Two Murder Charges Filed Against Burke County Man

A man has been charged in connection to the murders of two men whose bodies were found in a burned home in the Antioch section of Burke County.

Today, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office arrested 51-year-old Michael James Moretz of Pax Hill Road in Morganton. He’s charged with two felony counts of murder. Moretz is charged in connection to the deaths of Michael Curtis Hallyburton and Joseph Kincaid Byrd, Jr.

As previously reported, last Friday, new information was released regarding the investigation into a fire in Burke County in which two people were found deceased. Both victims were found to have suffered gunshot wounds at the scene of the blaze. The fire occurred August 31 at a home on Swink Street in the Antioch section of Burke County.

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the case. Other agencies involved in the investigation are the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Office, United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Virginia State Police, and the Hickory Police Department.

Moretz was placed in the Burke County Jail where he was incarcerated without bond. His first appearance in court is scheduled Thursday (September 18) in Morganton.

Story: Rob Eastswood-WHKY