The man accused of fatally stabbing a couple while they were hiking with two of their daughters at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas pleaded not guilty to two capital murder charges on Thursday.
Andrew James McGann, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher, was captured and arrested in Springdale, Arkansas after a five-day search. He was charged with two counts of capital murder in the killing of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, who were hiking with two of their daughters at Devil’s Den on July 26. The couple’s daughters, who are 7 and 9, were not hurt and are being cared for by family members. Devil’s Den is a 2,500-acre state park about 140 miles northwest of Little Rock, the capital city of Arkansas. The park is surrounded by the Ozark National Forest, and some hiking trails lead into those woods.
According to NBC affiliate KNWA-TV, McGann hardly spoke and showed little emotion during the arraignment, which lasted around 30 minutes. McGann’s lawyers from the county public defender’s office declined to comment. In a brief statement, the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said that “the state continues to pursue the death penalty” in the case. He is being held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center until the end of his trial; his next court date was scheduled for Nov. 14.
Investigators believe that Clinton was attacked first, while Cristen brought the kids to safety. Authorities said she then returned to help her husband before being attacked herself. A witness reported seeing an individual with blood on his face leaving the park’s trail and getting into a black sedan, with a second witness identifying the black sedan as a Kia Stinger. McGann evaded authorities for several days after the Brinks were found dead, before authorities were able to match his car to the car described by the witnesses. He was arrested on July 30 in a barbershop while getting his hair cut in Springdale.
Authorities said that McGann’s DNA was found at the crime scene, and also made statements to investigators “indicating that he had committed these heinous acts.” Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar previously said the killings appeared to be “a completely random event” because there’s “absolutely no indication, no reason whatsoever to believe there was any connection at all” between the Brinks and McGann. A motive for the attack remains unknown.
Officials said McGann recently moved to Arkansas for a new job at an elementary school in the Springdale Public School district, after teaching in various schools throughout Texas and Oklahoma. McGann passed background checks for his employment by Oklahoma’s Education Department and for the two districts in the state where he taught. Officials also said McGann had no criminal history and no known mental illness history.
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