STERLING, Colo., June 4 (UPI) -- A young Colorado couple have been charged with killing the man's grandparents, dismembering his grandmother and dumping her body parts in two states.
Brendan Johnson, 19, and Cassandra Rieb, 18, were told at a hearing Wednesday they could be sentenced to death or to life with no parole if they are convicted of the murder of Charles and Shirley Severance. Johnson and Rieb were ordered held without bail.
While police have not speculated on a motive for the crime, Johnson has also been charged with forgery and authorities say the couple could also be charged with theft.
Investigators say that Johnson lived with his grandparents in Sterling, a small city 128 miles northeast of Denver. On Thursday, police responding to a 911 call allegedly placed by Johnson found Charles Severance dead and his wife missing.
Johnson and Rieb were arrested Tuesday after Shirley Severance's remains were found near Prewitt Reservoir in Colorado and in western Nebraska, about 40 miles from Sterling.
An autopsy on Charles Severance's body last week found no obvious cause of death.
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