WILSON — Investigators in Wilson County said they have arrested a suspect in a double murder.

Verna Lee Farmer, 45, was charged Wednesday with two counts of first-degree murder. He was being held in the Wilson County jail without bond. Farmer didn’t have an attorney as of Wednesday night.

Investigators found the bodies of 61-year-old John Henry Little and 42-year-old Charlene Jones Leake at Little’s home on Monday.

Sheriff Calvin Woodard said during a news conference Wednesday that a firearm used in the crime was found within a two-mile radius of Little’s residence. However, he wouldn’t say where the firearm was found and wouldn’t say how many times the victims were shot.

Woodard said the investigation into the case is continuing.

Media outlets reported that Famer has an extensive criminal history. In 1997, Farmer was convicted of felonious assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury for a case in Wilson County. He was placed on probation, according to records from the N.C. Department of Correction.

In January 2000, Farmer was placed on probation for misdemeanor use or possession of drug paraphernalia and for misdemeanor operating a vehicle without a license. Those charges originated in Edgecombe County.

In 1993, Farmer was convicted of habitual impaired driving and for driving while license permanently revoked for a case in Durham County. He spent about six months in prison.

In 1991, Farmer was placed on probation in Wilson County for misdemeanor breaking and entering. In 1990, he was placed on probation for driving while impaired in Edgecombe County.