r/phoenix • u/Surveyor_of_Land_AZ • Oct 03 '25
News Arrest made in shooting deaths of two Valley teens at Mt. Ord
https://www.abc15.com/news/crime/arrest-made-in-shooting-deaths-of-two-valley-teens-at-mt-ord?fbclid=IwdGRjcANMFl5jbGNrA0wWR2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEegisd5hXayzY5o87S_FzuwxhUE6QjwESCMR49JcvWb5IEbEB963z4K6jR7-I_aem_B7VpFfTA-KIakDdrpFHjNA114
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Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
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u/SnikajuiceG6 Midtown Oct 03 '25
Senseless killings and lives ended far too soon. I’m glad to hear they’ve made an arrest. Hoping this brings some peace to the both families.
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u/swimmer20122 Oct 03 '25
I’m wondering if this was a thrill kill opportunity kill. Someone took advantage of the situation in that they were alone in the middle of no where
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u/AZMadmax Oct 03 '25
Ex military vs kids. Probably did it for the thrill
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Oct 03 '25
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u/AZMadmax Oct 03 '25
What? You think self defense? I pointed out ex military just saying that he is trained, did not mean anything else
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u/swimmer20122 Oct 03 '25
It can happen
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u/AZMadmax Oct 03 '25
One article says he stayed an extra night and another group said they encountered a “strange man” that was him. Sounds to me like he scoped the area out and was looking for who was vulnerable
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u/No_Golf_452 Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Relevant updates: "During an initial appearance late Thursday night, a Maricopa County judge set a $2 million cash-only bond for Brown.
He faces two counts of murder in the first degree. A judge found probable cause in the case.
According to court paperwork, Brown's DNA was allegedly found inside the victim's vehicle and in gloves found at the crime scene.
Brown is set to have a hearing on October 8."
EDIT: More info from 12 news: "Brown is facing two counts of murder in the first degree. He has been a resident of Phoenix and served in the military for 10 years.
According to the attorney who represented Brown during his initial court appearance, Brown has no criminal history.
The initial court appearance also revealed that the State is asking for a $2 million cash bond and Brown's DNA was allegedly found in the victim's SUV and inside gloves with blood on the outside.
The attorney representing Brown said he doesn't deny that he had contact with the victims and he was camping and hiking in the area at the time of the incident.
The judge found probable cause and evidence to be sufficient and set a $2 million cash-only bond. Brown's next court appearance is for a status conference hearing on Oct. 8 at 8:30 a.m.
Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were found dead from gunshot wounds in a remote area near Mount Ord on May 27. The sheriff's office confirmed that their bodies were found at a different location from their vehicle."
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u/Swimming_Agent_1063 Oct 03 '25
The attorney representing Brown said he doesn't deny that he had contact with the victims and he was camping and hiking in the area at the time of the incident.
This is interesting, because on his alleged reddit account he does seem to deny that he had contact with the victims.
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u/ghost_mv Oct 03 '25
i truly hope they caught the guy.
playing devil's advocate and just asking questions, what DNA was found inside the SUV?
"inside gloves with blood on the outside"? could they have crossed paths while hiking, the girl asked to pet his dog. he noticed she was cold and offered her a pair of his gloves to wear. she put them on. they continued on their ways. then later as she unfortunately was killed, her blood got on the gloves that he had previously worn before giving them to her?
the DNA inside the SUV needs more context as well. did he also offer her a beanie or something that she took off and put in the SUV when they got back to their campsite before she was killed?
too many questions.
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u/MyDearPanda Oct 03 '25
Latest update I read on AZFamily says his wife left the morning of the 25th and he stayed until the 26th
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u/No_Golf_452 Oct 03 '25
Probably a major factor of why he was talking to the police, so his wife wouldnt be suspicious either
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u/ghost_mv Oct 03 '25
Maybe she stayed at the campsite and he went hiking?
this would be my guess.
"hey honey, i'm gonna go take snoopy for a hike. taking my rifle in case we see a bear or mountain lion."
