Alleged Devil’s Den killer pleads not guilty to capital murder charges

The depraved teacher, who authorities claim confessed to stabbing a couple hiking in Arkansas with their two young daughters, pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges Thursday.

Andrew James McGann, 28, was charged with two counts of capital murder for the July 26 killing of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41.

McGann was set to start working at Springdale Public Schools, just 30 miles north of Devil’s Den State Park, where he allegedly slaughtered and ditched Clinton and Cristen’s bodies.

The couple died protecting their daughters, 9 and 7 years old, from their killer, family members said.

The girls were found uninjured after the attack and were placed in the custody of other family members.

Authorities have yet to determine a motive for the attack, but don’t suspect the young girls were the primary targets.

Police said that Clinton hung behind to try and fend off the assailant while Cristen rushed their children to safety. Once they were far enough away, Cristen doubled back to help her husband and was eventually killed alongside him.

Their bodies were found in a remote part of the park, far off the hiking trail. By then, their assailant was long gone, and police waited six hours before notifying the public that an apparent murderer was still at large.

In the days following the brutal double homicide, a statewide manhunt ensued as police provided a sketch and descriptions of the killer based on the courageous girls’ vivid accounts.

On July 31, McGann was arrested mid-haircut, which authorities chalked up to the teacher’s attempt to get a fresh back-to-school look — not to conceal his identity.

McGann’s shellshocked hairdresser described him as “soulless,” while parents of his former students said he was frequently “standoffish” and relatively “disinterested in his students.”

He resigned from an elementary school in Texas in 2023 after an internal investigation found that “his classroom management and professional judgment” were below par.

At the same time, he faced allegations of displaying inappropriate behavior in front of his students, including “tickling” and giving gifts to female students, horrified parents told The Post.

Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor scheduled McGann’s next hearing for Nov. 14. He’s being held without bond.