An Arkansas teacher has pleaded not guilty to fatally stabbing a married couple who were hiking with two of their children at the time of the incident last month.
Andrew McGann, 28, appeared at his arraignment Thursday morning in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he entered a not-guilty plea to the two capital murder charges he faces. The charges mean he is eligible for the death penalty in the state. The defendant is accused of killing Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, on July 26 at Devil’s Den State Park in northwestern Arkansas.
Authorities believe the father was stabbed first, while the mother brought their children to safety before going back to help her husband.
The two children, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed by McGann. The parents left behind their three daughters.
The attacker’s motive and his connection to the victims remain unknown at this time.
After teaching in Oklahoma and Texas, McGann recently moved to Arkansas for a teaching position at Springdale Public Schools this fall. The Brink family also moved to Arkansas this year.
Although he passed background checks for his jobs, the teacher has been the subject of parents’ complaints. He allegedly groomed female students, according to one parent. The Lewisville Independent School District in Texas, where he once taught, said its internal investigation “did not find any evidence of inappropriate behavior with a student.”
McGann barely spoke and showed little emotion during the 30-minute arraignment, an Arkansas county prosecutor told a local news outlet. The suspect is being held in jail without bond.
ARKANSAS TEACHER CHARGED IN STABBING DEATHS OF FATHER AND MOTHER HIKING WITH THEIR CHILDREN
The judge scheduled the next hearing in the case for Nov. 14 following the arraignment, which was initially scheduled for Aug. 25.
At the initial court appearance, prosecutors did not rule out the death penalty if McGann is convicted.
