The instructor accused of fatally stabbing an Arkansas couple whereas they have been climbing with two of their daughters pleaded not responsible to 2 capital homicide prices on Thursday.
Andrew James McGann, a 28-year-old elementary college instructor, was arrested final month, accused of stabbing Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, to demise and charged with two counts of capital homicide.
McGann hardly spoke and confirmed little emotion in the course of the arraignment, which lasted round half-hour, in line with NBC affiliate KNWA-TV.
Authorities mentioned that McGann made statements to investigators “indicating that he had dedicated these heinous acts” and that his DNA was discovered on the crime scene.
In a quick assertion, the Washington County Prosecuting Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned that “the state continues to pursue the demise penalty” in McGann’s case.
McGann’s attorneys from the county public defender’s workplace declined to remark.
The Brinks have been climbing in Satan’s Den State Park, which lies within the northwest nook of Arkansas, with their younger youngsters, who’re 7 and 9 years outdated, authorities say.
Investigators imagine that Clinton was attacked first, whereas Cristen introduced the youngsters to security. Authorities mentioned she then “returned to assist her husband” earlier than being attacked herself. The children weren’t injured within the assault, and officers mentioned final month that they don’t imagine they have been targets.
A motive for the assault stays unknown.
Arkansas State Police Director Mike Hagar mentioned final month that officers “don’t have any motive to imagine that there was any recognized affiliation between our suspect and our victims.”
McGann evaded authorities for a number of days after the Brinks have been discovered useless. He was arrested in a Springdale, Arkansas, barbershop whereas getting his hair reduce, roughly 30 miles from Satan’s Den.
Officers mentioned McGann just lately moved to Arkansas for a brand new job at an elementary college after instructing in numerous faculties all through Oklahoma. He was just lately employed to show inside Springdale Public Colleges in Arkansas, however had not began the brand new function, in line with a district administrator.
McGann handed background checks for his employment by Oklahoma’s Training Division and for the 2 districts within the state the place he taught.
Some mother and father of McGann’s former college students mentioned they raised issues that he was not correctly instructing their youngsters. Others mentioned they nervous he was “grooming” feminine college students.
“In early Could, late April, different mother and father begin telling me that he was having particular lunches in the course of the lunch break, the place all the youngsters would go to the cafeteria, however then he would ask a number of the particular ladies to remain in his classroom and have lunch with him, which was bizarre,” mother or father Lindsay Camp Polyak beforehand informed NBC Information. “Different mothers alleged that he had inspired some ladies to sit down in his lap.”
Polyak added that her son informed her that McGann would give sweet and different prizes to feminine college students, and that he “likes to play tag. He performs tag at recess each day with the women.”
The Lewisville Unbiased Faculty District in Texas, one of many districts the place McGann taught and the place Polyak’s son is a scholar, mentioned in a message to the college group that an inside investigation “didn’t discover any proof of inappropriate habits with a scholar.”
