A man has been arrested after the horrific killing of a couple who died protecting their young daughters during a hike in Devil’s Den State Park , Arkansas.
James Andrew McGann, 28, was taken into custody in Springdale on Wednesday and charged with two counts of capital murder, Arkansas State Police confirmed.
McGann had worked as a teacher in a small Oklahoma school district until May before resigning to take up a new role in another state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools near Tulsa. The district noted that McGann had cleared all required background checks.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and his wife Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, had been walking with their daughters, aged seven and nine, through the scenic trail on Saturday afternoon when they were attacked around 2:30pm. The children escaped and later told authorities that their parents were stabbed along the route, as per the New York Post.
“Clinton and Cristen died heroes protecting their little girls, and they deserve justice,” the Brink family said in a statement shared with ABC News.
The couple’s bodies were discovered hours later on the popular trail, sparking a five-day search for the killer. The suspect, described at the time as wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and fingerless weight-lifting gloves, was identified and located earlier this week.
The family had recently moved from South Dakota to Arkansas, where Clinton was preparing to begin a job as a milk delivery driver on Monday, according to his employer.
Investigators have not revealed a motive behind the killings. However, the arrest has brought some relief to the grieving family and local community.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged the emotional toll of the crime in a statement, “No news can heal the enormous harm done to the Brink family in last weekend’s crime, but this announcement is a comfort and reassurance for our State.”
She added, “If you target innocent people, law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
Arkansas State Police Colonel Mike Hagar praised his team’s quick work, “Because of their hard work and investigative skill, we were able to take a monster off the streets, and bring relief to those two precious girls, and the rest of our citizens.”
James Andrew McGann, 28, was taken into custody in Springdale on Wednesday and charged with two counts of capital murder, Arkansas State Police confirmed.
McGann had worked as a teacher in a small Oklahoma school district until May before resigning to take up a new role in another state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools near Tulsa. The district noted that McGann had cleared all required background checks.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and his wife Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, had been walking with their daughters, aged seven and nine, through the scenic trail on Saturday afternoon when they were attacked around 2:30pm. The children escaped and later told authorities that their parents were stabbed along the route, as per the New York Post.
“Clinton and Cristen died heroes protecting their little girls, and they deserve justice,” the Brink family said in a statement shared with ABC News.
The couple’s bodies were discovered hours later on the popular trail, sparking a five-day search for the killer. The suspect, described at the time as wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and fingerless weight-lifting gloves, was identified and located earlier this week.
The family had recently moved from South Dakota to Arkansas, where Clinton was preparing to begin a job as a milk delivery driver on Monday, according to his employer.
Investigators have not revealed a motive behind the killings. However, the arrest has brought some relief to the grieving family and local community.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged the emotional toll of the crime in a statement, “No news can heal the enormous harm done to the Brink family in last weekend’s crime, but this announcement is a comfort and reassurance for our State.”
She added, “If you target innocent people, law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
Arkansas State Police Colonel Mike Hagar praised his team’s quick work, “Because of their hard work and investigative skill, we were able to take a monster off the streets, and bring relief to those two precious girls, and the rest of our citizens.”
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