A large amount of material to go over as part of discovery procedures is one of main delays keeping a Chandler man from standing trial for allegedly killing two teens in May 2025.
Thomas Henry Brown is charged with shooting and killing Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, while all three were camping in the Mount Ord area.
A complex case joint management report, submitted to Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Max Covil and filed on Sept. 15, shows both the prosecuting and defense attorneys and staff are having to request and comb through a large amount of discovery material.
Between Brown’s social media and other online records, other digital records, thousands of photographs and protective orders to consider, a scheduled Dec. 14 trial date seems unlikely to remain in place.
“The current trial (date) is not realistic,” court documents state. “The parties are in the process of reviewing voluminous discovery, which is ongoing, and witness interviews likely will not occur prior to the next court date ... The parties will be in a better position to contemplate substantive motions later when discovery is complete.”
Among the items already handed over or “re-disclosed” by the prosecution are Brown’s phone, Internet browser, Life 360, jail calls through Aug. 31, an autopsy file, a drone video provided by Brown, about 100 recorded witness interviews and about 3,000 photographs.
Documents state there are several pending motions for protective orders on Kjolsrud’s phone, Internet and social media records.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office officials announced in October of last year that detectives had taken Brown, then age 31, into custody and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.
A medical examiner’s report, relleased this March, shows Kjolsrud had multiple gunshot wounds in her head and upper body, while Clark was shot multiple times in his head. Both causes of death were ruled to be homicide.
Court documents show Brown, a standout athlete at St. Peter High School in southwestern Minnesota, joined the U.S. Army not long after high school and ended up serving active duty and then with the Minnesota and Arizona Army National Guard, trained as an infantryman, moving to Chandler about six years ago.
He’s married and was deployed for about nine months to Djibouti, leaving Guard at a rank of Staff Sergeant.
Clark and Kjolsrud had just completed their junior years at Arcadia High School in northeast Phoenix.
A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, speaking at October 2025 news conference about Brown’s arrest, said the case can be traced to a call to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office about an “overdue party,” meaning Kjolsrud and Clark hadn’t returned from a popular Mount Ord camping area when expected.
The spokesperson explained the chain of events in the initial investigation in which a Gila County deputy found Clark’s vehicle with what MCSO called “suspicious observations regarding that car.”
Deputies made their way to a campground and discovered “evidence of someone or something” being dragged away from a campsite, soon discovering the deceased Clark and Kjolsrud.
The Gila / Maricopa county line runs directly across the mountain, so MCSO detectives took over the case.
The Sheriff’s Office received several useful tips from the public in the case, including one from Brown himself, who told police he’d been camping in the Mount Ord area at about the same time.
Detectives eventually spoke with Brown at length about his whereabouts, timing and events. Tips from other campers about Brown’s “strange” behavior and other evidence pointed to Brown’s involvement.
Brown told police he was camping with his wife until the morning of May 25, when she left, with Brown remaining on the mountain another 24 hours or so, until the morning of May 26.
He gave an accurate description of the victims and Clark’s vehicle and was asked about “various evidentiary items” from the scene. There was also considerable DNA evidence collected and “many people” were interviewed, the spokesperson said.
The Sheriff’s Office and the victim’s families said there’s nothing suggesting a prior connection between Brown and either Kjolsrud or Clark, nor did any of their own actions contribute to their deaths.
Kjolsrud’s mother, Simone, spoke at the October news conference as well, her voice breaking as she listed the many positive characteristics of her daughter.
“All of life’s beauty feels less bright without her here,” Simone Kjolsrud said. “But the killer’s darkness won’t overcome her light. My daughter’s life matters — and I look forward to the day the perpetrator is convicted and punished for his crimes.”
Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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