Suspect in St. Maarten murders to appear in court

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten (AP) -- An arraignment is set for today in a St. Maarten court for a man accused of killing a South Carolina couple in their Dutch Caribbean vacation home.

Michael and Thelma King were found stabbed to death in their beachfront condo on Friday. Thelma King was found tied to a chair and her husband was lying on the floor. They were both in their 50s.

Twenty-eight-year-old Meyshane K. Johnson of Jamaica is being held in the couple's murder. He denies any involvement. Johnson works as a security guard in St. Maarten.

Friends say the Kings, who were from Mount Pleasant, S.C., had owned several homes. A business partner says he and Michael King were building a rum factory together in St. Maarten.

Local friends as well as family held a memorial for the couple Tuesday.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)