The Arkansas teacher who is accused of fatally stabbing a couple who were hiking with two of their daughters has pleaded not guilty to two capital murder charges.
The suspect was identified as 28-year-old Andrew James McGann, who is an elementary school teacher, and was arrested by police last month. He is accused of fatally stabbing the victims, 43-year-old Clinton David Brink and 41-year-old Cristen Amanda Brink.
Arkansas Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Charges
During his arraignment, which lasted about 30 minutes, McGann hardly spoke and showed very little emotion. Authorities noted that the defendant made statements to investigators that indicated that he "committed these heinous acts." Also, his DNA was found at the crime scene where the victims were stabbed.
The Washington County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said in a brief statement that the state is continuing to pursue the death penalty in the suspect's case. On the other hand, McGann's lawyers, who were from the county public defender's office, declined to comment about the situation, according to NBC News.
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At the time of the incident, the Brinks were hiking in Devil's Den State Park, which is located in the northwest corner of the state. The couple was there with their young children, who were aged seven and nine years.
Investigators believe that the suspect attacked Clinton first as his wife brought their children to safety away from the assailant. Authorities claim that Cristen later came back to help her husband before she was attacked herself.
Fatal Stabbing of a Couple
For now, officials have not yet determined what motive McGann has for attacking the Brinks, and they do not suspect the young children to have been the primary targets. The couple's bodies were discovered in a remote part of the park, far away from the hiking trail, the New York Post reported.
When police found the victims, the assailant was long gone, and they waited six hours before notifying the public regarding the crime. A statewide manhunt was conducted in the days after the brutal killings, where officials provided a sketch and descriptions of the killer based on the descriptions given by the young girls.
Police officers were able to arrest McGann at a barbershop in Springdale on July 30. The suspect had not yet started his new job at Springdale Public Schools when he was taken into custody. His previous work includes jobs in Texas and Oklahoma. Authorities said that the defendant did not have a prior criminal record, as per ABC7.
