A man was arrested in connection with the deaths of two Hooper Bay women, stabbing them dozens of times, charges say

A 20-year-old man arrested Sunday in connection with the deaths of two young Hooper Bay women is accused of stabbing them dozens of times in one of their homes, according to an indictment filed Monday.

Shaquille Carawan is charged with six felonies, including first- and second-degree murder in last week’s deaths by Novely Rivers and Abigail Olson, who were both 18 years old.

Carawan and Rivers are cousins, troop spokesman Austin McDaniel said Monday. Text messages between them linked Carawan to the crime scene, according to an affidavit submitted to the prosecution. An autopsy found more than 60 cuts and stab wounds on the women’s bodies, the affidavit said.

Investigators believe “an argument escalated into a physical altercation,” McDaniel said Monday.

Cops described the killings as a “violent homicide” that drew dozens of officers to the Yukon-Kuskokwim village of about 1,300 people.

In the days following the deaths, the city and tribal government of Hooper Bay offered a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest in the murder investigation. Community members gathered for a walk and prayer circle over the weekend to support the families and friends of Rivers and Olson.

Hooper Bay police officers were called to Rivers’ home early Wednesday and found her and Olson dead with multiple stab wounds and blunt force injuries to their bodies, according to the affidavit filed by police Sgt. Brandon Viator and included in the charges.

Phone records obtained through search warrants showed text messages between Rivers and an unknown man The number was later linked to Carawan, the affidavit states. In the messages, Rivers and Carawan discuss how he came to her home with marijuana, reports said.

Carawan also told her he was making home-brewed alcohol and would bring it with him, according to the affidavit. The last message sent was from Carawan telling Rivers he was at her house, the affidavit said.

Investigators found bloodstained shoes at Carawan’s home on Saturday that matched tread marks found at the crime scene, a bag of bloody clothing and a knife with a broken tip that matched a piece also found during the investigation, the document said.

Carawan initially denied being in the house or having anything to do with the deaths, but “later admitted to killing both victims with the blue knife and explained the incident in detail,” the affidavit said.

During the interview, Carawan told investigators he threw Olson and Rivers’ phones into a lake as he ran home after stabbing them, reports said. Investigators said they recovered the phones from the water.

Carawan was transported to Bethel on Sunday and remained in custody at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center on Monday. He was charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder, as well as one count each of tampering with evidence and providing alcohol to minors in an arid community.

Carawan’s first court hearing was scheduled to take place Monday afternoon in Bethel.