A Tennessee man accused of murdering four members of the same family is claiming he was framed after his cover was blown while working as a confidential FBI informant, as reported[1] by The New York Post.
Austin Drummond, 28, was arrested[2] on August 5 in the woods near Jackson, Tennessee, following a weeklong manhunt.
He faces charges in connection with the July 29 killings of Matthew Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Braydon Williams, 15; and Cortney Rose, 38, in Tiptonville.
Image Credit: Facebook
Cortney Rose, Braydon Williams – Facebook
Image Credit: Fascebook
Matthew Wilson, Adrianna Williams, Weslynne – Facebook
Drummond told WTVF that prosecutors recruited him earlier this year after an arrest to assist in cracking down on drug smuggling and corruption within the state’s correctional system.
He claimed the FBI oversaw his work as an informant targeting drug dealers, corrupt law enforcement officers, and gang leaders.
“During my time working with them, I helped uncover drug dealers selling multiple kilos of cocaine, also drug traffickers delivering pounds of meth,” Drummond said.
“We identified dirty law enforcement and correctional personnel.”
Drummond also alleged that he infiltrated the Vice Lords gang and tapped the phones of its leadership. According to him, his cover was exposed days before the murders occurred.
He admitted to fleeing after being named a suspect but maintained he had no motive to kill the victims. “I’m not an innocent man, but I am not guilty of what they charged me with,” he said.
“I had no reason to hurt these people. They were my girlfriend’s family, who became my family.”
Drummond added that he was “somehow directly involved” in the killings but did not provide details. He declined to explain why the seven-month-old daughter of Wilson and Williams was found abandoned in a car seat in a Tigrett yard.
The man accused of killing four people and abandoning an infant in west Tennessee is speaking publicly for the first time.
Drummond spoke exclusively with NewsChannel 5’s Nick Beres where he stated he was working as a confidential informant after being approached by prosecutors. pic.twitter.com/l9ColqB9TD[3]
Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman Jr. dismissed Drummond’s claims, stating he had “no doubt in his mind” that Drummond committed the murders and that there was a “clear motive.” Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty.
Drummond[5] pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping, and five firearms-related charges. He is being held without bond.
At the time of the quadruple homicide, Drummond was out on bond for an attempted murder charge related to an incident in prison. He had been serving a 13-year sentence for aggravated robbery before his release.
It also emerged that Drummond was in a relationship with Kaitlyn Speed, a correctional officer at Northwest Correctional Facility and sister of victim Cortney Rose.
Austin Drummond claims he was FBI informant before quadruple murder https://t.co/4xxFlQRN4H[6]
Speed, who is pregnant with Drummond’s child and due October 20, was later fired from her job because of the relationship. Officials confirmed she has not been charged in connection with the killings or manhunt.
Goodman said there was no evidence linking her to the murders and noted the two had been on “bad terms until after this incident.”
During an August 14 court appearance, Drummond’s attorney requested that a restraining order filed by Speed be lifted to allow contact between the two, but the judge denied the motion.
Drummond is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on September 4.
