Husband arrested in Florence double homicide

FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — Florence County deputies say a man has been arrested and charged with killing his wife and her mother inside the family’s Florence home.

Sheriff Kenney Boone says 33-year-old Hiralkumar Gopaldas was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of murder.

Authorities say the bodies of 31-year-old Punam Gopaldas and her mother, 56-year-old Vinaben Patel, were found at the family’s home at around 9:15 p.m. Saturday after out-of-town relatives asked officers to check on the home.

Both women had been stabbed multiple times. Authorities say a child in the home was not injured and is now staying with a family friend.

Boone says Gopaldas could make his first court appearance Wednesday. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney.