James Andrew McGann, Springdale man arrested in murder of Arkansas couple, Clinton David Brink and Cristen Amanda Brink who were killed while hiking at Devil’s Den State Park over the weekend. Suspect id as former 4th grade teacher from Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
A 28 year old man has been arrested in the double murder of two parents who were killed while on a hiking trail in Arkansas’ Devil’s Den State Park, Saturday. The arrest ends a five-day manhunt for the suspect.
James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, was arrested on Wednesday in Springdale, Ark., and charged with two counts of capital murder, according to a release from the Arkansas State police.
Imagine you’re in the middle of fading the alleged Devil’s Den State Park killer’s hair & cops come arrest #JamesAndrewMcGann. Adriana Ruiz Avalos VIDEO: “I was in the middle of cutting his hair when detectives came in and got him…He left fked up tho I barely started the fade.” pic.twitter.com/Lmu6S4Ykdf
— Paula Neal Mooney (@PAULANEALMOONEY) July 31, 2025
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McGann was arrested at a Springdale barber shop on Wednesday evening.
Shared Adriana Ruiz Avalos, ‘I was in the middle of cutting his hair when detectives came in and got him…He left fked up tho I barely started the fade.’
Clinton David Brink, 43, and his wife Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were hiking with their two daughters, 7 and 9, through Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday when a man alleged to be McGann attacked them on a trail around 2:30 p.m., officials said.
The children escaped unharmed and reported that their parents were stabbed, according to CNN.
Murder suspect, James Andrew McGann, is a former 5th grade teacher from Sand Springs, Oklahoma 😳 pic.twitter.com/q3D1jX6bop
— Rose (@901Lulu) July 31, 2025
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A post on social media identified James McGann as a former 4th grade teacher from Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
‘Hello my name is Andrew McGann. I am very exited to join the Dolphin fair as a 4th grade Math and Writing teacher. I graduated from Oklahoma State University in May with a B.S in Elementary Education.’
Adding, ‘I have been a substitute teacher for the past two years in Tulsa County, Oklahoma and a student teacher for the spring 2022 semester in Broken Arrow Public Schools in a 4th Grade Math and Science classroom.’
Another post stated him also being a 5th grade Elementary School Teacher at Northwoods Fine Arts Academy in Sand Springs Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education endorsed McGann to teach elementary education from grades 1 to 8, effective 5/7/2022.
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Had suspect sought to target Arkansas parents young daughters?
The killings happened in a part of 2,500-acre Devil’s Den State Park with thick vegetation and no cell phone service, police said. The park is known for its rugged natural scenery, with waterfalls, caves and rock formations.
No motive was immediately known what led up to the fatal stabbings. Nevertheless, the educator had a known history of inappropriate behavior towards young females at prior schools where he taught.
‘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,’ Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Wednesday.
Leading up to the couple’s slaying, the Brinks had recently moved from another state to Prairie Grove, a small town in northwest Arkansas near the Oklahoma border, according to police.
Washington County Prosecutor Brandon Carter says McGann is scheduled to appear in court on August 1.
He is being held at the Washington County jail.
