Man charged over six US killings

Jacob Shaffer was arrested on Saturday at a house in Tennessee

A man has been charged with murder in the US state of Tennessee after his wife and several of her relatives were found shot dead.

Jacob Shaffer, 30, was arrested at one of two homes where he allegedly shot his victims near Fayetteville.

Along with the body of his wife, police discovered the remains of her son, her brother, her father and a neighbour.

A unidentified sixth body found in Huntsville, Alabama, is believed to be linked to the killings.

A spokeswoman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Kristin Helm, said: "The motive of the killings is domestic."

She named the victims at the rural homes near Fayetteville as Mr Shaffer's wife Traci, 38; her son, 16-year-old Devin Brooks; her brother, Chris Hall, 34; her father Billy Hall, 57; and neighbour Robert Berber, 16.

Lincoln County Sheriff Murray Blackwelder described the killings as "horrendous".

Mr Shaffer has been remanded in custody.

In addition to five counts of murder in Tennessee, he faces a similar charge in Alabama.