A former Florence County Sheriff’s deputy has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he shot his adoptive mother and stepfather in 2006 so he could obtain money from their estate, according to federal court documents.

A former Florence County sheriff’s deputy, who was suspected of killing his mother and stepfather in Nesmith, and his wife have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the deaths.

The family of a slain Nesmith couple still is searching for answers some two years after the crime.