MEMPHIS, Tenn. --  Austin Drummond, the man charged in the quadruple murder of a family in West Tennessee, is facing a judge on Thursday for his preliminary hearing.

The first witness, a ranger with Tennessee State Parks, took the stand just after 1 p.m.

The ranger said while on patrol in Lake County the night of the killings, he noticed three vehicles parked on the side of Carrington Road. A Dodge Charger had its trunk open, but no people were nearby.

By the time he turned back around two or three minutes later, one of the vehicles, a Nissan Rogue with a California tag, was gone. Later that night, he was informed that an incident occurred on Carrington Road.

The second witness, another law enforcement officer, said he also saw vehicles on Carrington Road. When he inspected a Chevy Traverse, he saw a red substance that he believed was blood.

He then noticed two bodies nearby, a male and a female, with a tarp over them. Officers secured the scene and supervisors and the TBI were contacted.

Later, another officer spotted a shoe in the woods. There were another two bodies in that area, covered with a tarp, about 60 feet from the first two.

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During the hearing, this is the opportunity for the judge to determine if there is enough evidence to move the case forward.

From Lake County, through Dyer County, and into Madison County, Drummond was captured in Jackson after a week-long manhunt.

On July 29, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Drummond killed a family of four and abandoned a baby of two of the victims 30 minutes away at a Dyer County home.

Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, abandonment, and felony possession of a firearm. He is currently held in jail without bond, and the state says it intends to seek the death penalty.

"Well, I'm pleased with the judge's decision. We are going to see the death penalty in this case. So that was the reason for asking for no bond, and I'm pleased that he did that," said Danny Goodman, District Attorney, 29th Judicial District.

The mother of one of the victims, 21-year-old James Matthew Wilson, spoke with WREG after Drummond's first court appearance.

“That’s what I think people don’t understand, he took them all. It’s not just the loss of our son. It’s the loss of our daughter-in-law, Braden, and everybody. Courtney. It’s a whole family gone. It’s unbelievable. So we’re going to be here every chance we get. We’re going to be right here for our son because he cannot be here,” Kim Hamil, mother of James Matthew Wilson.

As of Wednesday, four people have now been indicted in connection with Drmmond, including two new suspects and two previous suspects who now face a second count on the same charge.

According to TBI, Eric Wise Jr., 26, and Michell Ovelis, 22, were indicted by a Madison County Grand Jury, each charged with accessory after the fact.

Giovantie Thomas and Dearrah Sanders, both of Jackson, were also indicted by a Madison County grand jury on Tuesday.

All four of them are accused of assisting Drummond.

This story will be updated.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/austin-drummond-faces-preliminary-hearing-in-quadruple-murder-case/