Devil’s Den murders row: Former teacher a ‘monster’; tickled little girls and gave ‘lot of special therapy’

A former main faculty teacher accused of brutally murdering a married couple in entrance of their two daughters at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas had beforehand displayed alarming behaviour in the direction of younger girls at a faculty in Texas, a involved father or mother has claimed.Andrew James McGann, 28, is accused of stabbing Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, to demise on Saturday, whereas their daughters, aged 9 and 7, fled the scene unhurt. Authorities stated McGann later confessed to the killing and was charged with capital homicide following a five-day manhunt.In an interview with New York Post on Friday, Zacharri Polyak, whose son attended Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, when McGann was a teacher there, alleged deeply troubling previous behaviour.“This monster was around our children,” he stated. Polyak recalled that McGann as soon as put a little lady on his lap and stated “things like, ‘I wish I could date you, I wish you could be my girlfriend,’ just really nasty like grooming behavior.”He additionally claimed McGann confirmed “a lot of special treatment to girls in particular,” including, “He was giving them candy, bringing them Sonic drinks, playing tag with them, tickling them, just really suspect behavior.”Lewisville Independent faculty district, which oversees Donald Elementary, instructed New York Post that McGann was positioned on administrative depart in the course of the 2022–2023 tutorial yr “following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgement, and student favoritism.” However, the district stated an inside investigation “found no evidence of inappropriate behavior with students.” McGann resigned in May 2023.Polyak criticised the varsity’s response, “It should have been an immediate firing with reports to Child Protective Services,” he stated.Another father or mother, Sierra Marcum, whose son was in McGann’s fourth-grade class, described him as distant and disengaged. “[He was] pretty cold. You could ask him a question, and he would give you a one-word response,” she instructed WFAA.“Overall, just pretty disinterested in his students.”Marcum stated she raised issues with the varsity after her son got here residence visibly upset. “Eventually, he 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,” she stated. “I guess [the murder allegations] did surprise me, because while I thought he was off, I never thought he was violent.”McGann was later employed for the 2023–2024 faculty yr at Spring Creek Elementary in Oklahoma. The district stated McGann handed all legally mandated nationwide background checks, and there had been no disciplinary points throughout his time there.He had additionally secured a job at Springdale Public Schools in Arkansas, the place he was as a result of begin educating in a week. Superintendent Jared Cleveland confirmed McGann’s hiring, however burdened that he “has not at any time come into contact with Springdale students or the families we serve,” in line with 5 News.The surprising murders passed off on a mountaineering path within the Arkansas state park. Authorities say McGann ambushed the Brink couple, stabbing them to demise whereas their daughters escaped and raised the alarm. He was ultimately positioned and arrested mid-haircut at a native barbershop.McGann appeared in court docket on Friday (native time) and was ordered to be held with out bail. Investigators haven’t but established a motive for the killings.