“I guess that did surprise me, because while I thought he was off, I never thought he was violent,” Sierra Marcum said.
FLOWER MOUND, Texas — A former North Texas elementary school teacher is now at the center of a double murder investigation in Arkansas, leaving a Lewisville ISD parent stunned.
“We first met him in 2022 when the fall semester started,” said Sierra Marcum, whose son was in Andrew James McGann’s class at Donald Elementary in Flower Mound during the 2022–23 school year. “I guess that did surprise me, because while I thought he was off, I never thought he was violent.”
McGann, 28, is now charged with two counts of capital murder, accused of fatally stabbing Clinton and Cristen Brink while they were hiking with their two young daughters at Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday. Investigators say the 7- and 9-year-old girls witnessed the horrific attack. A hiker located the two girls alone before finding their parents dead.
“Two little girls did witness the most horrific thing you could imagine,” said an Arkansas law enforcement official during a news conference Thursday afternoon. Authorities say McGann had no known relationship with the victims.
McGann was arrested by officers on Wednesday at a barbershop in Springdale, Arkansas. According to a preliminary report from prosecutors, he had cuts on his hands when taken into custody. Security camera video in the barbershop shows investigators taking McGann into custody. Arrest documents say officers recognized his vehicle parked outside. They asked the managers of the barbershop who was driving the vehicle before placing the 28-year-old in handcuffs without incident.
A mountain biker who was at the park the day of the attack believes he saw McGann. Tony McMillan visited Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday and had already made plans to visit again with his wife and children. The park has separate trails for bike riders and hikers, according to McMillan, who crossed paths, he says, with McGann, who was walking alone on the bike trail.
“I know I startled him because he startled me,” said Tony McMillan, who also shared a video showing his arrival at the trail. “He had blonde hair, very blonde hair, and it was like his eyebrows and his hair matched. And so, he had his hat off when I saw him.”
McMillan has changed his mind about his family outing to the park next weekend. He also warns people about going to the park alone because of the double murder.
“I was kind of feeling a little bit scared about going to Devil’s Den on a mountain bike trip alone,” he said. “And now I know I’ll never go alone again. And I would recommend anybody mountain biking, never to go alone, just for the injuries’ sake.”
Back in Texas, Sierra Marcum said she had filed complaints during the school year, based on what her son reported happening in class.
“Eventually told me that he and some other classmates had noticed that Mr. McGann was very touchy and showed a lot of favoritism to certain girls in the class,” Marcum said.
Lewisville ISD confirms McGann was placed on administrative leave in the spring of 2023 after concerns were raised about classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism. The district said an internal investigation found no evidence of inappropriate behavior with students.
“So he was given the option to resign with no consequence,” Marcum said.
Investigators continue to search for a motive in the deadly attack as McGann remains behind bars.