PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A man is facing two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of man and woman from gunshot wounds Saturday morning near West Palm Beach who have been identified by a family member as week-old newlyweds.
Detectives interviewed and arrested a person of interest, Sony Josaphat, for two counts of first-degree murder. During his first appearance Sunday morning, he was ordered held in the Palm Beach County jail without bond.
Several family and church members were outside the house in the 12000 block of Summit Run Circle, west of South Military Trail, near West Palm Beach.
A woman at the scene who said she was the victim's sister spoke to WPTV reporter Briana Nespral. She said her sister, 45, was married on her birthday last Saturday.
"She has never been as happy as she was now," the woman said.
The sister said she was too shaken to speak on camera but shared their wedding photo.
The victim moved from Haiti 25 years ago and worked her way up to becoming a nurse practitioner, her sister told WPTV. The man was a pastor.
She said three of the woman's children were inside the house during the shooting, including one adult who witnessed it.
At 8:36 a.m., deputies responded to a shooting, PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera said in a news release.
Upon arrival, deputies located a man and woman with gunshot wounds.
Detectives were investigating the shooting as a double homicide.
"I heard what sounded like gunshots, but I thought people were just working on someone's roof so I ignored it and went into the house and then later when I went back outside that's when I saw all the police activity out here," Dicter Pineda told WPTV's Cassandra Garcia.
Another neighbor said the two killings were shocking
"It's pretty quiet and we don’t have too many things over here so I don't know how this happened," Deanne Germeil told WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia.
Germail said she didn't know the victims personally but they were members of her church and the situation was "horrific."