Tennessee Man Accused of Killing Four Family Members Linked to Victims Through Pregnant Girlfriend

Austin Drummond, 28, and his girlfriend, former correctional officer Kaitlyn Speed, at the a rooftop restaurant at the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid in Memphis

New details have emerged revealing that the accused killer of four Tennessee family members is expecting a child with the sister of one of his victims. Austin Drummond, 28, is charged with murdering 38-year-old Cortney Rose, her children Adrianna Williams, 20, and Braydon Williams, 15, and Adrianna’s boyfriend James “Matthew” Wilson, 21. The four were found shot to death in a wooded area in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on July 29.

Drummond, who pleaded not guilty following a week-long manhunt, appeared in court last Thursday and again on Tuesday, when a judge denied his request to lift a restraining order preventing him from contacting his girlfriend, Kaitlyn Speed. Authorities say Speed is the sister of Cortney Rose, making her the aunt of two of the victims.

Starting top left and going clockwise: 20-year-old Adrianna Williams, 21-year-old Matthew Wilson and his daughter that was abandoned, 15-year-old Braydon Williams, and 38-year-old Cortney Rose

Speed, who is pregnant with Drummond’s son and expected to give birth on October 20, previously worked as a correctional officer at the Northwest Correctional Facility. Drummond was released on bond from that same facility in September 2024 after serving 13 years for robbery. While out of prison, he also faced an attempted murder charge stemming from his earlier conviction.

Drummond was captured in Jackson, Tennessee, on August 5

Social media posts showed Drummond and Speed together in February, smiling in selfies and vacationing in scenic spots such as The Lookout at the Pyramid in Memphis. A previous obituary described Drummond as Rose’s brother-in-law, but authorities have not confirmed whether he and Speed were married. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has not commented on whether Speed is considered a person of interest in the murders, and investigators have not identified a motive.

Suspect Austin Drummond at his second court appearance on Thursday

Earlier on the day the four victims were discovered, Adrianna Williams and James Wilson’s seven-month-old daughter was found abandoned in a driveway about 40 miles from the crime scene and is currently in the care of relatives. Drummond was apprehended in Jackson after a construction worker reported a suspicious person near a pool house. Surveillance footage had captured him wandering nearby days before, making what appeared to be hand signals that suggested he was not alone.

Authorities have since arrested two men and a woman, Derrah Sanders, 23, Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonti Thomas, 29, on accessory after the fact charges, and Brown faces an additional count of evidence tampering. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty in Drummond’s case. Drummond is set to appear in court again on September 4.

Drummond and Kaitlyn Speed, who is Cortney Rose's sister