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The 28-year-old schoolteacher from Arkansas, charged with the murder of a couple during a hiking trip with their children on July 26, might face the death penalty if the case proceeds to trial, as a former local prosecutor indicated.
Andrew James McGann is accused of murdering Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, and Clinton David Brink, 43, while they were on a hiking trip with their two children at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County, Arkansas.
During a press conference, prosecuting attorney Brandon Carter disclosed his intention to propose the death penalty as a possible punishment to the jury for the murder charges against McGann.
“The severity of this case includes aggravating factors that warrant allowing a jury to decide the appropriate penalty for the accused,” Carter stated. “I intend to present this option to the jury.”
The lower section of the Devil’s Den trail at Devil’s Den State Park was closed on July 28, 2025, in West Fork, Ark., as police searched for the suspect in a couple’s murder while on a wooded trail. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
The trailhead on Devil’s Den trail at Devils Den State Park July 28, 2025, in West Fork, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Wilkinson mentioned that numerous “mitigating factors” could assist McGann in avoiding a death sentence, including his youth and lack of a criminal record.
“In this case, it doesn’t look like he has any significant criminal history so far that we know of, right? He is relatively young. I’m sure his attorneys are going to be looking very closely, what if he has any emotional or mental disturbances of some kind,” Wilkinson said.
“If he has a mental disease or defect, that’ll make a big difference.”
While there’s no clear motive for McGann to kill the Brinks, as authorities allege, Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said McGann confessed.
New video shows the moment Arkansas double-murder suspect Andrew McGann was arrested while getting a haircut. (Lupita’s Beauty Salon & Barber Shop)
“During an interview with investigators, the suspect admitted to committing the murders. We also executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered items consistent with the crime,” Hagar said.
McGann was arrested at a Springdale, Arkansas, barbershop July 30 while he was in the middle of getting a haircut.
Fox News obtained video showing McGann being arrested in Lupita’s Beauty Salon & Barber Shop.
McGann’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 25.
