Probable cause determined for the killing of three family members in a Columbia home
Editor's Note: This story contains graphic imagery that readers may find disturbing.
A Maury County court has determined there is probable cause that Nathaniel Pipkin is responsible for the deaths of three members of his family in their Columbia home.
The 22-year-old appeared in a Mt. Pleasant courtroom on Monday before General Sessions Court Judge James Lee Bailey II.
After less than 30 minutes of deliberation and testimony, the case against Pipkin was bound to the county's grand jury.
The case, which has been transferred to Circuit Court Judge Christopher Sockwell, will now be reviewed by the jury, a body of citizens who will investigate potential criminal conduct and determine whether criminal charges should be brought against Pipkin.
The process is expected to take about 90 days, Bailey told The Daily Herald.
Three people, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed in an early morning shooting on Oct. 1 inside a home on the 2100 block of Double Branch Road in north Columbia.
The victims have been identified as Kailee Grace Warren, 11, a sixth grade student at Battle Creek Middle School, her mother, Traci Louise McNeely, 44, and half brother Carson Glenn Pipkin, 20.
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Pipkin faces three counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault resulting in death and one count of attempted murder.
Six warrants, now upheld by the court, state that he "knowingly, intentionally, and with premeditation" caused the deaths of the family members.
A seventh warrant states Pipkin attempted to cause harm to Jesse McNeely, 47, the husband of Traci McNeely, who was in the home at the time of the incident.
McNeely was able to escape the gunfire and fled to a neighboring home where he contacted local authorities.
Pipkin fled to a Nashville gym, then traveled toward Chattanooga
Testimony shared by Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland and Lt. Roscoe Voss during the Monday hearing showed the local department was able to identify the location of the defendant's cellular phone.
The phone's location indicated Pipkin fled the home, following the shooting and then traveled by car to Nashville where he visited a Planet Fitness located on Charlotte Pike.
He spent approximately 30 minutes at the gym before he began traveling south on I-24 toward Chattanooga.
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Pipkin was located by members of the Monteagle Police Department.
Police were able to identify his car, a silver Mustang, by confirming the license plate.
A traffic stop was initiated, and Pipkin was taken into custody by the police department with assistance from the Tennessee Highway Patrol before being transported back to Maury County.
During his testimony, Voss stated that Pipkin was in possession of multiple firearms, including a semi-automatic shotgun and wearing a protective ballistic vest when he was apprehended by police officers about 100 miles from Columbia.
His car was also taken back to Maury County where it was searched by investigators after a warrant was obtained.
"He had on a ballistic vest with body armor," Voss said.
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Inside the vehicle authorities found a pistol, a semi-automatic shotgun with the same ammunition located at the scene of the crime in additional to a ballistic helmet and a ballistic shield.
Inside Pipkin's bedroom in the home, authorities found additional ammunition as well as a .45 caliber handgun and multiple ammunition rounds.
The room is located inside an entry way into the home.
"There was not really a bed just a pallet on the floor where he was sleeping," Voss said.
Police uncover gruesome scene
Voss' testimony painted a horrifying scene inside the residence.
Carson Glenn Pipkin was found dead by authorities at an entrance to the home killed by what appears to have been wounds from a shotgun shell, while Traci Louise McNeely was also found apparently killed from multiple gunshot wounds.
Kailee Grace Warren, 11, was found lifeless in her bed with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the testimony.
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Pipkin remains held in the Maury County Jail without bond.
Reach Mike Christen at mchristen@c-dh.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeChristenCDH and on Instagram @michaelmarco. Please consider supporting his work and that of other Daily Herald journalists by subscribing to the publication.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Maury County court says probable cause on Nathaniel Pipkin murder case
