Charges dropped against 1 man in Parker County triple murder, 4th man arrested

PARKER COUNTY, Texas - Charges have been dropped against one man who was arrested and accused of being involved in a triple murder in Parker County. A fourth man is also facing charges related to the crime., the sheriff's office said.

One Man Exonerated

What's new:

According to a news release from the Parker County Sheriff's Office, Dennis Craig Alexander was initially identified as one of the suspects by the other two suspects involved in the case. 

"Subsequent findings have led investigators to conclude that he was not connected to the crime," the release states.

Alexander's charges have been dismissed, and he has been released from police custody.

There are still two people in custody who are accused of killing 44-year-old Tiffany Ann Williams, 42-year-old David Wayne Walker, and 55-year-old Robbie Allen Head, who were reported missing on April 21.

Trin Lawrence McKnight and Barrett Copeland are charged with capital murder.

4th Man Arrested

What's new:

A fourth person has been arrested in connection with the case.

Michael Morris, 18, is charged with tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, abuse of a corpse without legal authority, and failure to report a felony with death results.

According to a probable cause warrant, Morris helped McKnight and Copeland wrap the victims' bodies up in blankets, loaded them into a vehicle, and then dumped the bodies into a creek. He also helped to clean up the crime scene.

Murder Details Revealed

The Parker County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers have accused 27-year-old Trin Lawrence McKnight and 19-eyar-old Barrett Copeland of killing 44-year-old Tiffany Ann Williams, 42-year-old David Wayne Walker, and 55-year-old Robbie Allen Head, who were reported missing on April 21. 

Sheriff Russ Authier said Williams and Walker were married. It is unclear how or if they knew Head.

Timeline:

Deputies were called to a home in the 100 block of Myrtle Lane in Granbury on the evening of Monday, April 21, after a concerned family member was not able to reach Williams.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the family member told police they noticed the Ring security doorbell at the home was missing. They entered the home through the back door and found the house was in disarray. No one was inside the home, but their vehicles were parked outside. When Williams and Walker did not answer the family member's calls, they reported them missing.

Sheriff’s investigators said the condition of the home and witness statements of the last known contact with the individuals led them to believe their disappearance was suspicious, and that they were in danger or in need of medical assistance. 

"A bloodletting event"

Investigators found large amounts of blood and fired gun casings. An arrest warrant affidavit states that there was evidence consistent with "a bloodletting event" in the backseat and back hatch of the victims' vehicle.

Parker County officials said the bodies of the three victims were found on April 24 next to a creek in northern Hood County, along FM 167 on Temple Hall Highway on April 24. The three victims all had injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. The two men were covered in fabric.

Investigators believe all three victims died at the Granbury home on Sunday, April 20. 

Suspects Arrested

What we know:

According to arrest records, McKnight was arrested on Monday at 2 p.m. on Weatherford Highway in Granbury, about six miles from where the murders allegedly happened. 

Copeland was arrested just before 3 p.m. on Gina Circle in Granbury on Monday, less than a mile from where the alleged murders happened. 

An arrest warrant affidavit states that investigators connected McKnight to a bloody fingerprint found on the driver's side door of the victims' vehicle.

After his arrest, McKnight told police that Alexander, Copeland and himself met to rob the victims. He told investigators that Alexander held Williams and Walker at gunpoint while the others searched the house for drugs and money. According to documents, Head then went into the home and was also held at gunpoint.

McKnight told police that Alexander shot all three victims. After the men wrapped up the bodies, they then loaded them into Walker's car and drove them to the creek where they were dumped.

Since the release of the arrest affidavit, investigators with the Parker County Sheriff's Office have determined that Alexander was not connected to the crime.

Newer police documents state Copeland told investigators he was tired of living at his grandparents' house and wanted to live on his own. So he and McKnight went over to Williams and Walker's house to take the house from them.

Copeland told investigators he initially made up stories and implicated Alexander and another person because he didn't like them and wanted to get them in trouble. Alexander also used to live in the house "so it made sense to add him to the story because [Copeland] believed people would think [Alexander] killed [Williams and Walker] to get his house back."

Copeland then claimed McKnight shot all three victims. He said he fired multiple additional shots.

Both Copeland and McKnight are charged with capital murder and are currently being held at the Parker County Jail. Their bonds are set at $1,000,000 each.

Copeland was additionally charged with burglary of a habitation with an additional bond amount of $50,000. The sheriff's office states the burglary charge is not connected to the murders of the three people.

McKnight was additionally arrested on an outstanding warrant for possession of a controlled substance from Tarrant County, with an additional bond of $4,300.

Sheriff Authier said the investigation is ongoing.

Parker CountyCrime and Public Safety