Johnny Cash’s Great-Niece Found Murdered
The great-niece of Johnny Cash has been found dead in an apparent murder.
Nashville's WSMV reports that Courtney Cash was found dead at her home on Rice Road in Putnam County, near Nashville, on Wednesday morning (March 19). Her body was stuffed inside a wooden box.
Music Row is reporting that another victim, William Johnson, is receiving treatment for a gunshot wound at Vanderbilt Medical Center. A child was also reportedly found at the residence.
According to WSMV, 27-year-old Wayne Gary Masciarella has been taken into custody in connection with the crime. He is being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder. His is slated to appear in court on April 21.
Authorities believe Cash and Johnson may have invited Masciarella over, then gotten into a fight.
"It appears there was an altercation, but to what extent ... I'm not free to go into that right now, but there was certainly some kind of altercation," Putnam County Sheriff David Andrews states.
He adds, "I think after we get a report from the medical examiner in Nashville, we'll know a whole lot more and be able to maybe shed some more light on the subject."
Courtney was the granddaughter of Johnny Cash's brother, Tommy Cash. He issued the following statement on Thursday (May 20):
“We ask for your prayers for the Cash family at this time. Courtney and her boyfriend are beloved members of my family and like you we have a lot of questions and emotions that we are beginning to sort through today. We ask for you to respect our privacy and appreciate all the support that the public and media has always offered my family, as we handle the loss of my grand-daughter, pray for the father of my great-grand child and journey through the search for justice on this violent act. We are completely heartbroken. It is a time like this that we are grateful for our faith and trusting the loving guidance of God.”
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