TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against a Tennessee man charged with killing the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found abandoned in a home’s front yard, authorities said Thursday.
Austin Robert Drummond, 28, appeared by a video feed from jail before a judge in Tiptonville, two days after he was arrested in the killings that set mostly rural areas of western Tennessee on edge.
District Attorney Danny Goodman told the judge that the state intends to seek the death penalty. Lake County General Sessions Judge Andrew T. Cook ordered Drummond held without bond because it is a capital case.
Drummond was sitting in a black and white striped jumpsuit. He told a judge he operated a business and he said he wants a speedy trial. The judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and granted him a court-appointed attorney, who did not immediately return a calls seeking comment Thursday.
The judge also arraigned Branden Powell, who authorities say was stopped in a vehicle with Drummond days before the shootings as they were attempting to deliver marijuana to the jail in Lake County. Powell did not enter a plea because he is trying to hire a lawyer, he said during his hearing.
Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and weapons offenses. A weeklong search for Drummond ended in Jackson, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of the location of the July 29 slayings.
Officers had responded to a call of an infant in a car seat being dropped at a “random individual’s front yard” in the Tigrett area, roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Tiptonville, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said.
Then, investigators in neighboring Lake County reported that four people had been found dead from gunshot wounds in Tiptonville. Officials determined they were the baby’s parents, James M. Wilson, 21, and Adrianna Williams, 20; Williams’ brother, Braydon Williams, 15; and their mother, Cortney Rose, 38.
Investigators determined the four had not been seen since the night before, Goodman said. A relative had called 911 after finding two vehicles in a remote area, and the four bodies were found in nearby woods, Goodman said.
Goodman said Drummond’s girlfriend is the sister of the infant’s grandmother.
Kim Hamil, Wilson’s mother, said Thursday that it was a “really bad situation” for the relatives and they were trying to let justice take its course. They were going to be in court every chance they could, Hamil said.
“It’s a whole family gone,” said Hamil. “It’s unbelievable.”
She said the family loved each other and that Wilson was a good father and son. Relatives are caring for the baby.
“As a family, we’re just broken,” Hamil said.
It’s believed Drummond targeted the victims, said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch. The agency has also charged three other people with helping Drummond after the killings.
Drummond was arrested based on tips after police released a surveillance clip showing a man they said was Drummond wearing camouflage and carrying a firearm, authorities said. Drummond had been staying in a vacant building near the woods.
Drummond has served prison time for robbing a convenience store and threatening to go after jurors. He was also charged with attempted murder while behind bars, and was out on bond at the time of the killings, Goodman said.
With a population of about 3,400 people, Tiptonville is near the Mississippi River and scenic Reelfoot Lake. A popular tourist destination, the 15,000-acre (6,070-hectare) lake was created by violent earthquakes in 1811-1812 that caused the river to flow backward and essentially flood a forest.
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This story has been corrected to show that authorities said three others helped Drummond, not Goodman. This story has also been corrected to show the dateline is in Tiptonville, not Titponville.
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Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee.