The Wareham man charged in connection with two stabbing deaths that occurred at the White Pines Motel on Cranberry Highway early Saturday morning is awaiting arraignment in Wareham District Court this morning.

Richard Walling, 20, has been charged two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Leonard Bolia, 35, of Wareham, and Ryan P. Aponte, 24, of Wareham.

Reporter Eileen Goode is at the court, where Aponte's family members say they are heartbroken, and are questioning whether a single attacker could be responsible for killing both Aponte and Bolia.

Bolia was found in the parking lot of the White Pines when Wareham Police responded to the scene at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to the District Attorney Tim Cruz's office. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Aponte was found dead hours after the attack in the wooded area behind the White Pines. He appeared to have been stabbed, authorities said.

Autopsies are being conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Aponte recently moved to Wareham from Florida to live with his father, Steven Fernandes, his family said. Aponte's girlfriend, who is pregnant, planned to move to Wareham this week to be with Aponte and start a new life for their child. Aponte was studying to get a license to sell real estate, his family said. His funeral will likely be held early next week.

The circumstances surrounding the stabbings are unclear. Phone messages left for White Pines owner John D'Italia were not immediately returned. Employees working at the White Pines Motel declined to comment.

A White Pines resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he and others heard a door get kicked in somewhere in the motel, and eventually stepped outside to see what the commotion was.

"We heard a bang," he said. "We came outside and there were cops everywhere."

Upon examining the scene, the resident said he saw a victim, now known to be Bolia, lying in the parking lot in front of the motel. The resident said he's only lived in the White Pines for a few weeks, and was shocked by the event.

The case remains under investigation.

It is currently unclear whether Walling has previous criminal history.

According to a Wareham Police log dated July 10, 2010, Bolia was summonsed for carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a firearm and a motor vehicle), felony possession of a firearm, and threatening to commit murder, after he allegedly pulled a firearm on a person in the area of Swifts Beach Road. It is currently unclear what became of those charges.

We will update this story after Walling's arraignment.