Quadruple murder suspect Drummond appears in court

THURSDAY 9 AM:
The man accused of killing four people in west Tennessee and kidnapping an infant appeared virtually before the court on Thursday morning.

The Lake County Courthouse saw 28-year-old Austin Drummond via a video conference call as the judge read aloud the charges against him.

The judge revealed that the four Tiptonville victims were found shot to death.

Due to Drummond not having his own attorney, the judge entered a not guilty plea for him and appointed an attorney to represent him.

The district attorney declared that he intends to seek the death penalty, leading the judge to deny bond.

Drummond's next court appearance was scheduled for Aug. 14.


THURSDAY MORNING:
Austin Drummond, the man charged in the quadruple murder of a family in west Tennessee, is scheduled to be arraigned in court this morning.

Drummond had been on the run since July 29, when the bodies of James Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15, were found along Carrington Road in Tiptonville.

An infant who was related to the victims was also found safe in front of a house in Dyer County. The baby is safe and healthy, authorities said at a press conference on Tuesday.

A warrant charged Drummond with four counts of first degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.


TUESDAY MORNING:
The man wanted in the killings of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found alone has been arrested, police in Tennessee said Tuesday morning.

Austin Robert Drummond, 28, was taken into custody amid a search, police in Jackson, Tennessee, said in a social media post just after 9 a.m.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Jackson Police Department they received multiple calls just after 8 a.m. reporting sightings of Drummond. As police vehicles focused on the area, an additional call from a resident at 8:57 a.m. pinpointed Drummond's location, and he was apprehended at 9:05.

Further details about Drummond’s arrest weren’t immediately available as multiple law enforcement agencies continue to put together a consolidated timeline of events.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has already charged Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonte Thomas, 29, with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Investigators allege both men “assisted” Drummond, 28, in the family’s killings.

Many questions are still unanswered, including how the relatives were slain and how the baby ended up in the Tigrett area, about 40 miles from the bodies.

Last week, authorities said they found the car they believe Drummond had been driving. It was located in Jackson, about 70 miles from where the bodies were discovered and some 40 miles from where the baby was left.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch has said authorities believe the family’s killings were a targeted attack by Drummond, who had a relationship with the victims. The baby is safe and being cared for, authorities have said.

Officials obtained warrants for Drummond that charge him with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping and weapons offenses. His criminal history includes prison time for robbing a convenience store and threatening to go after jurors. He was also charged with attempted murder while behind bars.


(Photo: Jackson TN Police Department)