This close friend, who did not want to be identified out of fear of having jail phone calls revoked, said if Drummond had been pulled when he warned his cover was blown, the four victims would still be alive.
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‘His life is on the line:’ Friend of Austin Drummond calls Lake Co. murders ‘preventable,’ seeks to remove DA from case
A close friend of Austin Drummond is speaking out with a striking claim that the
Lake County quadruple homicide Drummond is accused of committing was preventable.
This close friend, who did not want to be identified out of fear of having jail phone calls revoked, said if Drummond had been pulled when he warned his cover was blown, the four victims’ murders would have been “100 percent prevented,” she said.
That friend says she speaks to Drummond every day through jail phone calls.
“This is his life. His life is on the line,” she said. “Guilty or innocent, he has a voice. Clearly he’s trying to tell his story, and it needs to be heard.”
The latest filing is one of Drummond’s biggest requests yet. He’s asking the judge to remove Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman and the entire 29th Judicial District Attorney’s Office from prosecuting his case.
Drummond’s friend said it’s all an effort to make sure he gets a fair trial and his voice is heard.
“Had there been more action taken on the district attorney’s side with that other case, this would have never happened, and it’s so horrible to come to that realization that if they had just done their job and not tried to use him for their benefit, we would have four people that are alive and very well,” she said.
Drummond’s 29-page motion from prison claimed he had a working relationship with prosecutors and investigators as an informant in a multi-agency investigation involving state and federal law enforcement.
He says the victims he’s accused of killing were suspects in that same investigation. Drummond attached emails, letters and text messages describing the agreement.
His friend said the deal stemmed from
two separate incidents that happened while he was previously incarcerated. The DA’s Office agreed not to prosecute Drummond for those incidents in exchange for information.
“Austin came forward to his handlers more than one time and said, ‘I’m getting nervous, I think my cover is blown, things are happening.’ They would have pulled him out, but they didn’t,” she said. “They should have pulled him out when they found out a 15-year-old was involved as well.”
In the same motion, Drummond argues there’s a conflict due to his alleged prior relationship with the prosecutors in the murder case.
In a statement provided by Drummond’s friend, he said:
"I just want my constitutional rights respected. I want the ability to have a fair trial, to represent myself, and I want a speedy trial. I want evidence to not be falsified or misrepresented. While awaiting trial, I should be treated how all other inmates are treated. The DA had no issue making comments themselves but as soon as I started talking, once that happened, they asked for a gag order."
Right now, it’s still unclear whether the judge will consider Drummond’s request to remove the DA’s office from the case.
Drummond’s trial for the attempted murder case starts next week in Carroll County.
His friend said that’s when more will come out to prove what Drummond claims.
