TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. (Court TV) — The man accused of murdering four people and kidnapping an infant who was abandoned on a stranger’s lawn is now asking to represent himself at his upcoming trial.
Austin Drummond appears in court at his arraignment on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Court TV)
Austin Drummond, 29, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping after allegedly shooting James Willison, Adrianna Williams, Braydon Williams and Courtney Rose and then abandoning an infant belonging to the family in a yard approximately 45 minutes away. The child, who was 7 months old at the time of the incident in July 2025, was not harmed. Drummond has pleaded not guilty.
A new handwritten motion appeared in Drummond’s court docket. Authored by the defendant, it requests that the judge remove his attorney, Bryan Huffman, and allow Drummond to represent himself moving forward. The motion, printed on two pages, claims that Huffman failed to follow Drummond’s instructions in several instances: first, by waiving the 14-day rule for the preliminary hearing; second, by agreeing to a gag order and a protective order; and third, by failing to use information supplied by the defendant.
A handwritten motion authored by Austin Drummond asks to dismiss his attorney. (Lake County Clerk of Courts)
“Bryan R. Huffman has repeatedly pushed court dates off to later dates against the wishes of the Defendant, who has adamantly expressed his desire for a speedy trial,” the motion says. “Defendant is making this waiver knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently.”
The motion is likely to be addressed at a hearing scheduled for Friday in the case. While Defendants do have the right to self-representation, the judge is likely to take into consideration the fact that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Attorneys who represent defendants facing a potential death sentence are typically required to have more extensive experience.
Drummond was arrested on Aug. 5, 2025, following a weeklong manhunt. Drummond’s defense previously filed a request to move the trial out of Lake County, which is “among the least populous counties in Tennessee.” The prosecution did not oppose the motion.
Drummond previously served time in prison for robbing a convenience store and threatening jurors in that case; he is separately charged with the attempted murder of a guard while in prison.
