'Doesn't make sense': Former teammate shocked by Arizona murder suspect's arrest
Ex-teammate shocked at Arizona murder suspect's arrest
The man arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of two Arcadia High School students has been identified as Thomas Brown, a 31-year-old Chandler resident. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach spoke to his former teammate who is surprised at the allegations.
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - The man arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of two Arcadia High School students has been identified as Thomas Brown, a 31-year-old Chandler resident.
What we know:
Brown, who grew up in the small town of St. Peter, Minnesota, is now accused of two counts of premeditated first-degree murder. The 2012 graduate of Saint Peter High School was once known in his hometown as a charismatic cross-country star.
"Never in a million years [did I] guess that he would do something like that," said Tanner Peterson, a former teammate of Brown's, after recognizing Brown's mug shot.
Thomas Brown
The victims, Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were killed while on a camping trip to Mount Ord four months ago. Brown was arrested on Oct. 2 and remained stoic during the booking process.
Peterson said Brown's arrest has stunned his former teammates. "Friends from cross-country along with me are just being like, 'I can't believe this, this just doesn't make sense.' Like, it doesn't compute in any of our brains. It's just like a shock," Peterson said.
RELATED: Alleged killer of 2 teens offered information to investigators
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Brown moved to Chandler five years ago and served 10 years in the U.S. Army, including time with the Minnesota National Guard, as a staff sergeant.
"He was the guy who literally had it all," Peterson said. "He was funny. He was smart. He was very athletic."
Brown was placed on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office radar after several tips came from campers who were on Mount Ord the same weekend as the killings in May.
Tanner Peterson and Thomas Brown
Peterson also noted that Brown's Facebook posts in recent months had become alarming.
The same weekend of the murders, Brown posted on Facebook on May 24 that he had made it to the top of Mount Ord.
The following day, May 25, he posted: "I’m regretting staying one more night lol. Got a gang of rando adults playing music and camping next to me though!"
It is not clear if those adults were the two teens.
Brown has denied killing Kjolsrud and Clark. His attorney stated that Brown had contact with the teens on the mountain but claims there is no DNA on items that tie Brown to the murders.
However, investigators say Brown’s DNA was found inside the victims' car and on bloody gloves recovered from the scene.
Suspect offered false information to detectives before arrest in murder of 2 teens
31-year-old Thomas Brown was arrested Oct. 2 in a shocking twist in the murder investigations of two high schoolers. Maricopa County investigators said they first knew of him after the Chandler man reached out offering to help.