Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - CLOSE FRIEND OF DEVIL'S DEN MURDER VICTIMS JOINS NANCY GRACE

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

Nancy Grace speaks with Danikka Harrell, close friend of Cristen and Clinton Brinks. The couple was stabbed to death while hiking with their children in Devil's Den State Park.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The Devil's Den, killer suspect, was bounced from school to school to school because of inappropriate behavior with little girls, but no one ever fired him. That's how he ended up at the murder scene. Joining us now is a very special guest. It's Danica Harrell. She is a longtime friend of the murdered mom and dad.

Stabbed dead on a public hiking trail for families trying to protect their daughters. Ms. Harrell, thank you for being with us. When did you learn that your friends, Kristen and Clinton, had passed away, were killed? About midnight between Saturday and Sunday. did you find out the news? Someone sent me a news article, and I actually thought it was a hoax, so I started researching it. Now, you've known them for a long time. What was your reaction when you discovered they hadn't just passed on that they had actually been stabbed dead? I was pretty mortified. It was very hard to learn that information. Could you tell

us, Ms. Harrell, about the two of them? We keep hearing that they were murdered. trying to protect their daughters, that the mom helped her two little girls get away from the killer. And then after they were safe, in her mind, she went back to help fight the killer off her husband. And in so doing, she herself was murdered trying to defend him. Does that sound like her? 100%. They were all about their family. Tell us what you can about them, because they have.

turned into props for the killer. We just hear they were stabbed. What can you tell us about them? How did you meet, describe them for us? I actually met them. They joined my co-ed volleyball league, and she would bring her daughters with volleyball, and it turns out we had two daughters that were the same age.

So then that in turn led to us hanging out outside of volleyball, and she was just as sweet as could be. I ran into some issues with child care, and she offered to take my daughter overnight while I worked out of town, didn't even bat an eyelash. And, you know, she had to keep her over Christmas one year, and she went as far as to make sure that my daughter had the same matching pajamas as her kids.

I can't believe that. I'm just trying to take that in. I've had a lot of spend the nights from my children's friends, but I never thought to go to that length to make the guests happy. She kept her three to four nights every week while I worked out of town, three to four days. So you and Kristen became very close. We did. She lived. She's probably about half a mile from my house, and I'd go on walks, and we'd stop at her house, and we'd just sit down and visit, and she'd make some coffee or tea, and our daughters would play outside.

We're showing photos of Kristen. right now. And I'm wondering if you could tell us about the dynamic between her and her husband. They seemed very happily married. They were. They were supportive of each other. Christina was a stay-at-home mom and Clinton worked when she decided to attempt to go through the nursing program, and it's a two-year program, so it's very difficult. Like, you're away for two years just because of how much time you have to put into it. And Clinton told her to jump in with both feet. Like there's no reason we can't get through this. And exactly what Kristen did. With Clinton's support, she was able to become a nurse. And then that just allowed them to do so much more with

their kids. They started traveling more. And it was just, it was they built this beautiful life together. Tell me about their traveling. I mean, we've got photos of them hiking, of them on a cruise. I assume they took their little girls with them. Yep, everywhere they went. And it was usually, they tried to do things that were outdoors. They loved

being outside. They loved, we didn't have much for hiking here around little old mile city, so they were always traveling to go and find new experiences to take the girls on. What were some of their vacations? What were some of their trips they went on? Mainly it was just, you know,

Like down in Red Lodge, it's a beautiful area, so they'd take the girls camping down there, and then they'd go find hiking trails, and they'd just let the girls do what they, you know, explore Mother Nature, and I guess that was mainly what they did. You know, that sounds exactly like me when we grew up. We had a vacation, and the vacation started on Friday, and it ended on Sunday. But to us, it was like this incredible vacation where we would go into the Smoky Mountains. and all be together. I'm looking at cruise ship photos of them. I see beach photos of them, hiking photos of them. It seems like they took the girls on a lot of outdoor trips.

