted murder and was subsequently released on bond.
Steven Spencer, a neighbor who knew both Ricker and the Rose family, described Ricker as a low-life and he’d accompanied Rose to the store just a few hours before her death.
“If I had known it was going to happen or had an idea he was even down there, I would have kept her up here with me,” said Spencer.
According to jail records, Ricker is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 9.
