Man arrested in killing of Arkansas couple

By Livia Albeck-Ripka

A man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the deaths of a couple who were attacked last week while hiking with their two young daughters in a state park in Arkansas.

The man, James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, Arkansas, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon and charged with two counts of capital murder, the Arkansas State Police said in a news release.

It was not immediately clear whether McGann had a lawyer.

The maximum punishment for capital murder in Arkansas is life in prison or the death penalty.

Authorities identified the victims as Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, who they said had recently moved to Prairie Grove, Arkansas. The couple were hiking on Saturday with their two daughters at the park in northwest Arkansas when they were attacked, according to the Arkansas State Police. Police did not give further details on how the couple died.

The Brinks’ daughters, who are 7 and 9, had not been injured and were with family members, police said in a statement Sunday.

The state police received reports of “a double homicide at the park” on Saturday afternoon, and shortly afterward found the couple’s bodies on a walking trail. Police recruited local residents and park visitors for help in their search for the killer, requesting any cellphone videos, photos, security footage or other materials from the day of the killings.

On Tuesday, authorities released a photo of a man facing away from the camera and wearing all black, a backpack and baseball cap, whom they described as a “person of interest.” The photo, police said, was taken by another hiker.

Authorities have not released any further information about the killing or a possible motive. Col. Mike Hagar of the Arkansas State Police said that additional details would be released later.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas said that while no news could heal the harm done to the Brink family, the arrest had brought some comfort to the state.