On Friday, Erik Charles Maund, Bryon Brockway, and Adam Carey were found guilty in a murder-for-hire trial. The trio were convicted for their roles in the 2020 kidnapping and murder of a Tennessee couple, as reported by U.S. Attorney Justice Department.
To a charge of murder-for-hire with death resulting, Maund, 48, formerly of the Austin-area Maund Automotive Group, was convicted. Brockway and Carey, both 48 and 32 respectively, were also charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death, aside from the murder-for-hire charge. They all run the risk of a mandatory life sentence for their involvement in the murder of Holly Williams and William Lanway.
As per the U.S. Justice Department, Maund allegedly paid Brockway, Carey, and a fourth person, Gilad Peled, approximately $750,000 for the kidnapping and murder of Williams and Lanway. Peled entered a plea deal in 2022, and currently awaits his sentencing hearing in December 2023.
The motive for this crime reportedly was Maund's attempt, to seek revenge on Lanway. Lanway allegedly attempted to extort Maund with details about Maund's supposed relationship with Williams. The interactions between the victims and the offenders signify the intricacies of human dynamics in its darkest form where money, power, and secrecy lead to violence.
Despite the bleak nature of the crime, their pursuit for justice did not falter, according to United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. He quoted, “Today’s verdict is a testament to the outstanding investigative work done in this case by the FBI and Metro Nashville Police Department as well as the trial team’s incredible job presenting the government’s case to the jury.” as per KXAN report.
Gruesome details emerged from the investigation, uncovering a sinister aspect of the automotive entrepreneur. It was the following day of the horrific murder, on March 13, 2020, that a worker at a Nashville construction site discovered the bodies of Williams and Lanway, as KXAN reports.
