CASSOPOLIS — A jury trial date has been set for Keith James Lintz, a Niles man charged with killing Niles couple John and Carolyn Tarwacki in February of 2010.

Lintz, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, is scheduled for jury trial at 9 a.m. May 7 in Cass County Circuit Court.

A pretrial is set for 1:30 p.m. April 8. That is the deadline given by the court to file any pretrial motions or enter a plea.

The Tarwackis were found dead in their home on Carberry Road in Niles on the morning of Feb. 5, 2010. According to autopsy reports, John and Carolyn were both stabbed multiple times and shot twice.

Police found footprints in the snow going to and from the back door entrance to the home. A knife believed to have been used in the incident was found in a refrigerator at the home. A gun has not been recovered.

Police received 725 tips and interviewed 381 people in four states before arresting Lintz in October 2012 near N. 16th St. in Niles.

The case is being prosecuted jointly by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office and the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office.

Cass County Fourth District Court Judge Stacey Rentfrow ruled Jan. 22 there was enough evidence to send Lintz to trial on the murder charges.

First-degree murder carries a penalty of mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole.