Clovis double-murder suspect pleads not guilty in Fresno court

Double-murder suspect Dave Thomas McCann pleaded not guilty Friday in Fresno County Superior Court.

McCann, 49, is accused of killing his wife, Tierney Cooper-McCann, 37, and her mother, Judith Faye Cooper, 68, at their Clovis home on May 7. He escaped and was captured the following week in Monterey County.

During his arraignment, McCann was ordered to return to court on June 30.

McCann remains in Fresno County Jail without the possibility of bail.

Family members have said that in the weeks leading up to the murders, McCann was acting strange and hostile toward his estranged wife, accusing her of cheating on him, according to a Clovis police investigation.

He packed up his belongings and moved out of the home on West Omaha Avenue near Buchanan High School, documents filed with the court say. His wife and her family did not see him for several days, and they did not know where he went.

The affidavit says McCann returned to the Omaha Avenue home during the early morning hours of May 7 and stabbed his estranged wife and mother-in-law to death. Neighbors say Cooper-McCann was seeking to divorce McCann and was attempting to obtain a restraining order.

McCann was arrested May 11 in Seaside in Monterey County after an intense manhunt by multiple police agencies. Clovis police say a tip from a homeless person led police to McCann, who was found sleeping in a homeless encampment.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Clovis double-murder suspect pleads not guilty in Fresno court."