A Florence County man learned Monday the state will seek the death penalty against him if he's convicted in connection with a double murder.

He is the second suspect in the case to be served with a death penalty notice. Prosecutors say this case is appropriate to seek the death penalty, because of the circumstances that surround it.

Montez Barker, 25, didn't look at the officer who served him with the death penalty notice in the courtroom Monday afternoon. Barker is charged with two counts of murder.

Police say he was hired to kill Billy Hall, junior and his girlfriend Talya Poston, who were found shot to death on a dirt road in Florence County last September.

Prosecutors say Fonnezle Delaine hired Barker to kill Hall and Poston because one of them was a witness against Delaine in a pending drug case. Delaine was served with a death penalty notice in March.

Solicitor Ed Clements says serving Barker with the death penalty notice wasn't a quick decision. "It took a lot of thought and a lot of prayer. The death penalty is not something you take flippantly. The death penalty should be used very judiciously . It takes a lot of resources, and contrary to public opinion it's actually more costly for the state to put somebody to death than it is house in the prison for a life, but in the appropriate cases that's the appropriate sentence and the appropriate approach."

A judge appointed a second attorney to represent Barker. Prosecutors say they expect to try Delaine and Barker together next October. A third suspect, Laross Graham, also faces two counts of murder.

He's expected to be a witness for the state.

All three suspects have been denied bond and are being held at the Florence County Detention Center.