Two bodies found buried near Glen Alpine

Despite the packed courtroom on the morning of July 30, the sound of jangling chains echoed clearly down the halls and through the closed doors as two people charged with the murder of a Morganton couple were led in to face the judge.

Although it was the second court appearance of the week for Tosha Lee Lewis, 41, it was her first appearance on a new set of murder and conspiracy charges that followed the discovery of a second body late in the week before.

BACKGROUND ON THE CASE

One day after responding to reports of suspicious circumstances near Simpson Field on Hennessee Street in conjunction with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Burke County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) discovered Raheim McClain Murray, 31, of Morganton, buried near a nature trail on July 21.

According to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, investigators discovered the remains of another victim buried nearby four days later, on July 25. The remains were later identified as Murray’s wife, Carla Janon Murray, 39, of Morganton.

During the early hours of July 25, officers arrested Jamar Quarmaine Propst, 36, and Lewis, charging them each with one count of felony conspiracy and one count of first-degree murder.

By July 30, when they appeared on a second set of conspiracy and murder charges following the identification of Carla on Monday, Lewis was solemn, a stark contrast to the sobbing woman that had been shepherded in on Monday morning.

Propst quietly approached the bench, surveying the courtroom until he was standing before the judge. The only noise he made, aside from the tinkling of his chains, was a quiet “Yes, sir,” when asked if he understood his rights.

The court denied their bond and appointed their attorneys — M. Victoria Jayne to Propst and Robert Thomson to Lewis — before they were ushered back out of the courtroom by officers.

Their probable cause hearings for the first charges — where the court determines whether there is enough evidence to continue with prosecution — will be on Aug. 17, unless they are indicted by a grand jury before then.

NOT THE FIRST CHARGES

According to court records, these aren’t the first pending murder charges Propst has faced.

In September 2023, a Catawba County grand jury indicted Propst on a cold-case murder from Oct. 3, 2008, which would have occurred when Propst was only 18.

Propst is innocent until proven guilty on all three murder charges.

On Nov. 8, 2023, he received a secured bond of $50,000, which he posted.

Seven days later, he was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen firearm in Burke County by the Valdese Police Department. He received a $100,000 secured bond, which he posted.