Officials plan to seek the death penalty for a Tennessee man charged
with killing 4 people
[August 08, 2025]
By ADRIAN SAINZ and JONATHAN MATTISE
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.
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The Lake County Courthouse, where a hearing was held for a man
charged with killing four relatives of an infant found abandoned in
a home's front yard, is seen on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in
Tiptonville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
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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