MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Maury County jury sentenced Nathanial Pipkin to death Tuesday for killing three members of his family in 2021.
The jury deliberated for nearly five hours before reaching its decision, according to 22nd Judicial District Attorney General Brent Cooper. He said the foreperson read the same verdict five times: “The sentence shall be death.”
Pipkin showed no emotion and had instructed his attorneys not to fight the death penalty, Cooper said.
The jury convicted Pipkin of killing his mother, brother and 11-year-old sister on Oct. 1, 2021, and attempting to kill his stepfather. He was found guilty of three counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of felony murder, attempted first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
Authorities said Pipkin fled the Double Branch Road home after the shooting and was captured about three hours later, more than 100 miles away. Investigators said he was wearing ballistic body armor and had multiple weapons in his car.
“There are no winners in cases like this,” Cooper wrote after the sentencing. “The death penalty won’t bring back the lost loved ones.”
Cooper thanked the jurors, prosecutors, victim witness coordinator and investigators involved in the case. He said he hopes the victims’ family members can begin to heal.
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