South Dakota man is charged with killing his brother, pregnant sister-in-law

A South Dakota man confessed to beating his brother to death with a baseball bat and then slashing his pregnant sister-in-law with a machete after he ‘snapped,’ according to police.

Brent Monroe Hanson, 57, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his brother, Clyde Hanson, Clyde’s wife Jessica, and their unborn child.

Brent Hanson told police that he took care of the couple’s three-year-old son and fed him. The boy was not harmed.

Brent Hanson has also been charged with three alternative counts of second-degree murder.

Brent Hanson is being held on $5million cash-only bond while authorities continue their investigation, according to Keloland.com.

Law enforcement officials in Milbank were called to a residence on Wednesday to perform a welfare check after someone delivering a food basket noticed blood stains on the front door.

After they arrived, they discovered the bodies of Clyde and Jessica Hanson.

Clyde Hanson ‘had head trauma consistent with a blunt object’ while his wife ‘had numerous slash marks and lacerations.’

According to a charging document obtained by PEOPLE, the injuries they suffered ‘were consistent with homicidal violence.’

When questioned by police, Brent Hanson allegedly confessed to the killings, telling Milbank Police Chief Boyd VanVooren: ‘I snapped.’

Clyde Hanson (left) was beaten to death with a baseball bat on December 12, according to police. His wife, Jessica (right), suffered slash marks and lacerations. The couple’s three-year-old son, Ty, was unharmed. Brent Hanson told police he took care of Ty and fed him

‘Jessica and Clyde were kind, modest people, and devout Christians,’ Jessica’s cousin wrote on a GoFundMe page

‘I killed them on Sunday,’ Brent Hanson is alleged to have told investigators.

He told police that he first targeted his brother on the evening of December 12.

Clyde Hanson was alone in his room when Brent Hanson ‘went up there with a baseball bat’ and ‘wacked [him] in the head enough times,’ according to the probable cause statement.

Clyde’s wife, Jessica, came home the next morning. Brent Hanson told police he hit her in the head with a machete.

In July, Brent Hanson assaulted Jessica by hitting her over the head, she told police.

Court documents allege that Jessica confronted Brent Hanson when he told her that he gave away her dog while she was receiving treatment for depression at a mental health facility.

Veronica Torres, Jessica’s cousin, created a GoFundMe campaign.

‘Jessica and Clyde were kind, modest people, and devout Christians,’ Torres wrote.

‘Jessica leaves behind her lovely innocent son Ty, her parents Manuel and Helen, along with her two older siblings Jamie and Jasmine.

When questioned by police, Brent Hanson allegedly confessed to the killings, telling Milbank Police Chief Boyd VanVooren: ‘I snapped.’

Brent Hanson is being held on $5million cash only bond while authorities continue their investigation

Clyde Hanson was alone in his room when Brent Hanson ‘went up there with a baseball bat’ and ‘wacked [him] in the head enough times,’ according to the probable cause statement. Clyde’s wife, Jessica, came home the next morning. Brent Hanson told police he hit her in the head with a machete

‘Shocked and utterly distraught do not begin to describe the condition my family is in.’

Jessica’s family is now working to get custody of Ty and relocate him to their home in New York.

They are also trying to raise money to transport Jessica’s body back East.

‘With this devastation comes a substantial amount of sudden financial expenses we simply do not have,’ Torres wrote in the GoFundMe page.

‘I’m reaching out to the community for financial assistance during this unimaginable tragedy.

‘Please consider donating any amount to this fund.

‘The money will be allocated for funeral expenses and travel expenses as Jessica’s immediate family do not live in South Dakota and need to retrieve important documents for her son Ty.’

According to Clyde Hanson’s Facebook page, he worked in merchandise marketing for a retail outlet.