A Mount Airy woman and her mother’s boyfriend have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Kenneth James Kizer on Monday, and yesterday officers recovered what they believe is the murder weapon.

Deputies with the Surry County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call Monday afternoon at 623 Lovers Lane, Mount Airy, when they found Kizer, 49, dead of multiple gunshot wounds inside his residence. After overnight investigation by sheriff’s deputies and special agents with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, two suspects were charged.

Those charged were Wesley Carson Vass, 54, of 431 Carrollwood Drive, Woodlawn, Va., and Mary Irene Kizer, 31, of 623 Lovers Lane, Mount Airy. Mary Kizer is the wife of the victim. Both Vass and Kizer were each charged with one count felony first-degree murder, felony robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Both are in the Surry County Detention Center without bond.

Yesterday afternoon, officers recovered a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle in the 1200 block of Fancy Gap Highway (U.S. 52), roughly 20 miles from the location of the murder.

Surry County Sheriff Graham Atkinson said, “We believe this is the rifle used in the shooting of Kenneth Kizer.”

He said officers knew to look there based on information obtained from Vass. The rifle was found off the side of the road down an embankment.

According to Atkinson, Mary Kizer was the one to report her husband’s death. Early reports on Monday were that she found her husband dead when she returned home around 3 p.m. After securing the scene on Monday, deputies applied for a search warrant. Once the warrant was executed, deputies and agents worked through the night to process the scene and interview possible witnesses.

Atkinson said initial information given to officers did not match evidence at the scene. When finally confronted with the evidence, Atkinson said those being interviewed began telling a different story of what happened. Through investigation, Atkinson said officers found probable cause to charge Vass and Kizer with the murder. They were arrested and charged sometime between 4 and 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

The sheriff said yesterday, “It would be inappropriate for me to comment on motive at this time.”

Vass and Kizer were charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly taking $290 from the deceased.

Yesterday morning, deputies and special agents were still investigating at the crime scene. Kenneth Kizer’s body was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for an autopsy.