‘I was afraid’: Man accused in quadruple murder claims he was working with FBI and got his cover blown, ran because he was scared

A Tennessee man suspected of slaughtering four members of a family he allegedly knew just months after getting out of prison has spoken openly for the first time about the slayings.

Austin Drummond told a local media outlet he was working as a confidential informant and that his cover was blown — insisting he had no reason to kill anyone, a report says. Drummond, 28, is accused of murdering James Matthew Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15, in July and then abandoning a 7-month-old baby who is related to them, according to police. He is being held on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This week, Drummond — who spent years behind bars before being released in late 2024 — broke his silence about the killings in an interview with local CBS affiliate WTVF, insisting that he had been wrongly accused.

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According to the outlet, Drummond claims he was assisting authorities, including the FBI, while locked up in prison in an undercover role that was aimed at cracking down on drug smuggling in correctional facilities. He alleges that he was helping to arrest dealers, cops, and gang members who were allegedly involved, according to WTVF.

Drummond apparently told the outlet that he became a member of the Vice Lords gang as part of the operation and that in the weeks before the slayings, his cover was blown. This ultimately led to the shooting deaths, he reportedly says, but it’s unclear why or how. Drummond refused to provide further details, according to WTVF.

“They found out I was an informant,” Drummond told WTVF.

“I was afraid because I knew that bad things happened,” he claimed. “And I was afraid that because I was an informant things would go wrong, things would happen to me.”

Asked why he ran, Drummond allegedly admitted that he shouldn’t have but was too scared. He repeatedly insisted that he was innocent and had no reason to kill Wilson, Rose, Adrianna Williams and Braydon Williams, whom he considers to be family, WTVF reports. But he also allegedly admitted to have been involved.

Court records viewed by Law&Crime show Drummond has multiple convictions on his record for crimes including armed robbery, vandalism and retaliation “for past actions,” specifically an act of harming or threatening someone in response to their prior involvement in legal proceedings. Local CBS affiliate WREG reported that the retaliation charge stemmed from Drummond’s threats that he made about jurors.

Drummond served a 13-year sentence after he swiped $44 from a Circle K while armed, records show.

He was once described in a parole board letter as someone who is “not capable of living among society,” with calls to his dad showing how he threatened jurors after his trial, saying “They are going to regret it” and “I’ll be out one day,” according to prosecutors.

“This office strongly opposes his early release on parole,” wrote 26th District Attorney General Jody Pickens in a letter sent to the Tennessee Board of Parole in June 2020. Drummond was up for early release that July in connection with the armed robbery at the Circle K.

“He entered a Circle K convenience store and pointed a revolver pistol at the victim in this case as he demanded money from her,” Pickens said. “After his jury trial, Drummond made a phone call to his father where he threatened the jurors and the victim in this case.”

Prosecutors say Drummond was charged for attempted murder after he completed his sentence for the robbery in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred while he was locked up, along with having contraband in a penal facility. Photos on Drummond’s Facebook page, which authorities are using to share pictures of him during the ongoing manhunt, allegedly show him eating pizza and drinking alcohol while in prison.

He can even be seen in one post apparently playing a Nintendo Switch.

“This type of behavior clearly demonstrates that Drummond has no desire for rehabilitation,” Pickens said. “And is not capable of living among society.”

Federal investigators and TBI agents have been on the ground in Tennessee aiding police with the “tragic” death investigation after the bodies of Drummond’s alleged victims were found Tuesday, July 29, in Lake County along Carrington Road in Tiptonville, according to TBI officials. The probe stemmed from the discovery of Wilson and Williams’ 7-month-old daughter in a “random individual’s front yard” that day at around 3:10 p.m., police say. The victims were found around five hours later.

The post ‘I was afraid’: Man accused in quadruple murder claims he was working with FBI and got his cover blown, ran because he was scared first appeared on Law & Crime.