KINGSVILLE, Texas (AP) — New charges have been filed against a Utah couple arrested last year in connection with the deaths of a New Hampshire couple found buried at a South Texas beach.

Amanda Noverr, 33, and Adam Curtis Williams, 33, were indicted on charges of tampering with evidence, felony theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, Kleburg County District Attorney John Hubert said Wednesday.

Noverr and Williams were arrested following the deaths of 48-year-old James Butler and 46-year-old Michelle Butler, who were traveling through Texas on their way to Florida, where they planned to sell Christmas trees. Family members reported the Butlers missing on Oct. 16, and their bodies were found in a shallow grave Oct. 27 on Padre Island, near Corpus Christi.


According to the indictment, the tampering charge is linked to the burial of the Butlers’ bodies, and the felony theft charge is for the theft of James Butler’s lawnmower, which was valued at more than $30,000.

The bodies of James Butler and Michelle Butler, above, were found near Corpus Christi, Texas last October. —Kleberg County Sheriff's Office via AP

Hubert would not say Wednesday whether Noverr or Williams would face murder charges, the Corpus Christi Caller Times reported. Authorities previously said the Butlers’ deaths were being investigated as homicides.

A gag order has been issued, preventing attorneys including defense lawyers from commenting on the case.

“We don’t want to go into the facts of the case because we don’t want to prejudice the jury,” Hubert said. “We’re mainly focused on letting the public know that they have been indicted and what they’ve been indicted on.”