James Andrew McGann has been charged with murder in the killings of an Arkansas couple who were hiking with their two young daughters.

A key court date set for Aug. 14 may give new insights into authorities' case against a suspect accused of killing a couple while they were hiking with their children at Devils Den State Park in rural Arkansas in July.

Andrew James McGann, a former teacher, is charged with capital murder in connection with the deaths of Clinton and Cristen Binks in Devils Den State Park. Investigators said the couple were attacked in front of their daughters, who are 7 and 9 years old.

McGann is set to appear in court next on Aug. 14 after a hearing initially scheduled for Aug. 25 was changed. He remains in custody in Washington County, held without bond. More information, including charging documents and additional details, will likely be presented at his arraignment.

Charging documents shared with USA TODAY by the Washington County Prosecutor's Office revealed details about authorities' account of the slayings, but the alleged motive for the killings remains unclear.

What have officials said about the case?

At a July 30 news conference, Arkansas State Police outlined the investigation and said the killings began with the couple's 7- and 9-year old daughters witnessing "the most horrible thing that you could ever imagine."

"That was the basis of everything that we had," added Major Stacie Rhoads of the state police, "so we have to be careful about relying solely on that information."

The caller who reported the killings said that they located two bodies and "there was a large amount of blood present," according to a preliminary statement. The children were located by a hiker, who took them off the trail before searching for, and finding, their parents' bodies, the statement said.

A July 28 autopsy on Clinton and Cristen Brink listed a preliminary cause of death as homicide by stabbing, the charging document said.

Investigators interviewed people at the park and one of them told police about a man who'd come off the trail with what appeared to be blood on his face. He was seen leaving the park in a dark-colored sedan.

'The mother did not return'

Rhoads said police believed that Cristen took the children to safety, then returned to the scene of the attack, about a half-mile away, to assist her husband.

"The mother did not return to the car with the kids," Rhoads said.

State police initially asked the public for assistance in identifying a suspect, and the public responded by providing nearly 500 images and videos including cell phone and home and business surveillance photos and footage, Rhoads added. A witness at the park provided additional information, she said, including what she called "a pretty good description" of the vehicle the person was seen driving from the park that proved "critical" in identifying McGann.

"We used that information to vet various owners," Rhoads explained. "With that, we sought him out and located him at a (barber) shop in Springdale, and we took him into custody."

McGann had several cuts to his hands, Rhoads said, and allowed investigators to search his vehicle, a Kia Stinger, where they found what they believed was blood. After obtaining a warrant, police searched McGann's home as well, and said initial DNA evidence from the scene matched DNA found in his car.

What's next for Andrew James McGann?

Col. Mike Hagar, secretary of public safety and director of the ASP, added that the state police investigators believed McGann acted alone and don’t anticipate any other arrests.

According to investigators, McGann, a former teacher who'd recently moved from Oklahoma, admitted to the slayings.

USA TODAY reached out to Washington County Prosecutor Brandon Carter on Aug. 6 and the Washington County Public Defender's Office.

If McGann is convicted of capital murder, he could be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. Carter has said his office will not waive the death penalty.

Contributing: George "Clay" Mitchell, Fort Smith Southwest Times Record; N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Devils Den park slayings were 'the most horrible thing,' police say

Reporting by Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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