TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. — Three people charged with helping a Tennessee man accused of fatally shooting four people are suspected of providing him with shelter, phones and rides as he evaded authorities after the killings, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Austin Robert Drummond made a brief court appearance before a judge by video feed Thursday in the rural city of Tiptonville in west Tennessee.
Drummond has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found abandoned in a home’s front yard. A weeklong search for Drummond ended Aug. 5 in Jackson, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southeast of the crime scene in Tiptonville.
Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman has said prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty if Drummond is convicted of first-degree murder at trial.
Also appearing in court by video feed were Tanaka Brown and Dearrah Sanders, who have been charged with being accessories after the fact. Both have pleaded not guilty. A third person charged with being an accessory after the fact, Giovonte Thomas, did not make a court appearance Thursday. It is not immediately clear if Thomas has entered a plea.
Judge Andrew Cook set a Sept. 4 preliminary hearing for Drummond to determine if there is enough evidence to refer his case to a grand jury. Drummond’s lawyer declined comment after the hearing.
Cook also scheduled preliminary hearings for Brown and Sanders on Sept. 12.
After the hearing, the district attorney told reporters that those charged with helping Drummond are suspected of giving him phones, clothes, shelter and rides.
Goodman did not disclose a motive for the killings. In a previous hearing, Drummond told the judge that he wants a speedy trial, but Goodman said it could be a year or more before Drummond could face a jury.
“It’s a serious matter,” Goodman said, adding later that “there’s a lot of evidence in the case to pull together.”
The killings and the ensuing search set rural areas of west Tennessee on edge for days.
Officers responded to a call of an infant in a car seat being dropped at a “random individual’s front yard” on July 29 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.
The four victims hadn’t been seen since the night before their bodies were discovered in a wooded area, Goodman has said. Drummond is believed to have targeted them, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
Goodman has said Drummond’s girlfriend is the sister of the infant’s grandmother.
Drummond has served prison time for robbing a convenience store and threatening to go after jurors. He was also charged with the attempted murder of a prison guard 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 located near the Mississippi River and scenic Reelfoot Lake.