(NewsNation) — New video shows the moment a 28-year-old schoolteacher was arrested at a barbershop in relation to the stabbing deaths of a married couple hiking with their young children at Devil’s Den State Park.
James Andrew McGann was taken into custody Wednesday at the Springdale salon, roughly 30 miles north of where Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were found dead Saturday on a walking trail. McGann “was completely cooperative” during the arrest, Arkansas State Police Major Stacie Rhoads said Thursday.
McGann is charged with two counts of capital murder and is being held without bond in the Washington County jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
DNA evidence links suspect to stabbing deaths of Clinton, Cristen Brink
The investigation began when the Brinks’ two daughters, ages 7 and 9, were found at the park and told authorities something had happened to their parents on the trail. The children provided an initial description of the suspect.
Additional witnesses came forward with video footage and photographs from their visits to the park, helping police compile a composite sketch. Investigators received more than 500 tips following the initial release of suspect information.
Police connected McGann’s DNA to the crime scene and executed search warrants at his home and vehicle, where they found multiple knives.
“He made statements indicating that he had committed these heinous acts,” Rhoads told reporters.
Teacher charged with capital murder of hiking couple at Arkansas park
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James Andrew McGann was arrested and charged for the double homicide of a couple who were on a hiking trail at Devil’s Den state park in Arkansas. (Source: Washington County Sheriff’s Office) -
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead on a walking trail at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas. (Source: GoFundMe) -
Special agents with the Arkansas State Police have arrested James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, in connection to a double homicide at Devil’s Den State Park on July 26, 2025. (Courtesy) -
James Andrew McGann was arrested and charged for the double homicide of a couple who were on a hiking trail at Devil’s Den state park in Arkansas. (Source: Washington County Sheriff’s Office) -
Picture of suspect’s back in Devil’s Den State Park killings. (COURTESY) -
Sketch of the suspect in Devil’s Den State Park killings. (COURTESY)
McGann worked as a teacher at Sand Springs Public Schools near Tulsa, Oklahoma, until May, when he resigned to take a position in Arkansas. The district said McGann “passed all background checks.”
He previously taught at Broken Arrow Schools from 2023 to 2024 and was certified to teach elementary school in Oklahoma in 2022 and Texas in 2023.
McGann was approved to teach elementary and middle school children in Arkansas beginning fall 2024 but had not yet started his new position at Springdale Public Schools.
Police said McGann had no adult criminal history.
Victims’ daughters witnessed attack but escaped unharmed
Police believe McGann acted alone and that there was no known association between the suspect and victims. The motive remains under investigation.
Clinton Brink is believed to have been stabbed first. Cristen Brink took the children to safety and returned to help her husband before she was also killed. Both victims died from stab wounds.
The couple’s daughters were not injured and are safe with family members. The Brinks have another daughter who was not on the trail Saturday.
The Brink family had recently moved from South Dakota to Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Clinton Brink was scheduled to start work as a milk delivery driver for Hiland Dairy in the Fayetteville area.
“The Brink family said the couple died ‘heroes protecting their little girls,'” according to a family statement.
“I’m extremely grateful for the long hours and dedication that our agents put forward in bringing justice to this family,” said Arkansas State Police spokesman Mike Hagar.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised law enforcement’s work 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.”