Sheriff's Office Announces Arrest In Double Murder Case

Greenville County Sheriff's Lt. Shea Smith announced the arrest of Jonathan Donell Rhodes on Friday for his alleged role in the brutal double murder of an elderly Eastside couple in their home. 

Rhodes was taken into custody at 9 p.m. Wednesday and remains in jail at Greenville County Detention Center. His bond has not yet been set. He is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts possession of a weapon during a violent crime and first degree burglary. 

Gary Wells, 78, and Helen Wells, 77, were found dead Oct. 3 morning in their 10 Terramont Drive home on Greenville's eastside when the housekeeper couldn't get anyone to come to the door. She asked a next door neighbor to help and the two discovered the bodies of the two stabbed to death in two separate parts of the home.

Smith declined to go into possible motive, adding that the investigation was still ongoing, investigators could not rule out more possible persons of interest in the case. He would not say if former housekeeper Shirley Rogers, who was arrested for allegedly defrauding Helen Wells, was a suspect or a person of interest now in the murders. 

"There is the possibility of additional suspects," Smith said. 

Still, after weeks went by without an arrest, Rhodes' arrest represents a huge relief for investigators, Smith said. 

"It's a huge relief not only for us, but to the Wells' family," Smith said. "We're glad we're finally seeing results for all the hard work our guys put in." 

According to the arrest warrants, scientific evidence places Rhodes, who resides at a Glenn Forest Drive home in Greenville, at the scene. 

More on this story:

• Family of Slain Eastside Couple Grieves a Second Time
• Police: Eastside Murder Victims Not Picked At Random
• Coroner: Elderly Couple Was Stabbed To Death
• Funeral Services Set for Eastside Couple Found Dead