Teacher Confesses He Killed Couple In Arkansas State Park

Yahoo

15 hours ago

A 28-year-old teacher has admitted to fatally stabbing a married couple who were hiking with their two young daughters at Devil's Den State Park on Saturday, in what authorities describe as a random and chilling attack.
Andrew James McGann, of Springdale, was arrested Wednesday at a barbershop and is being held without bond after a brief court appearance on Friday.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were attacked Saturday while hiking with their daughters, ages 7 and 9, on a trail about half a mile into the 2,500-acre park near West Fork, about 45 miles north of Fort Smith. The couple, who had recently moved to Prairie Grove from North Dakota, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their children were unharmed and are now in the care of relatives, authorities said.
'We believe that the mother took them to safety, and then returned to help her husband,' said Maj. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the Arkansas State Police's criminal investigation division, during a Thursday press briefing.
Investigators said Clinton Brink was stabbed first, followed by his wife, who was attacked after returning to aid him. The couple's third daughter was not present during the incident, according to Arkansas State Police Director Col. Mike Hagar.
McGann, who had recently relocated from Oklahoma to take a teaching position with Springdale Public Schools, was apprehended after a days-long manhunt. Authorities tracked him down using a witness's description of a black Kia Stinger, its license plate taped over, seen leaving the park.
A preliminary prosecutor's report noted a witness observed a person with blood on their face emerging from the trail and entering the vehicle. Investigators later found what appeared to be blood inside the car at the barbershop where McGann was arrested.
DNA evidence from blood at the crime scene matched McGann's, and he sustained cuts on his hands during a struggle with the victims, according to a law enforcement official.
Hagar confirmed McGann confessed to the killings during an interview, stating he 'made statements indicating that he had committed the two homicides.' The prosecutor's report described the attack as planned, pointing to the taped-over license plate as evidence of premeditation. He alleged that McGann 'waited with deliberated purpose and killed two hikers at the Devil's Den State Park.'
'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.
No motive has been disclosed, with Hagar noting it remains under investigation but appeared to be a 'completely random event.' Authorities found no prior connection between McGann and the Brinks.
Washington County prosecutor Brandon Carter said the state will not waive the death penalty if McGann is convicted. McGann, who has no known criminal record, was appointed a public defender during a brief court appearance Friday, where he entered a not guilty plea, according to Little Rock ABC affiliate KATV.
McGann had not yet started his role at Springdale Public Schools, and the district confirmed he had no contact with students or families. He previously taught fifth grade in Oklahoma and fourth grade in Flower Mound, Texas.
The attack has shaken Northwest Arkansas, prompting the closure of the trails at Devil's Den State Park.
'Our entire state is grieving for the tragic loss and senseless and horrific crime that's taken place in this area,' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during a Wednesday press conference.
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