Man held in killing of five people in Nevada

Authorities have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the killing of five people in northern Nevada, officials said Wednesday.

“This was senseless,” Lyon County Sheriff Allen Veil said at an afternoon news conference. “The taking of the lives of five people for a motive yet to be determined. No matter what it is, it’s senseless.”

Jeremiah Bean, 25, of Fernley, Nev., was arrested Monday and booked on two counts of burglary, authorities said. He was being held Tuesday at Lyon County Jail, they said.

Veil said authorities would seek five murder charges against Bean. Investigators are continuing to search for information on a motive in the deaths that have shocked the community of Fernley, about 30 miles east of Reno, he said.

“There is a sense of relief,” the sheriff said. “We believe we have the person responsible for this in custody. There is still a sense of shock that this happened here.”

Veil described the killings as among the worst crimes he could recall.

Robert and Dorothy Pape, both 84, were found dead early Monday in a house in Fernley. Angie Duff, 67, and another man were found dead in a home half a block away.

A 52-year-old man was found dead along the road near the Mustang Ranch brothel. Authorities said they suspect that Bean killed him and stole his vehicle.

Veil said officials believe the suspect acted alone in the killings.

The sheriff also said that at least one firearm had been recovered, but gave no details.

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