A Tennessee man accused of killing seven people has been charged with another murder of a man whose headless body was also discovered last month.
Michael Cummins, 25, was shot by police after he killed seven people—including his parents—whose bodies were found in two homes in Westmoreland on April 27. Now, he’s been charged in connection with the death of James Fox Dunn Jr., 63; his body was discovered in a burned cabin outside of Westmoreland on April 17, according to the Tennessean.
Though it is unclear how Cummins and Dunn were connected (or how police linked Cummins to his murder), WSMV reported that Cummins was possibly trying to sell Dunn’s items—including a rifle that was located at one of the two murder scenes in Westmoreland.
Citing an arrest report, the news station reported that Cummins is believed to have killed all eight victims by blunt force trauma to the head.
At the time of the killings, Cummins was reportedly on probation for lighting his neighbor’s house ablaze and attacking her.
Cummins, who was hospitalized for two weeks following the police-involved shooting, was charged Friday with six counts of first-degree murder, one count of criminal homicide, one count of attempt to commit first-degree murder, and one count of theft.
It is not yet known what charges Cummins will face for Dunn’s apparent homicide, as Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said the agency is investigating the seven murders but not handling Dunn’s case.
The Tennessean reported that Cummins is being held at the Tennessee Department of Corrections Special Needs Unit located in Sumner County Jail. A court date is scheduled for May 29.
[Featured image: Michael Cummins/Tennesee Bureau of Investigation]
