Teacher admits to fatally stabbing couple on a hike with their kids in a
random attack in Arkansas
[August 01, 2025]
By ANDREW DeMILLO and SAFIYAH RIDDLE
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A teacher admitted he fatally stabbed a couple
he didn't know who were hiking with two of their children in an Arkansas
state park, authorities said Thursday, after a five-day search and
hundreds of tips led to his arrest.
State Police arrested 28-year-old Andrew James McGann on Wednesday at a
barbershop in Springdale, approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) north
of Devil’s Den State Park, said Maj. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the
department’s criminal investigation division.
McGann is charged with two counts of capital murder in the killing
Saturday of Clinton David Brink, 43, and his 41-year-old wife Cristen
Amanda Brink. McGann is being held without bond.
“He did indicate that he committed the murders,” Rhoads said during a
news conference Thursday. When asked to elaborate, she said: “I would
call it an admission.”
Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said authorities are trying to
determine a motive for the attack and have no reason to believe McGann
knew the couple or their children.
Officials said the husband was stabbed first, approximately 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 witnessed both their parents
being killed.
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.
But officials emphasized at the news conference that McGann, who has no
criminal record, is innocent until proven guilty.
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 a number listed for McGann.
Police flooded with tips
Two of the Brinks’ three daughters — ages 7 and 9 — were with them on
the hiking trail Saturday, but they were not hurt and are being cared
for by family members, authorities said.
Authorities said the investigation was set in motion when they reported
the killings to another hiker on the trail.
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.
“Everyone speculates that there was a lot of thought that went into this
to conceal his identity, but on the other side of that, he was very
sloppy,” Rhoads said.
Carter indicated the state would give a jury the option to sentence
McGann to the death penalty.
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An Arkansas Park Ranger patrols the South Entrance of Devils Den
State Park Monday, July 28, 2025, in West Fork, Ark. Police in
Arkansas are searching for a suspect in the deaths of a couple who
investigators said were attacked while on a wooded walking trail
with their two young daughters. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
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. There
are no infractions or suspensions noted on his public state
licensures in any of those states. The Associated Press reached out
to all three state education agencies on Thursday.
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.
Sierra Marcum, whose son was in McGann’s fourth grade class, said
the teacher came across as “pretty cold” and “disinterested in his
students.” Marcum said her son had come home from school upset about
some of McGann's behavior, which she reported to the school's
principal.
McGann resigned from the Lewisville posting in May 2023, the
district said in a statement.
He also taught at a small Oklahoma school district from the summer
of 2024 until May this year. He resigned to take a job in another
state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools,
near Tulsa. The district said McGann passed all background checks.
Law enforcement hasn’t contacted Sand Springs Public Schools
regarding the investigation, according to district spokesperson
Lissa Chidester.
McGann had not yet started his new job in Arkansas at Springdale
Public Schools, said Jared Cleveland, the district superintendent.
He said the district could not provide more information, citing the
investigation.
The victims had just arrived in Arkansas
The Brinks had recently moved from South Dakota to the small city of
Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Their water was connected less
than two weeks ago, Mayor David Faulk said.
Clinton Brink was supposed to start working as a milk delivery
driver on Monday in the Fayetteville area, according to Hiland
Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in
Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas.
The Brink family said the couple died “heroes protecting their
little girls.”
Devil's Den is 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.
Officials on Thursday assured the public that there is not a pattern
of violence at state parks.
“Someday they're going to reopen Devil's Den State Park and I'll be
on the trail once that happens,” Carter said.
___
Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press reporter
Hallie Golden in Seattle and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed.
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