Arkansas police say suspect admitted killing couple hiking with daughters

The Guardian

4 days ago

Arkansas authorities say a 28-year-old schoolteacher has admitted he killed a couple who were hiking with their two young daughters at a state park, and he has been charged with capital murder in what investigators are portraying as a 'random' attack.
Clinton, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were found dead on Saturday on a walking trail at Devil's Den state park. Their daughters, seven and nine, were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities have said.
State police arrested Andrew McGann on Thursday after a five-day search and a flood of tips. He was captured in Springdale, a city about 30 miles (50km) north of Devil's Den.
McGann 'did indicate that he committed the murders', Maj Stacie Rhoads, commander of the state police's criminal investigation division, said at a news conference. 'I would call it an admission.'
Police said they matched McGann's DNA to blood found at the crime scene.
Arkansas state police colonel Mike Hagar said investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack but have no reason to believe McGann knew the couple or their children.
'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.
McGann has been charged with two counts of capital murder. He made his first appearance on Friday before an Arkansas judge, who ordered McGann to be held in jail without bond, assigned him a public defender, and scheduled his arraignment for 25 August.
Local prosecutor Brandon Carter indicated the state would give a jury the option to sentence McGann to the death penalty.
The Brinks had just moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in north-west Arkansas. Their water had been connected less than two weeks ago, Prairie Grove mayor David Faulk said.
Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start a job as a milk delivery driver Monday in the nearby 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.
Officials said Clinton Brink was stabbed first, then Cristen Brink 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 their parents being killed.
The Brink family said the couple died 'heroes protecting their little girls'.
The Springdale public school district in north-west Arkansas said it had hired McGann for the upcoming year but that he had not yet had contact with families or students.
He has active teaching licenses with no infractions or suspensions in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to government certification websites.