Now, there were three girls, Oriana, Christina, and Brianna. Tell me about the girls. Christina and Ariana were pretty little when I started going and hanging out with them. And they were just the sweetest little things that just melted your heart when you'd go over there. their big old brown and blue eyes. Rihanna, she was a little older, and she was just as sweet. She had this light blonde hair, and she had big blue eyes, just like Kristen Danda. We used to go riding around on my four-wheeler when Christina would have my daughter and her little girls. And I just remember how big her laughs were and how excited she was to get to do little things like that.

She was just the sweetest girl, too. Ms. Harold, you were mentioning earlier that the husband helped her, Clinton Brink, helped Kristen get through nursing school. How did he help her? He gave her the time that she needed to do it. So he took care of the girls while she went to school? Yep, or he'd help her find somebody who was there that could take the girls if he happened to be working. Wow. Now, from what we're learning, the two Kristen and Clinton were attacked on the trail.

I believe after one of their daughters had been grabbed or approached by the suspect, she, Kristen, got the girls to run and escorted them to a certain point and then turned, told them to keep going and then turned back. to save Clinton. Why do you believe, with your knowledge of them, that that's an accurate report? I don't think Kristen wanted the girls to have a broken family and have to learn how to navigate life without their dad. How close were Kristen and Clinton? From what I saw, they were very close. What was his personality, Danica? Clinton was very hardworking. He did whatever he needed to do for his family. If a job didn't happen to work out, he'd have a new job within a week. He also, when they moved to Rapid City, he found it best that he become a CNA,

and he actually worked in the same hospital as Christina did as a nurse. You know, I'm just looking, as you're talking, we're showing photos of them at all these different places that they went with their children. Do you ever wonder, Danica, like I do, why is it that the innocent people that work hard, that love their family, why they are the ones targeted by criminals? Yeah, I've been wondering that almost every day since I found out it happened. I guess they try and view us family-oriented people as weak, and I guess once they decide, you know, to attack somebody or they figure out how much

love and compassion we actually have for our kids and for our significant others. And I guess it's a rude awakening for them. Why did they move, Danica? To be closer to family. What family were they trying to get closer to, his or hers or both? Well, before she moved to Rapid City, they were discussing whether they should go and go to Kristen's side of the family in California or move down south towards Clinton's side at the family. So they moved to Rapid City to get experienced in the hospital setting until they

were ready to jump and make that decision. You know, a lot of people are looking for a connection between the suspect, as he is called the Devil's Den Killer, and them. I don't think they knew each other. I think that this was just a chance meeting on that trail. Do you have any reason to believe they knew this guy? I don't. I agree with you. It was completely random. I mean, they were in Arkansas for, what, a month? And it's like you said, he would take any job just to keep working. I know he was supposed to start a male milk delivery route just a day or two after he was murdered. Have you seen the alleged perp, the suspect, began? I did. I saw the photos after he was mid-haired. He looks very unstable. I felt like it was very bold of him to go and get a haircut just days after he committed such a heinous act.

I agree. Why do you say that? I mean, that town was so close to where the incident occurred. He just didn't. He thought he was invincible. Nobody would notice his car description. As a matter of fact, Danica, we are showing video right now of him parking right in the front parking. spot and sauntering in. He kept looking down and he refused to sign. You know how when you go to a salon you're supposed to sign in. He refused to sign it. He'd been trying to get his hair cut for about two days. And guys, you're seeing this video that is, we are allowed to play it by Lupita's beauty salon where this happened. These ladies had no idea that they were inches

away from an alleged double killer. When his photo on the trail came out, it was a photo from behind. His hair was coming out from under his hat. And I wondered if he had gone into the salon to shave off the back of his hair or get a complete buzz. And as a matter of fact, that's what he did. He had his hair buzzed up the back. So it was completely different hair. Hair style. Check it out. And in the back, buzzed straight up the back. Danica, I think he was doing that on purpose to conceal his identity. Ms. Harold, when you think back on what's happening or when you drift off to sleep at night,

what are your thoughts about Kristen and Clinton? It just hurts my heart. I still don't want to believe it. No one should have to go through this. Ms. Harold, thank you so much for being with us and telling us more about Kristen and Clinton. There are stories yet to be told. Ms. Herald, thank you. This is an I-Heart podcast.