A 31-year-old man was charged with murdering two teenagers in Arizona in what authorities called a âsenseless, violent act.â
Thomas Brown, a military veteran, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, in May when the teens were hiking in Mount Ord.
âMurder is one of the most heinous crimes that can be brought on a person and their family,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. David Lee said at a press conference on Friday. “In a way, it’s the ultimate theft.”
Pandoraâs relative notified police when she hadnât returned from her campaign trip with friends. The teenâs last known location was Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest.
When authorities went to look at the campsite, they found âconditions that suggested there was evidence that something had been dragged away from that camp area,â Lee said.
Officers then located the teensâ bodies on May 27. They had both been shot âmultiple times,â the captain said.
Various tips about the incident poured in, including one claiming that Brown had been camping at the same time as the pair. Another group of campers camping around that time encountered an individual who was acting âvery strangely,â Lee said.
When interviewing Brown, he told detectives that he and his wife went camping on Mount Ord from May 23 through May 25, but he stayed through the following morning. He also told police that he encountered two individuals whose descriptions matched those of Kjolsrud and Clark, Lee said.
After collecting evidence, police concluded that “Thomas Brown provided false and misleading information regarding his involvement,” the captain said.
According to documents, investigators discovered DNA evidence that showed the suspect had been in the teenâs SUV, despite his claiming that he never went inside the car. His DNA was also found on the victimâs bodies despite him saying he never had any physical contact with them.
In addition, a pair of gloves with Brownâs blood on them was also found close to the vehicle.
Brown was arrested at his home and booked into the Maricopa County jail on Thursday.
Thereâs no evidence to suggest the suspect and the victims were connected. “They were, as far as we know, complete strangers,” Lee said.
Evidence suggests Brown acted alone and poses no further danger to the community, he said.
An Army spokesperson has confirmed that Brown served in the Arizona Army National Guard between October 2013 and December 2022. He was on active duty in Djibouti, Africa, between July 2020 and April 2021.
Simone Kjolsrud, Pandoraâs mother, also spoke at the press conference. âMy daughter Pandora was a beautiful, brilliant light in this world,â she said. âWe are all devastated and we miss her every day. All of life’s beauty feels less bright without her here.â
Simone added that she never gave up hope that her daughterâs killer would be found.
âI have full faith in our judicial system to evaluate the evidence in this double homicide and find the perpetrator guilty of the violent murders he committed against two innocent teenagers.â
Her statements were echoed by Evan Clarkâs mother, Sandra Sweeney.
âI am so happy that no one has to worry anymore. This, as everyone knows, has not just wreaked havoc in my life but for everybody. Now, everyone can rest easy and know that heâs not going to harm anyone else… He was the light of my life, he was my world,â she said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Pandora. At the time of writing, it has raised $36,000. A similar page for Evan Clark has raised the same figure.
