Navarro County

Shaun Earl Arender

CORSICANA — Navarro County officials announced Friday that a 19-year-old man is in custody and charged with capital murder in connection with the sexual assault and hanging death of six-year-old Hanna Mack.

"Based upon evidence obtained during the initial crime scene investigation, and analysis by the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab in Waco, DNA coding was submitted and a positive match was made from the CODUS database," said Navarro County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Mike Cox at a Friday morning news conference. "The DNA belonged to Shaun Earl Arender, who has been charged with capital murder of Hanna Mack."

Cox said Arender, 19, lived less than a mile away from Hanna's house near Navarro Mills Lake in western Navarro County.

"I'm just absolutely shocked," said neighbor Pam Gray. "I'll never have that sense of trust here again."

"At the time of his arrest, Arender was already in the Navarro County Jail on unrelated charges," Cox said. Those charges included burglary and drug possession.

Arender's bond was set at $2.5 million.

Arender was questioned Wednesday, and, according to the arrest affidavit, "would not give a statement, but put his head on the table and cried."

Two days earlier, he had cut himself with a piece of glass while in custody on the burglary charge and was taken to a hospital "because he was depressed," according to the affidavit.

Two weeks ago, Navarro County officials announced the arrest of Kevin Wayne Anders, the live-in boyfriend of Hanna's mother. At the time, he was characterized as the "primary suspect" in the murder case, but was charged only with unlawful possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.

Hanna was found dead by her mother on Sept. 10 in a rust-covered garage behind the family's home, about 65 miles south of Dallas.

"This has been a trying time for this county and for the citizens of this county," Cox said Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

E-mail wzwirko@wfaa.com