SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The man now suspected of killing eight people, including his parents, at three homes in Westmoreland last month has been charged in the murders.
Michael Cummins was booked into the Sumner County Jail and charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, one count of criminal homicide, one count of attempted murder, and one count of theft over $10,000. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon.
Cummins is being held without bond.
The body of the eighth victim was discovered on Apr. 17, 10 days before the seven bodies were discovered at two other Westmoreland homes.
Police were called to the land across from the 1200 block of Ransom Mandrell Road in Westmoreland where they responded to a fire and missing resident James Fox Dunn Jr.
Police said Dunn was found 70 yards from the burned cabin. An autopsy reported Dunn died from blunt force trauma. His head was found 25 yards away from his body.
Dunn’s 30-30 rifle was also missing from the home. The rifle was found at the scene on Charles Brown Road.
Police said the serial number on the gun was registered to Dunn. Cummins was also seen carrying a rifle that matched the description of the one stolen.
Cummins was hospitalized for nearly two weeks with a “serious injury” to his leg after being shot by law enforcement during a manhunt the night of April 27, investigators said.
The search for Cummins began earlier on the evening of the 27th when the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation responded to a home on Charles Brown Road and located four bodies, along with an injured woman.
The injured woman, later identified as Cummins’ grandmother, was transported from the scene to a hospital in critical condition, authorities said.
Another body was located a short time later, about a mile away, at a residence on Luby Brown Road. Investigators said Cummins had stolen her vehicle and eventually ditched it nearby.
The TBI labeled the deaths as “homicides” and issued an alert, asking residents to be on the lookout for Cummins, naming the 25-year-old a “person of interest” in the killings and describing him as “armed and very dangerous.”
A manhunt for Cummins ended a few hours later when investigators said he was found hiding in a nearby creek bed.
At some point, the TBI stated Cummins pulled out at least one weapon and was shot in the leg by law enforcement.
Cummins was transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
The following day, as the scenes were being processed, forensic scientists with the TBI located two additional bodies at the home on Charles Brown Road, bringing the total number of deaths to seven.
The agency began referring to Cummins as a “suspect” in the killings, rather than a “person of interest.”
Two days after the first bodies had been discovered, the TBI officially identified the seven victims and their relationships to Cummins.
These victims were found at 1177 Charles Brown Road:
- David Carl Cummins, 51, father of suspect
- Clara Jane Cummins, 44, mother of suspect
- Charles Hosale,45, uncle of suspect
- Rachel Dawn McGlothlin-Pee, 43, relationship to suspect is unknown
- Sapphire McGlothlin-Pee, 12, daughter of Rachel
- Marsha Elizabeth Nuckols, 64, mother of Rachel
One victim found at 1555 Luby Brown Road:
- Shirley D. Fehrle, 67, relationship unclear
Cummins’ first court date is set for May 29 in Gallatin.
