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Who is James Andrew McGann? All on Devil's Den double homicide suspect
James McGann, 28, was hired by Springdale Schools but hadn’t started or met students. He previously taught in TX & OK, facing issues in Texas in 2023.
James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, Arkansas, was arrested in connection with the double homicide in Devil's Den, Arkansas State Police announced on Wednesday, July 30.
In a post on its X account, Arkansas State Police said that special agents with the department arrested McGann in connection with the double murder at Devil’s Den State Par on July 26. He is now in custody.
The Arkansas State Police said that McGann has been charged with two counts of capital murder.
James Andrew McGann allegedly killed Clinton David Brink (43) and Cristen Amanda Brink (41) after attacking them while they were on a hike with their two daughters at the Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas. The children were not attacked.
Earlier, a manhunt was on for the suspect, now identified as McGann, with Arkansas State Police first releasing a sketch, followed by a photo of the Devil's Den murder suspect. McGann was taken into custody at 4:47 p.m. at a business location in Springdale.
Also read: Arkansas Devil's Den murders: Latest update on killer as police sketch released
Who is James Andrew McGann
Springdale native James Andrew McGann has been a teacher and was hired to work for the Springdale Public Schools, the school district said in a statement. They added that McGann had not started teaching at the school and had no contact with the students or the families.
ABC7 reported that McGann has held teaching jobs in multiple states before coming to Arkansas. He had teaching licenses in Texas and Oklahoma. In his teaching career, McGann has had some problems, with one coming in 2023, while he was teaching in Texas, the Associated Press revealed.
The 28-year-old was placed on administrative leave "following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism," while teaching at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas.
Investigation Into Motive Ongoing
The Director of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, Colonel Mike Hagar, held a press conference shortly after the arrest of the suspect was announced. He said the investigation into the killing is still ongoing with the Arkansas State Police as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation looking for a motive behind the tragic killing of the couple.
He thanked the police officers and federal agencies who were involved in the manhunt, for their support.
"Because of their hard work and investigative skill, we were able to take a monster off the streets and bring relief to those two precious girls and the rest of our citizens," he said.
