Court proceedings were adjourned Wednesday for a Niles man charged with the murder of Niles couple John and Carolyn Tarwacki in February 2010.

Keith James Lintz, 28, is facing two counts of first-degree felony murder and one count of felony firearms. The penalty for first-degree murder is mandatory life in prison.

The preliminary examination for Lintz has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 14 in Cass County District Court. At that time, the prosecution will attempt to convince a judge there is enough evidence to warrant a trial on the charges against Lintz.

The Tarwackis were murdered in their home at 979 Carberry Rd. in Niles on the morning of Feb. 5, 2010. Lintz was arrested on Oct. 17 in Niles after a 2 1/2-year investigation, which included more than 700 tips and nearly 400 interviews across four states.

During arraignment Oct. 18, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said John was stabbed 10 times and shot twice, while his wife, Carolyn, was severely beaten, stabbed four times and shot twice. Both died at the scene.

Lintz’s relationship to the victims and motive for the crime remain unknown, although both could come out during the preliminary examination.

The case is being prosecuted jointly by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office and the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office. Doug Baker, special assistant prosecutor with the state attorney general’s office, is acting as lead prosecutor.