Prosecutors are planning to seek the death penalty against Tennessee quadruple murder suspect Austin Robert Drummond, authorities said, per NBC News. The 28-year-old, wanted in the “targeted” deaths of four individuals, was taken into custody in Jackson shortly after 9 am on Tuesday, August 5, after several sightings were reported in the community, Police Chief Thom Corley told reporters.
Drummond appeared before a judge in Tiptonville by a video feed from jail two days after his arrest. District Attorney Danny Goodman told the judge that the state is planning to seek the death penalty. Lake County General Sessions Judge Andrew T. Cook has ordered Drummond held without bond as it is a capital case.
Drummond, dressed in a black and white striped jumpsuit, told the judge that he wants a speedy trial. The judge entered a guilty plea on his behalf. Drummond has been granted a court-appointed attorney.
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Drummond is accused of the July 29 killings of Matthew Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15. The victims were relatives of an infant who was found abandoned in another northwest Tennessee community the same day of the murders.
Drummond is facing several charges for the murders, including four counts of first degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
Does Tennessee have the death penalty?
Tennessee does have the death penalty, which has been intermittently applied since the state’s inception in 1796. Various methods of execution have been used throughout history, including hanging, electrocution, and lethal injection.
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The Tennessee State Government says, “Today, offenders sentenced to death are housed in a separate unit at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, except for the one female offender sentenced to death, who is housed at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville.The housing and supervision of death row offenders is strictly guided by policies and procedures developed by the department. All death row offenders have a maximum-security designation. To determine their level of supervision within the unit, offenders are classified into behavioral levels of A, B, and C.”
It adds, “When an offender first enters death row, he or she is placed on Level C, the highest level of supervision. After 18 months, the offender is reclassified, and based on behavior, can be moved to Level B. A certain amount of time must be spent on Level B before an offender is eligible to be moved to Level A. Reaching Level A or B means more privileges for the offender, such as more phone and visitation privileges. Only Level A offenders can apply for the few jobs available on death row, including cleaning, food preparation, and data entry. An offender can move backwards on the level scale due to misconduct.”
