The individual accused of murdering four family members and leaving an infant behind in West Tennessee recently spoke with a Nashville TV station, asserting his innocence and claiming he lacked any motive for the killings.
Austin Drummond, 28, revealed to WTVF that he was functioning as a confidential informant. He explained that his cover had been compromised, and when Adriana Williams, James Matthew Wilson, Cortney Rose, and Braydon Williams were killed, he decided to flee.
He allegedly admitted that was the wrong thing to do, but he told the station he was scared.
Drummond was apprehended in Jackson, Tennessee, roughly 75 miles away from the scene of the crimes following a week-long search. During the manhunt, several individuals were detained and charged with aiding him while he was evading capture.
The victims, consisting of members of the Williams family and the children of Rose and Wilson, along with Adriana Williams’ boyfriend, were discovered deceased in Lake County on July 29. This occurred just hours after Adriana Williams’ and Wilson’s baby daughter was found alone in a car seat on a road in Dyer County. Authorities identified Drummond, who had been in a relationship with Rose’s sister, as the lead suspect in this case.
Drummond also mentioned to WTVF that prosecutors approached him while in prison to aid in combatting drug trafficking into correctional facilities and to assist with the arrests of drug dealers, corrupt law enforcement, and high-ranking gang members. He admitted to having previously affiliated with the Vice Lords gang during a prior incarceration.
“But they discovered my status as an informant, and I was unaware of it,” he stated. “I was terrified because I knew that being an informant could lead to severe consequences.” He expressed his fear that something could happen to him as a result of his cooperation.
He told the station he considers all the victims of the murders family and — while insisting on his innocence — said he was somehow directly involved in the murders. But he said he wasn’t ready to answer questions about that, who killed the victims, or how the baby came to be abandoned in Dyer County.
Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman Jr. told the station he was aware of the phone conversation with the suspect since all jail phone calls are recorded. He would not comment on Drummond’s statements but said he had no doubt that Drummond was the killer and that there was a clear motive.
Drummond has a preliminary hearing set for early September, and WTVF said they would be speaking with the suspect again.
