An arrest has been made more than four months after two Arizona teenagers were murdered in a remote part of Tonto National Forest. In a Facebook post, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Thomas Brown, 31, had been arrested in connection with the killings of Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18. A judge set a $2 million cash-only bond late Thursday for Brown, who faces two charges of first-degree murder, ABC15 reports. The teens' bodies were found in a remote area of the forest on May 27. Both had been shot to death. They had gone camping to celebrate the start of summer vacation after finishing 11th grade at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, around 64 miles southwest of the campsite.
According to court papers, Brown's DNA was allegedly found in a victim's vehicle and on gloves found at the crime scene, reports ABC15. Brown is a Phoenix resident who served in the military for 10 years, News 12 reports. During Thursday's initial court appearance, an attorney for Brown said he was camping in the area at the time of the killings and does not deny that he had contact with the victims. "I'm elated," Clark's mother, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, tells the Arizona Republic. "It's been a nightmare. He was my everything, Evan was my everything."
In a statement to News 12, she thanked investigators for giving her "desperately needed" closure. "The past four months, I've been haunted every night by the murder of my son," she said. "I hope now that they have someone in custody, everyone can sleep safe knowing this person can't harm anyone else." Officials say they will release more information on the case in a Friday news conference.
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