Tennessee Man Charged With Killing 4 Faces Death Penalty

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. Austin Robert Drummond, 28, appeared Thursday via a video feed from jail before a judge in Tiptonville, two days after he was arrested in the killings that set the mostly rural region of western Tennessee on edge. At the hearing, District Attorney Danny Goodman told the judge that the state intends to seek the death penalty, reports the AP. Lake County General Sessions Judge Andrew Cook ordered Drummond held without bond because it's a capital case.

Drummond was wearing a black-and-white striped jumpsuit and was seated in a chair. He told a judge he operated a business and said he wants a speedy trial in the case. The judge entered a guilty plea on his behalf because a lawyer hadn't been appointed yet. The judge then ruled him indigent and granted a court-appointed attorney. Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and weapons offenses. A weeklong search for Drummond ended when he was taken into custody in Jackson, located about 70 miles southeast of the location of the July 29 slayings.

The ordeal began after an infant in a car seat was found in a front yard in the Tigrett area, roughly 40 miles from Tiptonville. The sheriff's office later said four people had been found dead from gunshot wounds in neighboring Lake County. Officials determined those people were the child's parents, grandmother, and uncle. Authorities later identified them as James M. Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch has said it's believed the killings were a targeted attack by Drummond. Drummond's 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. The TBI has charged three other people they said helped Goodman after the killings.