The teacher accused of fatally stabbing a married Arkansas couple while they were hiking with their two daughters pleaded not guilty to two counts of capital murder on Thursday.
Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested earlier this month and accused of stabbing Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, to death at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas last month.
The couple’s two daughters, ages seven and nine, were hiking with their parents at the time, but were left physically unharmed.
McGann showed little emotion and hardly spoke during his arraignment, which lasted around 30 minutes, according to NBC affiliate KNWA-TV.
Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter told the outlet that he expects a gag order to be set in the case, given the national attention it has received.
He also revealed that the state has not ruled out the death penalty in the case against the 28-year-old former elementary school teacher.
McGann was placed on administrative leave at an elementary school in the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas, in spring 2023 after concerns were raised about his classroom management. But he passed background checks in two different Oklahoma school districts and had been expected to start a new job in northwest Arkansas on Aug. 11.
He made his first appearance on Aug. 1 before an Arkansas judge, who ordered McGann to be held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center and assigned him a public defender.
Speaking to reporters on July 31, Maj. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the Arkansas State Police’s criminal investigation division, said that McGann confessed to the attack following his arrest.
“He did indicate that he committed the murders,” Rhoads said. When asked to elaborate, she said: “I would call it an admission.”
Officials said the husband was stabbed first, approximately a kilometre into the park, then the mother ushered her children to safety before returning to help her husband. She was also stabbed to death.
“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.
Cristen and Clinton Brink were found dead on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
Facebook / Cristen Brink
The Brink family had just moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas, Mayor David Faulk said. Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start a job as a milk delivery driver in the nearby Fayetteville area, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer.
“The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult time as they grieve and learn how to navigate this new reality,” a statement released by the Brink family said.
“Clinton and Kristen died Hero’s (sic) protecting their little girls and they deserve justice. They will forever live on in all of our hearts.”
State police arrested McGann at a barbershop in Springdale, about 50 kilometres north of the park. He was in the middle of getting a haircut. His processing photos show him still wearing a barber cape.
Adriana Ruiz, a stylist at Lupita’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop, told Fort Smith television station KFSM that McGann kept his head down, refused to sign in and wanted to keep his hair long to cover his face.
“I was about five minutes into the haircut when a man pulled up and was asking about whose car that was outside,” she told the station.
Moments later, she said police swarmed the salon and arrested McGann.
Investigators were able to track him down based on a description of the suspect’s vehicle, police said.
Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested in connection with the deaths of married coupleClinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41.
Handout / Washington County Sheriff’s Office
McGann’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14.
— with files from Global News’ Michelle Butterfield and The Associated Press