A man identified as Rimvydas Liorancas, a 37-year-old Lithuanian, was on Thursday charged with the murder of the retired businessman Avtar Singh-Kolar and his wife Carole found dead in their home in Birmingham last week.
Mr. Liorancas spoke through an interpreter to confirm his and address when he appeared before city magistrates. He was remanded to custody until Monday.
Two men arrested last week have been released, one without charge.
ADVERTISEMENT
Police said a hammer, believed to have been used in the attack, was recovered from the murder scene.
Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Jupp said post-mortem tests showed that the couple died as a result of "blunt-force trauma to the head".
"The devastating impact of such a senseless crime has been far-reaching and the comfort drawn by the family from words of friends, the community and further afield has been much appreciated by them," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Another police officer Sean Russell said: "It's important that the community know we are not going to walk away now."
Pauline Hadley of Crimestoppers, a charity which has announced a £10,000 reward for information that might help in tracking down the killers, described it as "a vile crime where two people have been murdered and their family and community have been left in shock".
Kolar (62) and Carole (58) had been married for 40 years and had four children, one of whom Jason (37) is a serving police officer prompting speculation that it might have been a revenge attack by someone with a grievance against the police.
Police, however, appeared to rule out a link. There have also been reports suggesting that the couple may have been a victim of gangs targeting Asian families for gold.
The couple's bodies were discovered on January 11 when Jason went round to their home after failing to contact them on phone.