TIPTONVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WSMV / WVLT) – The man accused of killing four people in Lake County appeared virtually before the court on Thursday morning.
The Lake County Courthouse saw 28-year-old Austin Drummond via video conference call as the judge read aloud the charges against him.
Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, as well as aggravated kidnapping and abandonment.
The judge revealed that the four Tiptonville victims were found shot to death.
Due to Drummond not having his own attorneys, the judge entered a not guilty plea for him and later appointed an attorney from Covington, Tennessee, to represent him.
The district attorney for the state of Tennessee declared that he intends to seek the death penalty, leading the judge to deny bond.
Drummond is accused of murdering Matthew Wilson, Adrianna Williams, Cortney Rose, and Braydon Williams in Tiptonville, Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake on Tuesday, July 29.
The four bodies were found Tuesday night on Carrington Road in Tiptonville, located in Lake County, approximately 40 miles away from where a seven-month-old girl was dropped off in a Dyer County yard.
The Dyer County sheriff confirmed the victims are the baby’s parents, grandmother, and 15-year-old uncle. The Dyer County sheriff confirmed during Tuesday’s press conference that the baby was unharmed and is doing well.
Drummond was captured after a nearly weeklong manhunt in West Tennessee. Multiple agencies were involved in the search and it was initially believed he had fled the state before he was spotted in Jackson, Tennessee, on Sunday, August 3.
The search efforts converged on a section of Pleasant Plains Road near Union University with no success until he was spotted on several residential security cameras on Monday night.
A “shelter in place” was ordered for residents on Tuesday morning, and Drummond was located a short time later. The Jackson Police Department announced his arrest at 9:15 a.m.
Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley said Drummond was located behind a vacant pool house. Several weapons were found, but Drummond himself was not armed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshal Service, and multiple sheriff’s departments all assisted in the search for Drummond before he was brought in by the Jackson Police Department.
During the search for Drummond, the investigation also expanded to include people who officials said assisted him after the murders and even tampered with evidence.
The TBI charged 23-year-old Dearrah Sanders, of Jackson, with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder on Monday morning.
Two others are also charged with helping Drummond. The TBI arrested Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonti Thomas, 29, both of Jackson. Brown and Thomas have been charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
Brown is also facing an additional charge of tampering with evidence. The TBI said the charges come after their investigation revealed Brown and Thomas assisted Drummond, but the agency did not share any details as to how in the arrest affidavit.
Multiple agencies are working together to collect more evidence and are investigating other people who might’ve helped Drummond evade capture after the shootings.
Drummond is expected back in court on August 14 at 9 a.m.