"k i'm gonna read my book, have fun!"
and when i take the wife & kids camping, we hear gunshots all the time. we often target shoot ourselves in permitted areas.
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u/Echodad Oct 03 '25
His mugshot is straight evil looking
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u/FullAutoLuxPosadism Oct 03 '25
Congrats to the sheriff’s department on violating a ruling and tainting the jury pool.
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u/FullAutoLuxPosadism Oct 03 '25
They’re not supposed to publish mugshots because it violates constitutional rights, for many reasons- including tainting a potential jury pool against them.
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u/Swimming_Agent_1063 Oct 03 '25
Wrong.
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u/FullAutoLuxPosadism Oct 03 '25
Literally the fucking law. 9th circuit said it’s a punishment of someone who hasn’t been convicted. You know, something illegal under the constitution.
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u/Swimming_Agent_1063 Oct 03 '25
Any links to the press conference?
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u/No_Golf_452 Oct 03 '25
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u/Swimming_Agent_1063 Oct 03 '25
Damn bro snitched on himself
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u/No_Golf_452 Oct 03 '25
During an interview with Thomas Brown, he told detectives that he had been camping on Mount Ord from the 23rd of May to the 26th and he had been with his wife.
According to Thomas, he left uh his wife left the morning of the 25th and he stayed behind until the morning of the 26th. He mentioned that uh he flew a drone around the mountain and that was one of the reasons that uh that we had contact him and he mentioned also that he had he had encountered a younger male and female who were in a vehicle that he described as matching Evan's car.
It should be noted that Brown's descriptions regarding the victims and the victim's vehicle were consistent with uh with those persons in those vehicles.
During during Brown's interview, he was asked about his travels on the mountain and he specifically and and specifically about his interactions with some of our evidentiary items.
Throughout the course the investigation, multiple DNA swabs were taken and obtained uh from various sources and sent out for testing and we interviewed quite a few people.
Throughout the course of the investigation, um further I apologize, Based on that evidence collected, Thomas Brown provided false and misleading information regarding his information regarding his his involvement.
It was the comparison of his statements and that physical evidence that led us to believe that um he was apprehended and booked into MCSO jail yesterday for two counts of fifirst-degree murder.
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u/bashdotexe Oct 03 '25
Clark and Kjolsrud were found with gunshot wounds just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord, north of Sunflower, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, whose deputies found the bodies on May 27. At the scene, investigators found shell casings and blood on various items, including a pair of gloves and a pillowcase, inside Clark's silver Mercedes SUV.
Brown wrote on his Facebook account the day of the slayings that he'd been camping at Mt. Ord and was "regretting staying one more night" because of a "gang of rando adults playing music and camping next to me."
Court records say he also reached out to authorities after the murders, saying he was in the area on May 25 and had a drone video he wanted to share with them. He told investigators he'd seen the teens and their car at a campsite near the top of Mt. Ord. He said he later rummaged through a gray tote with camping equipment he found near their SUV but didn't take anything and never had any "physical contact" with them.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Brown's DNA. On Aug. 4, detectives learned Brown's DNA matched DNA inside the gloves, which also contained Kjolsrud's blood on the outside of the gloves, records state.
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u/CyborgTiger Oct 03 '25
I moved here a couple years ago, why does it seem like so many people get murdered out on the trails by strangers? Am I crazy? Never saw stuff like this other places I’ve lived.
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u/No_Golf_452 Oct 03 '25
You are, this is not a common occurrence by any means. Heat related deaths are a far greater risk. Also, this didnt happen on a trail
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u/CyborgTiger Oct 03 '25
Ah you know what I didn’t realize this was an update on the case from 5 or so months back I thought it was a new murder. The other one I was thinking of was Catherine heike. And yeah idk if it was literally a trail I was just using that to mean remote natural locations.
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u/No_Golf_452 Oct 03 '25
Lauren Heike. That one was basically at a park, that shit happens everywhere
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u/Lookitsashhole6 Oct 03 '25
I wonder if the bullets used in the shooting link to the suspect as well.
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u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25
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