Tenn. man sentenced to death for 2021 triple murder

MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (TCN) -- A man has been sentenced to death for the fatal shootings of three of his family members in 2021.

WKRN reports that on Oct. 1, 2021, Nathanial Pipkin, who was 22 at the time, fatally shot his mother, 44-year-old Traci McNeely; his brother, 20-year-old Carson Pipkin; and his half-sister, 11-year-old Kailee Warren. In addition, he attempted to kill his stepfather, who called 911 from a neighbor’s house, per WZTV.

After committing the triple homicide, Pipkin fled the scene, according to WTVF. He was apprehended approximately 100 miles away and when he was found, he was wearing body armor. There were several weapons inside his vehicle. When he was first taken into custody, WKRN reports that Pipkin alleged that he acted in self-defense.

The Columbia Daily Herald reports that Pipkin was indicted by a grand jury in January 2022 on five counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of employing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

On Aug. 1, Pipkin was found guilty of three counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and employing a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, according to a press release from District Attorney Brent Cooper of the 22^nd Judicial District.

Pipkin was sentenced to death on Aug. 4 by the same jury who found him guilty, according to the DA. He had reportedly instructed his attorneys not to fight the death penalty.

Of the sentencing, Cooper said, “There are no winners in cases like this. The death penalty won't bring back the lost loved ones. However, some cases cry out for a form of justice which exceeds all others. When I went to the scene October 1, 2021 and saw the carnage. A mother, brother, and 11-year-old girl, all senselessly slaughtered, I knew this was such a case.”

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