KINGMAN – The state is not seeking the death penalty for suspects who have reportedly confessed involvement in the murder of a Kingman woman and burial of her body which was encased in a 55-gallon drum. The revelation came during consecutive pre-trial conference hearings conducted Friday at the Mohave County courthouse in Kingman.
Attorneys informed the court that plea agreement offers have been extended to Mark Baldonado, 31, and Carrie Vanover, 23. Both are charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, abandonment of a dead body and theft charges associated with the April 14 death of Shawn Vanover, 62.
Court records show the couple admitted killing the elder Vanover for child custody issues. She had already secured custody of her five -year-old granddaughter and had threatened to try to take custody of the younger and pregnant Vanover’s son after he was born, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The couple indicated they planned the murder to make certain they would not lose their yet-to-be-born son.
The affidavit said that Baldonado struck the victim with a hammer before shooting her twice in the head.
An unidentified party told authorities on July 12 that Vanover had been killed and buried on the property in the backyard of the north Kingman property in the 4500 block of Glenn Road. The barrel and the body were recovered five days later.
Vanover and Baldonado’s son was born about a month after the killing and the newborn and Vanover’s daughter through a previous relationship were both placed in care of the state.
The suspects will next appear in separate settlement conferences before Judge Doug Camacho. Judge Camacho will review and explain the undisclosed plea offers, comparing them with possible outcomes of guilty verdicts at trial.
