LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A 28-year-old teacher who authorities say admitted to fatally stabbing a couple he didn’t know who were hiking with two of their children in an Arkansas state park faced a judge for the first time on Friday.

Andrew James McGann, 28, has been charged with two counts of capital murder in the killing Saturday of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41. The judge ordered McGann to be held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center, assigned him a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for Aug. 25.

Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said Thursday that authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack at Devil’s Den, a 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) state park about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. Its trails have been closed to the public since Saturday.

State Police arrested McGann on Wednesday at a barbershop in Springdale, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the park, said Maj. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the department’s criminal investigation division.

The Associated Press has left messages at numbers listed for McGann, who has no criminal record.

Officials said the husband was stabbed first, about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) into the park, then the mother ushered her children to safety before returning to help her husband. She was also stabbed to death.

Authorities have not said if the girls — ages 7 and 9 — witnessed both their parents being killed. They were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities said.

McGann was cooperative during the arrest and admitted to killing the couple soon after, Rhoads said. Police also matched his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. The case is distressing even to the police.

“In my 27 years that I’ve been with the State Police, this is probably one of the most heinous that we’ve had, especially the aspect of just how random it was,” Rhoads said.

McGann was arrested after a five-day search and hundreds of tips.

The State Police collected photos and videos from other hikers who had been on the trails but didn’t witness the attack. Police also released a composite sketch and a photo that showed a person of interest from behind.

The police then narrowed down the suspect’s vehicle, which had tape over the license plate, using surveillance footage from homes and businesses near Devil’s Den.

Within an hour of identifying McGann as a suspect, police captured him at the barber shop.

Carter indicated the state would give a jury the option to sentence McGann to the death penalty.

McGann has active teaching licenses in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to each respective government certification website. No infractions or suspensions are noted on his public state licensures in any of those states. The Associated Press has reached out to all three state education agencies.

McGann was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while he was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, “following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,” according to a spokesperson for the Lewisville Independent School District.

Sierra Marcum, whose son was in McGann’s fourth grade class, said the teacher came across as “pretty cold” and “disinterested in his students.” Marcum said her son came home from school upset about some of McGann’s behavior, which she reported to the school’s principal.

McGann resigned from the Lewisville posting in May 2023, the district said in a statement.

He also taught at a small Oklahoma school district from the summer of 2024 until May this year. He resigned to take a job in another state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools, near Tulsa. The district said McGann passed all background checks.

Law enforcement hasn’t contacted Sand Springs Public Schools regarding the investigation, district spokesperson Lissa Chidester said.

McGann had not yet started his new job in Arkansas at Springdale Public Schools, said Jared Cleveland, the district superintendent. He said the district could not provide more information, citing the investigation.

The Brinks and their three daughters had recently moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas.

Clinton Brink was supposed to start working as a milk delivery driver on Monday, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas.

The Brink family has said the couple died “heroes protecting their little girls.”

Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed.

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