SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Three days after the 'deadliest homicide event in Tennessee in at least 20 years' new information is being released regarding the suspected killer, Michael Cummins and his probation status.
On Saturday, April 27, Michael Cummins allegedly took the lives of seven people, three of which being members of his own family.
Now, it has been confirmed that a probation officer was preparing an arrest warrant for Cummins the day before the homicides occurred.
According to District Attorney Ray Whitley, a violation of probation affidavit was filed on Monday, April 22. This affidavit outlined numerous issues with Cummins' probation. These included missing appointments with his probation officer and not contacting with the probation office. Cummins also reportedly would not comply with the conditions of his probation which required him to receive mental health treatment.
Whitley went on to say, the probation officer was working to get the warrant done on Friday, but was unable to get the signature of a judge by the end of the day. The following day, Cummins is accused of killing seven people.
It has been noted that Cummins has a violent past. This has been confirmed by many court documents, as well as by statements from his family.
The probation terms that were not upheld by Cummins that could have led to his arrest prior to the homicides stemmed from an incident that occurred in September of 2017. During this incident, Cummins set fire to the house of a neighbor and assaulted her when she tried to smother the flames.
Cummins served 180 days in jail and then would be required to serve 10 years of probation, according to the plea agreement he signed.
The revelation that Cummins could have been arrested prior to the mass murder has many people wondering if this tragedy could have been avoided entirely.
However, when asked if the system could have some prevented Cummins from carrying out the homicides, District Attorney Whitley told NewsChannel 5 that regardless of Cummins violating his probation, "you can't predict human behavior."
