Holly MatkinDaytona Beach, FL – The suspect accused of slaughtering a married couple as they were riding their bicycles home from Bike Week festivities on March 6 has been apprehended, according to police.
Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) Chief Jakari Young announced the arrest of 32-year-old Jean R. Macean in a tweet on Thursday afternoon.
Macean was apprehended outside his residence on Pointe Vista Circle in Orlando at approximately 11 a.m. on March 10 through a cooperative effort by the Orlando Police Department (OPD), the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), WESH reported.
Macean arrived in Daytona Beach by bus on March 5 as local Bike Week events were underway and left the city the following day, Chief Young told reporters Thursday night.
DBPD officers responded to the area of Riverview Boulevard and North Wild Olive Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. on March 6 after a man reported he had stumbled upon a man and woman who had been attacked, the agency said in a press release.
The witness and another woman at the scene told police they found the female victim lying face-up on her back near the sidewalk and that the male victim was discovered lying face-down on his chest.
Both victims suffered multiple lacerations and stab wounds across their bodies and were covered in blood, according to the DBPD.
Their throats had also been slashed, WESH reported.
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, the DBPD said in the press release.
Police said the victims were married and identified them as 55-year-old Brenda Aultman and 48-year-old Terry Aultman.
The Aultmans’ bicycles were found lying on the ground near their bodies, according to police.
Investigators determined the victims were riding home after participating in local Bike Week activities when they were attacked.
These are pictures of local couple Terry & Brenda Aultman, attacked & murdered in 700 blk N. Wild Olive early Sunday morning as they rode bicycles home from Bike week events on Main St. @DaytonaBchPD say killer (s) not yet identified. My colleague @Luana_Munoz has more tonight pic.twitter.com/vmJKvYJEsF
— claire metz (@clairemetzwesh) March 8, 2022
Chief Young said the double homicide is among “the most vicious and gruesome” scenes he’s witnessed during his two decades as a law enforcement officer.
The DBPD released photos and videos of a male “person of interest” in the following days.
“We will spare no expense and leave no stone unturned in order to solve this case,” DBPD Chief Jakari Young said in the press release. “I assure you that our detectives are doing all they can to bring justice to the loved ones of these victims.”
“We can’t rule out that this may be totally random, but if it is totally random, the person responsible has to be deranged,” the chief told WESH.
Chief Young said investigators reviewed surveillance footage and received numerous tips that led them to identify Macean as the alleged killer, WESH reported.
He said the suspect’s apprehension was the culmination of “105 hours of a relentless pursuit.”
“Everyone can now breathe a sigh of relief. The suspect responsible for committing these heinous crimes is in custody,” he said. “It is still a random, senseless act of violence that should have never occurred. This is just a reminder of the evil that exists in our society today.”
Macean’s criminal history includes prior arrests primarily related to drug offenses, according to WESH.
Chief Young said the suspect has confessed to murdering the Aultmans.
I’m pleased to announce that we have arrested the man responsible for the murders of Brenda Aultman and Terry Aultman.
Our thanks to @USMarshalsHQ, @OrangeCoSheriff and @OrlandoPolice for helping us bring Jean R. Macean into custody. More details shortly @DaytonaBchPD pic.twitter.com/uQZwMN9r4x— Chief Jakari Young (@ChiefJakari) March 10, 2022
Brenda Aultman’s daughter, Sara, also spoke during the press conference Thursday, WKMG reported.
“I just want to thank every single one of you for all the work you put in to help get this person off the street,” Sara told reporters. ” I’m sorry, he’s not a person, a monster, got this monster off the streets so nobody else gets hurt and not deal with the pain and the destruction that this has caused so many people’s lives.”
She said her mother was her best friend and asked everyone to support her family in the wake of their loss, WKMG reported.
A fundraising page established to help the Aultmans’ family has raised over $18,000 so far.
