Parker County triple murder: Suspects tell police different stories, docs show

PARKER COUNTY, Texas - The Parker County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers have accused 27-year-old Trin Lawrence McKnight and 19-year-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. 

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.

Officials with the Parker County Sheriff's Office addressed the media, saying this case revolved around drugs. Sheriff Russ Authier says it involved meth. 

"The suspects and victims, they live in the same area, several of them. And in that community, if you're familiar with it, it's a small community. The two individuals, the two suspects, the main suspects that were charged with capital murder, they went to rob the other two, the married couple. And then Mr. Head, who just happened to be, I think, the victim of circumstance, wrong place, wrong time, just got caught up in and I think we all know what happened after that," said Sheriff Authier.

When asked about a motive, Sheriff Authier said, "I don't really care about motive that much and trying to get into people's psyche and what they wanted to do or what we're trying to do. We just know what they did."

After the news conference, Dennis Alexander spoke to the media about how he was wrongfully accused of the murder of his friends. 

He was arrested and charged with capital murder. He was released two days later and the charges were dropped. 

"Everybody knows that the people that were murdered were my roommates," Alexander said. "I was wrongfully accused. I get it, my name's cleared. But I feel like they come at me kind of harshly by calling me a monster when I'm not a monster."

He said he was living with Tiffany and David before he moved to Brownwood.

"I was living in Brownwood, Texas when they came all the way down there and picked me up. I called in on myself and told them where I was to come up there so I can talk to them. When they got there, they arrested me on a capital murder charge I wasn't guilty of."

He said the suspects in the case used to be friends of his, but says three and a half weeks ago, he cut all ties "with people like that."

Parker County Triple Murder Timeline

The following information is from arrest warrants for Trin McKnight, Barrett Copeland and Michael Morris.

April 20:

Investigators believe Tiffany, David and Robbie died on April 20. Court documents do not specify what time the murders happened, but do say it happened at night.

April 21:

A family member of Tiffany's called the Parker County Sheriff's Office saying Tiffany lived with her husband, David Walker, and a friend, Robbie Head. She was trying to get in touch with Tiffany, but there was no answer at the door, and she was not answering her phone. She also noticed the Ring doorbell was missing from their front door. The family member said she went into the home from the back door and noticed the house was in disarray. She said no one was inside, but the vehicle was still parked in the driveway. She called Tiffany and David, but all the calls went to voicemail. She told investigators she had not talked to Tiffany since April 19, when Tiffany invited her over for Easter dinner.

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.

April 22:

Deputies executed a search warrant for 132 Myrtle Drive. Inside the home, investigators found large amounts of blood, along with spent shell casings. The victim's vehicle was parked at the home. Investigators observed what appeared to be consistent with a bloodletting event in the backseat and back hatch of the vehicle. 

April 24:

The bodies of Tiffany Williams, Robbie Head, and David Walker were found in a creek in Hood County, about one mile from their home. The victims had gunshot wounds. 

April 25:

The victim's vehicle was processed for evidence. Investigators found a fingerprint on the driver's door. The fingerprint matched McKnight's fingerprint card from Tarrant County Jail.

April 27:

Investigators spoke to McKnight at his uncle's house in Lake County Acres. He told police he heard about the murders and the bodies were found, but hadn't been in the neighborhood recently.

April 28:

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner confirmed all three died of homicidal violence due to gunshot wounds.

Trin Lawrence McKnight's Version

April 28:

McKnight was arrested on a Tarrant County warrant. McKnight was arrested on Monday, April 28 at 2 p.m. on Weatherford Highway in Granbury, about six miles from where the murders allegedly happened.  

During an interview with investigators, he said he was at Tiffany and David's house on the night they were murdered. He said he and Barrett Copeland met two men on the corner of Lois Circle and Myrtle Lane. They agreed to go to Tiffany and David's house and rob them. He said one of the men held Tiffany and David at gunpoint while McKnight and Copeland searched the house for drugs and money. 

He said Robbie Head showed up at the house and the gunman also held him at gunpoint. 

McKnight said the gunman shot all three victims in the kitchen area. He told investigators the gunman handed him the victims' car keys and told him to get the car ready while the gunman and the other unknown male wrapped and loaded the bodies into the victims' car. McKnight told investigators he got in the front passenger seat of the vehicle and the gunman got in the backseat. He said the other male drove. 

He said Copeland was told to stay at the house. He said they drove to the creek to dispose of the bodies. He told investigators he ran from the vehicle toward Lake Country Acres before the bodies were taken out of the vehicle. He said he ran back to his house. He told investigators the gunman came to his house, gave him the keys to the victims' vehicle along with a bag of ammunition and told him to get rid of them.

On the same day, investigators say they found the keys and the bag of ammunition during a search of McKnight and Copeland's residence. 

According to jail records, Barrett Copeland and Michael Morris have the same address. McKnight's address was not listed in jail records or on his arrest warrant.

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

April 29:

McKnight was interviewed again, saying another person, "Sammy", was there with the gunman the night of the murder and that he was the second shooter, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Barrett Copeland's Version

April 29:

Another investigator interviewed Copeland at the same time. Copeland told investigators he was tired of living at his grandparents' house and wanted to be on his own. He said he and McKnight went to David and Tiffany's house to take the house from them. He said they were both armed. He said he could have the house if David and Tiffany were no longer in the picture, so he would remove them and then rent it himself. 

He said he and McKnight made up the story that the man who'd been cleared of charges and "Sammy" were involved to get the heat off their backs. He said he disliked "Sammy" and added him to the story just to get him in trouble. He told investigators that the man who'd been cleared used to live in David and Tiffany's house, so it made sense to add him to the story because he believed people would think the gunman killed David and Tiffany to get his house back. 

Copeland said that when he and McKnight showed up at David and Tiffany's house, McKnight was with David in the kitchen, so he went to the master bedroom to get Tiffany. He said McKnight shot all three victims multiple times. He said after McKnight shot them, he shot the victims also. He said once the murders were over, he stayed at the house and McKnight went to get Michael Morris. He said when Morris and McKnight came back, they all three wrapped the bodies up and placed them by the front door and left. Copeland said he, McKnight and Morris came back the next day around midnight and loaded the bodies and disposed of them. When Copeland was asked what he would say about the murders, he said, "It wasn't personal, but it's a cruel world, and I'm sorry."

Michael Morris' Version

Investigators also interviewed Michael Morris on April 29.

He said he was woken up by McKnight and Copeland. He said they told him to come with them. He said he got out of bed and walked with them to David and Tiffany's house. He said when he stepped inside, he saw multiple bodies. 

He told investigators he helped wrap the bodies in blankets and used duct tape to tie them up. He said he helped with cleaning up the scene and said that after the bodies were wrapped, the bodies were placed by the front door. They left the house and went home. 

He said they all three returned around midnight the next day and loaded the bodies into the victims' vehicle. He said they drove to the bridge off Temple Hall Highway and dumped the bodies into the creek. He said McKnight drove the vehicle and Copeland sat in the backseat on top of the bodies. He said once the bodies were dumped, they took the vehicle back to David and Tiffany's house and then went to Copeland's house.

Charges Filed

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.

Morris is being held in the Parker County Jail on charges of tampering/fabricating evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, abuse of corpse without legal authority, failure to report felony with serious bodily injury or death results. His combined bonds total $38,000.

Parker CountyCrime and Public Safety