LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office says the man wanted for a double homicide in Kingman has been identified and was already in custody.
The Sheriff’s office said the double homicide happened around 8 p.m. on June 28, 2022. Officers found Darren Vanhouten, 50, and Retta Atkins dead inside a home in the 9200 block of Diligaf Road, east of Kingman.
On Thursday, detectives issued an arrest warrant for Daniel Matthew Avila, 25, of El Mirage, on two counts of first-degree homicide. Avila is currently in custody in Maricopa County for unrelated charges.
Detectives say Avila was arrested in February for a home invasion crime in Tempe, AZ. During that arrest, Avila was in possession of a firearm that was connected to the shooting death of Vanhouten and Atkins. The connection was identified using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) from bullets located at the crime scene, detectives say.
Avila was also identified by a gunshot wound in his left shoulder that was believed to have happened on the night of the double homicide.
