LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A teacher who authorities say admitted to fatally stabbing a couple he didn’t know who were hiking with two of their children in an Arkansas state park is expected to have his first court appearance Friday.
Andrew James McGann, 28, has been charged with two counts of capital murder in the killing Saturday of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41. He is being held without bond and is expected to appear at the Washington County Detention Center.
Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack at Devil’s Den, a 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) state park near West Fork, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, the state capital. Its trails have been closed to the public since Saturday.
State Police arrested McGann on Wednesday at a barbershop in Springdale, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the park, said Maj. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the department’s criminal investigation division.
Washington County prosecutor Brandon Carter said he did not know if McGann has a lawyer or will need a public defender. The Associated Press has left messages at numbers listed for McGann, who has no criminal record.
Officials said the husband was stabbed first, about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) into the park, then the mother ushered her children to safety before returning to help her husband. She was also stabbed to death.
Authorities have not said if the girls — ages 7 and 9 — witnessed both their parents being killed. They were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities said.
McGann was cooperative during the arrest and admitted to killing the couple soon after, Rhoads said. Police also matched his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. The case is distressing even to the police.
“In my 27 years that I’ve been with the State Police, this is probably one of the most heinous that we’ve had, especially the aspect of just how random it was,” Rhoads said.
Police flooded with tips
McGann was arrested after a five-day search and hundreds of tips.
The State Police collected photos and videos from other hikers who didn’t witness the attack but were on the trails at around the same time. Police also released a composite sketch and a photo that showed a person of interest from behind.
The police then narrowed down the suspect’s vehicle, which had tape over the license plate, using surveillance footage from homes and businesses near Devil’s Den.
Within an hour of McGann being identified as a suspect, he was caught at the barber shop.
Carter indicated the state would give a jury the option to sentence McGann to the death penalty.
Suspect taught in other states before Arkansas job
McGann has active teaching licenses in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to each respective government certification website. No infractions or suspensions are noted on his public state licensures in any of those states. The Associated Press has reached out to all three state education agencies.
McGann was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while he was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, “following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,” according to a spokesperson for the Lewisville Independent School District.
