Man charged with murder after two family members found dead

Ashley Paul
·2 min read
2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A family is devastated over the loss of two family members and police say a career criminal has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Michael Wolfe, 39, who was booked in the Shelby County Jail on Tuesday, is also facing two counts of especially aggravated robbery and two counts of murder in perpetration of a felony, arson, and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.

Police say Wolfe is responsible for killing 33-year-old DeCarlos Sanders and his sister’s mother, 39-year-old LaBarbara Bryson the night of Feb. 2 into Feb. 3.

Wolfe just got out of prison six months ago after serving a 10-year sentence.

Police said on Feb. 4, Decarlos Sanders was found shot to death in the 2300 Block of Douglass Avenue in Orange Mound.

Two days later, Labarbara Bryson, 39, was reported missing, and her burned-up Mazda SUV was located at Douglass and Grand.

Memphis murders and homicides 2024

Bryson was last seen on Feb. 2, and her body was found Sunday morning in a ditch near Jonah Avenue and Hugenot in the Bethel Grove area a few blocks from Douglass. Police said Bryson died from an apparent gunshot wound.

Investigators said Sanders and Bryson were last seen with Wolfe, and surveillance video showed him driving Bryson’s Mazda shortly before it was seen burning.

Family members we spoke with say Wolfe was briefly dating Bryson, and they are glad to see him charged with the murders.

Travis Coleman says the last month has been incredibly difficult for his family after learning his cousin, DeCarlos Sanders, was murdered.

“Always smiling, he was always in a good spirit, good dude, loved his kids. Would do anything for his kids, always had his kids,” Coleman said.

MPD said Wolfe has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2003.

In August of 2014, Wolfe was convicted of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary and sentenced to 12 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

Police said he was released from Hardeman County Correctional Facility in Whiteville, TN last fall after serving a 10-year sentence in the TDOC.

Wolfe is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

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