Arkansas Devil's Den murders: Teacher charged with killing couple

Suspect arrested in killing of couple hiking in AR

Authorities say a 28-year-old Arkansas man has been arrested in the killing of a married couple in front of their children at Devil's Den State Park.

A 28-year-old teacher has been charged with killing a married couple who were hiking with their children at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas. 

According to State Police, the suspect was arrested in a nearby city five days after the couple were found dead. Trails at the state park have been closed since the killings. 

Who is the suspect? 

What we know:

Andrew James McGann was arrested at a barbershop in Springdale about 30 miles north of the state park, State Police said at a news conference Wednesday night. He was charged with two counts of capital murder and is being held at the Washington County Jail. 

Andrew James McGann (Arkansas State Police)

McGann had been hired at Springdale Public Schools as a teacher candidate for the upcoming year but had not yet come into contact with any of its families or students, the district said in a statement.

McGann was a teacher at a small Oklahoma school district until May and then resigned to take a job in another state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools, which is near Tulsa. It added that McGann had passed all background checks.

What we don't know:

State Police declined to release a motive Wednesday night, or state how the couple were killed. It’s also unclear when McGann will first appear in court or whether he has an attorney. 

What they're saying:

"If you commit a violent, senseless act here in our state, our law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice, because that’s what the people of Arkansas frankly deserve," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

After police released a composite sketch of the suspect, police were overwhelmed with tips from as far away as Washington state. 

Arkansas State Police released images of a person of interest in connection with a couple that was killed in August in Devil’s Den State Park. Images: ASP

Dig deeper:

Sierra Marcum told The Associated Press that three years ago, her son was a student in McGann’s fourth grade classroom in Flower Mound, Texas. She described him as the "most standoff teacher she had ever met." Her son’s yearbook includes a photo of McGann.

"Pretty cold. You could ask him a question and he would give you a one word response," she said. "Overall just pretty disinterested in his students."

Who were the victims? 

The backstory:

Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead on a walking trail at Devil’s Den. Their daughters, who are 7 and 9, were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities have said.

Devil’s Den State Park is located about 25 miles south of Fayetteville, not far from the Oklahoma state border.

The park is located in a remote and rural area, where the terrain is rugged, vegetation is thick and there is no cellphone service, State Police said.