DISTURBING details have emerged about the link between four Tennessee family members and the man accused of killing them.
Suspect Austin Drummond, 28, will become a father in October to a baby that will be the cousin of two of his victims.
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Drummond allegedly killed 38-year-old Cortney Rose; her children, 20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 15-year-old Braydon Williams; and Adrianna’s boyfriend, 21-year-old James “Matthew” Wilson.
After his capture concluded a weeklong manhunt, Drummond pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder last Thursday.
Drummond appeared in court for the second time on Tuesday, when the judge denied his request to remove a restraining order so he could speak with his girlfriend, Kaitlyn Speed.
Speed is the sister of Cortney Rose and the aunt of Adrianna and Braydon Williams, police said.
She is currently pregnant with Drummond’s son and set to give birth in October, according to her now-deleted social media accounts.
Speed was a correctional officer at the Northwest Correctional facility from October 2023 to October 2024, Fox affiliate WHBQ reported.
Drummond was released on bond from the same facility in September 2024 after serving a 13-year sentence for a robbery case.
Sick pictures from his time in prison showed him living lavishly with a Roku, bottles of vodka, and pizza dinners.
At the time of the murders, Drummond was out on bond for an attempted murder charge he got during his first prison sentence.
It’s unclear if Speed and Drummond started dating before or after his time behind bars.
A previous online obituary listed Drummond as Rose’s brother-in-law. It’s unclear if Drummond and Speed were married.
According to the couple’s online baby registry, Speed is set to give birth to their son on October 20.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations refused to comment on whether or not Speed could have been involved in the deaths of her sister, niece, nephew, and niece’s boyfriend.
Cops haven’t speculated on a motive in the quadruple murders.
Quadruple murders timeline
Tuesday, July 29: A seven-month-old baby girl was found abandoned in a car seat in the front yard of a residence in Tigrett, Dyer County, Tennessee, at around 3 pm.
Hours later: Four individuals were found dead in Lake County approximately 40 miles from where the baby was located.
Wednesday, July 30: Investigators identify the victims as:
- Matthew Wilson, 21, (the baby’s father)
- Adrianna Williams, 20 (the baby’s mother)
- Cortney Rose, 38, (the baby’s grandmother)
- Braydon Williams, 15, (the baby’s maternal uncle)
Thursday, July 31: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation name Austin Drummond, 28, as a suspect in the quadruple homicide.
Friday, August 1: Cops locate Drummond’s damaged Audi A3 abandoned on a road in Jackson. Tanaka Brown has been arrested and is accused of being an accessory to first degree murder after the fact and tampering with evidence.
Saturday, August 2: Agents arrest second man Giovontie Thomas for accessory to first degree murder after the fact. They also locate a Ford pick up truck believed to be connected to Drummond in Dyer County.
Monday, August 4: Dearrah Sanders is the third person to be arrested and charged for accessory to first degree murder after the fact.
Jackson cops also release surveillance footage of Drummond, wearing camouflaged gear, stalking a neighborhood and trying to get into a church building.
Tuesday, August 5: Drummond taken into custody after being captured in Jackson. He was arrested after cops issued a shelter-in-place order following a suspected sighting.
The four victims were found shot to death in a wooded area in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on July 29.
About 40 miles away from where the bodies were found, the seven-month-old daughter of Adrianna Williams and Matthew Wilson had been abandoned in a driveway earlier in the day.
The baby girl is safe and now being taken care of by family, cops said.
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Drummond was caught in a sweat-soaked capture outside of a pool house in Jackson after a construction worker called in a tip.
His arrest came shortly after creepy surveillance videos showed him stalking the streets in the area just days before, and making a hand signal that appeared to show the fugitive wasn’t alone.
SUSPECTS CAUGHT
Two men and a woman in Jackson were charged with allegedly helping Drummond after the murders, TBI said.
Derrah Sanders, 23, Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonti Thomas, 29, were charged with alleged accessory after the fact of first-degree murder.
Brown also faces one count of tampering with evidence.
The state announced it’ll be seeking the death penalty in Drummond’s case.
His next court appearance is set for September 4.
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