Law enforcement arrested a suspect on Wednesday in the killings of a couple at a park in Arkansas.
The couple was killed Saturday at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County in front of their young daughters, Breitbart News reported on Monday.
The suspect is identified as 28-year-old James Andrew McGann of Springdale. Arkansas State Police (ASP) shared his photo in a social media post to announce he was in custody:
ASP said special agents arrested him just before 5:00 p.m. at a business in Springdale. He was charged with two counts of capital murder.
Officers arrested McGann while he was getting a haircut at Lupita’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop, 4029 News reported Thursday.
“An employee at the salon posted on social media that detectives entered the business mid-haircut and made the arrest,” the outlet said. “The salon’s owner said officers entered from both the front and rear entrances before identifying McGann and asking him whether the black sedan parked outside was his. Police then took McGann into custody.”
Video footage appears to show officers taking photos inside the salon, while another clip shows what appears to be a black vehicle with red tape on its doors that reads, “Evidence”:
The victims in the case, Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were hiking with their daughters, who are seven and nine years old, when they were killed. Their children were not hurt and are in the care of family members. The family had recently moved to the Prairie Grove area.
Police said the suspect was “formerly employed at Spring Creek Elementary School in Broken Arrow during the 2023-2024 academic year and is listed on the Sand Springs Public Schools website as an employee. His name appeared to have been removed as of early Thursday,” according to the Fox article.
Authorities have so far declined to reveal a motive behind the killings, and police do not believe McGann knew the victims he is accused of stabbing to death, 4029 News reported on Thursday.
Fox News national correspondent Brooke Taylor shared on Thursday what she said was the new mugshot of McGann:
In a statement regarding the tragic deaths and McGann’s arrest, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “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.”
“I am so proud of the Arkansas State Police, Park Rangers, local law enforcement, and others who have worked nonstop since last weekend to capture this suspect. I ask that Arkansans lift up prayers of thanks for the brave men and women of law enforcement,” the governor said, “and offer prayers of condolence to the victims of this horrific crime. Let there be no mistake – we do not tolerate violent crime in Arkansas. If you target innocent people, law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
