No bail allowed for suspected Clovis double murderer Dave McCann

Accused double murderer Dave Thomas McCann made a brief court appearance Friday. A judge removed any chance of bail for the man suspected of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and mother-in-law in Clovis.

An arraignment for McCann was postponed until later this month.

McCann was being held on $2 million bail, but Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Skiles granted a no-bail hold, agreeing with prosecutor William Lacy that McCann is a public threat and was a proven flight risk.

McCann, 49, was arrested Wednesday in Seaside in Monterey County after an intense manhunt by multiple police agencies.

A criminal complaint filed Thursday charges McCann with murdering Judith Faye Cooper, 68, of Paso Robles, and her daughter, Tierney Cooper-McCann, 37. The two women were stabbed to death May 7 in Cooper-McCann’s home on the 700 block of West Omaha Avenue near Buchanan High School in Clovis. If convicted, McCann faces life in prison.

Defense attorney Scott Baly asked for a delay of McCann’s arraignment. He said the multiple agencies involved in the manhunt complicated the case, as did the fact that McCann is originally from England. Baly said the British consulate is aware of the case and has been in touch with McCann.

The arraignment was rescheduled for May 27.

Clovis police say a tip from a homeless person led police to McCann, who was found sleeping in a homeless encampment.

Police had been searching the Central Coast since a moving van rented by McCann was discovered in Paso Robles on the night of May 7.

Neighbors say his estranged wife had lived in the West Omaha Avenue home for the past seven years. They say Cooper-McCann was seeking to divorce McCann and was attempting to obtain a restraining order.

Clovis police Capt. Tom Roberts said officers recovered a weapon that may have been used in the killings but were waiting for DNA tests to be processed to confirm it.

Earlier this week, Cooper-McCann was remembered by co-workers at Community Regional Medical Center, where she worked as a child-life specialist in the hospital’s burn center.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 11:06 AM with the headline "No bail allowed for suspected Clovis double murderer Dave McCann."