An El Mirage man has been arrested on suspicion of shooting dead two Kingman residents last summer.
In June 2022, agents from the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence outside Kingman seeking a welfare check. When they arrived, they found two corpses identified as 50-year-old Darren Van Houten and 73-year-old Retta Atkins.
Preliminary investigations revealed that someone was caught on surveillance video at the property when the killing took place. Several photos and video clips from the home security system were released to help identify the suspect.
On Thursday, detectives issued an arrest warrant for Daniel Matthew Avila, 25, on two counts of first-degree murder. Daniel Avila is currently in custody in Maricopa County on unrelated charges, according to a Mojave County Sheriff’s Office agent.
Detectives first learned about Avila when she was arrested in February and charged with burglary in Tempe. During that arrest, Avila was carrying a gun linked to the murders of Van Houten and Atkins by bullets found at the crime scene, a Mojave County Sheriff’s Office deputy said.
During the murder, the suspect was seen on surveillance with blood running down his left shoulder. This is believed to be a gunshot wound received during the attack. When Avila was contacted by detectives, he saw a scar consistent with a gunshot wound on his left shoulder, according to a Mojave County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Avila is believed to have no known connection to Kingman or any of the victims in this case, so detectives are continuing their investigation and seeking information from the public. We recommend contacting the Detective Division of the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office at 928-753-0753. 4288.
