Murdered Arcadia teens honored with diplomas at graduation

追加: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]It's been nearly 1 year since two Arcadia High School students were shot and killed near Mount Ord. And just 2 days ago, the victims were honored at their school's graduation with family accepting diplomas on their behalf. 12 News journalist Tiani Jaduling joins us live in studio. She spoke with the mother of one of those victims and shares her journey. Tiani? Chase, it was Evan Clark's mother, Sandra Sweeney, who walked up on stage and accepted her son's honorary diploma. She tells me in this last year a lot of new emotions have been brought forward, but she's grateful the school her son only attended for 8 months found the time to do this.

[00:00:37]May 27th will forever be a date Sandra Sweeney dreads. It's the day she lost her best friend and her son, 17-year-old Evan Clark. 1 year later, Sweeney no longer lives in Arizona, but her feelings remain the same. Gut-wrenching.

[00:00:52]Gut-wrenching. Um he was my everything.

[00:00:55]The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office found the bodies of Evan Clark and Pandora Jewel Root in a remote area near Mount Ord just after Memorial Day weekend last year. Evan would have been a senior this year, and to honor the students, Arcadia High School handed out diplomas to their families.

[00:01:12]>> An honorary diploma to Evan Clark.

[00:01:15]Accepting on Evan's behalf is his mother, Sandra Sweeney.

[00:01:21]Sweeney calls this past year bittersweet. She says she's back home in California, but without the person who made her the happiest.

[00:01:28]>> It's been very, very hard, um but it's also been healing because I'm not there and I'm not where this terrible thing happened.

[00:01:38]Sweeney says she was grateful after hearing the school wanted to recognize Evan and Pandora with diplomas, but coming back to receive it wasn't an easy move.

[00:01:46]>> You know, when you you receive something like this, you think it's going to be posted in your bedroom or on your walls.

[00:01:53]The truth is, um I was not able to actually look at pictures of my son until very recently.

[00:02:00]And even with the healing she's been able to do since his death, this reminder of her son being gone will be difficult to process.

[00:02:07]So, as of right now, it's with me, um, and I'm happy to have it. Um, but at this moment, it's not something I can display where I can see it all the time. Last October, 32-year-old Thomas Brown was arrested in connection with the killings of Clark and Jules Rued and charged with first-degree murder. And while Sandra is hoping for justice for her son, these moments continue to weigh heavy on her heart.

[00:02:33]>> It's the most unspeakable, unimaginable pain you can imagine.

[00:02:38]This was a living being that was in my body.

[00:02:43]You know, it just doesn't you don't ever recover from it.

[00:02:49]Sandra [snorts] says some of her joy now comes from the work she does back in California. That's working with kids.

[00:02:55]Many of them who she says remind her of her son, Evan. Live in studio, I'm Tiana Jacqueling, 12 News.