NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A murder-for-hire trial with connections to Austin is scheduled to begin in a federal courtroom in Nashville this week.
Holly Williams, 33, and William Lanway, 36, were found dead in a car in Nashville in March 2020. Court documents obtained by KVUE showed four men connected to the case.
Now, Austin businessman Erik Charles Maund, as well as Byron Brockway and Adam Carey are scheduled to appear in a Nashville courtroom on Wednesday, according to The Tennessean. Each man faces charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, murder-for-hire and kidnapping resulting in death in connection with the fatal shootings of Williams and Lanway.
The fourth man involved, Gilad Peled, pleaded guilty to charges last December. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1, though The Tennessean reports that the details of his plea agreement remain under seal.
Background on this case
According to an indictment obtained by KVUE in December 2021, Erik Charles Maund frequently traveled to Nashville to visit a relative. In February 2020, he began texting Holly Williams, whom he previously had a relationship with, ahead of a visit.
The indictment stated that Williams' estranged boyfriend, William Lanway, found out and began demanding money from Maund. Lanway allegedly threatened to expose Maund's relationship with Williams if Maund didn't pay him.
Williams and Lanway were found dead in a car in Nashville on the morning of March 12, 2020.
Court documents showed the couple was kidnapped and shot to death before their bodies were left in a car near a construction site. According to a press release from the government of Nashville, their bodies were discovered by a construction worker.
A federal investigation culminated in connecting Maund to Peled, Brockway and Carey, who investigators allege carried out the crimes.
According to the indictment, Peled, Brockway and Carey traveled to Nashville to kidnap, threaten and intimidate Williams and Lanway. The indictment stated Maund paid the three men more than $750,000 for the kidnapping and murder.
Peled, Brockway and Carey all have backgrounds in military and security. The indictment listed Peled as a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces and the owner of Speartip Security, a security services company based in Austin.
In July 2022, KVUE reported that Maund faces additional charges for allegedly trying to arrange the murder of one of his co-defendants from behind bars after his arrest in December.
Peled pleaded guilty to charges in December 2022. He faces up to life in prison.