2 men arrested in Ohio in deaths of elderly Missouri couple

ELLINGTON, Mo. (AP) — A southern Missouri prosecutor will seek the death penalty against two men accused of killing an elderly couple during a robbery, he said Monday.

Timothy Callahan, 44, of Farmington, Missouri, and David Young, 67, of Ironton, Missouri, were arrested Saturday without incident at a motel in Deerfield Township, Ohio, near Cincinnati. Both were charged with two counts each of first-degree murder.

Reynolds County, Missouri, prosecutor Michael Randazzo said in an interview with The Associated Press that he will file additional charges of armed criminal action, robbery and assault against both men, who are jailed without bond in Ohio awaiting extradition. Randazzo said there was evidence the crime was premeditated and he planned to pursue the death penalty.

The men are accused in the shootings of 86-year-old James Nance, his 72-year-old wife, Janet, and a 73-year-old friend of the family on Oct. 18 at the Nance home near Ellington, Missouri, about 125 miles southwest of St. Louis. The third victim was shot twice in the head but survived.

Young was on probation after pleading guilty in 2016 to financial exploitation of the elderly or disabled in Pulaski County, according to Missouri Case Net, the state’s online court reporting system. He was arrested again in September and charged with scamming an elderly couple out of thousands of dollars by convincing them to write multiple checks for the same job — painting their barn.

“He would drive around looking for decent-looking homes, elderly couples, and try to do work for them,” Randazzo said.

Authorities believe the men may have originally planned a similar scam on the Nances. Randazzo said it appeared they had contacted the couple about doing work at their home, but ultimately decided instead to rob James Nance.

Randazzo said the robbery was in progress when Janet Nance and her friend returned home from a shopping trip and encountered the gunmen.