WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WNCN) — A man charged with the deadly stabbing of his wife had his first court appearance Monday afternoon in Wake County.

Xuan Thanh Pham, 63, is charged with murder and could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, according to the judge.

Through an interpreter who was on the phone, Pham agreed to have a public defender. His next court date is at 9 a.m. on Oct. 9. He is being held in the Wake County Jail without bond.

Two people in the courtroom could be heard crying and talking to Pham as he was taken away by a deputy. Pham cried out and covered his face as he was led away.

The stabbing was reported just before 11:25 a.m. on Sept. 5 at a home in the 8800 block of Ligon Mill Road, close to the Burlington Mills Road intersection near Wake Forest, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.

When deputies arrived that morning, they found a man and woman suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. Both were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Hue Thi Lu’o’ng, 58, died later that day of the stabbing, a news release said. The man who was wounded was in serious condition.

Sunday, deputies said investigators arrested Pham in the case. He was taken into custody at the address for WakeMed Hospital at 300 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh, arrest records indicated.

Police radio communications provided an inside look early in the investigation, and why police were called to the house that Tuesday.

“We have a child caller on the phone reporting the father had a knife. Unknown if the mother has been stabbed at this time,” a dispatcher said to units in the field.