Johnny Cash’s Great Niece Stabbed & Murdered
Courtney Cash, the great niece of country legend Johnny Cash, and the granddaughter of Johnny Cash’s brother Tommy Cash, was brutally stabbed and murdered early Wednesday morning in Putnam County, TN, and stuffed inside a wooden box in her home. Her boyfriend, William Austin Johnson who shared the house with Cash and their young daughter, was also stabbed multiple times, but survived the incident. Johnson fled the scene with their 20-month-old daughter and drove himself to a hospital in White County. He is currently at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in stable condition.
The suspect is 27-year-old Wayne Gary Masciarella, who was arrested in Cookeville, TN and charged with 1st Degree Murder. According to Putnam County Sheriff David Andrews, Masciarella has been booked into custody at least “20 times” previously. According to reports, Masciarella was a friend of Cash and Johnson, and had been invited into their home. An altercation and struggle ensued potentially over drugs, that resulted in the stabbings. Apparently the three had been at a store nearby earlier Tuesday night, and witnesses were interviewed at that scene as part of the investigation.
Police initially received a 911 call about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, but the ping location from the call took sheriff’s to a location 1/4 of a mile down the road from the actual call. A second call came in roughly 20 minutes later, which led police to the scene. Police waited to obtain a search warrant before fully entering the premises, but found Courtney near the front door, stuffed into what Sheriff David Andrews described as a wooden box like a cedar chest, but not made out of cedar.
Though no specifics have been given, Sheriff Andrews alluded to reporters that drugs were involved in the incident. “This was a senseless, tragic death of a young lady whose life was probably taken as a direct or indirect result of drugs, and that’s just the world we live in. It’s just unfortunate that our people in our society lean so heavily on drugs to get through life,” said the Sheriff.
Tommy Cash, though not a well-known as his brother Johnny, is a noted songwriter and performer himself. The 73-year-old musician once performed in Hank Williams Jr.’s band, and is known for penning the 1969 hit “Six White Horses” about the killings of The Kennedy’s and Martin Luther King. Tommy Cash has released over 20 albums and has had 12 Top 40 hits. Tommy has released a statement about the incident.
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.
March 20, 2014 @ 2:27 pm
I could argue that if drugs weren’t illegal you wouldn’t have to involve yourself with lowlife’s to get them. I’ve been in about four hair raising situations in my life and spent some time around people I wouldn’t have been around otherwise, just to get some weed.
I could also argue that immediate public hangings in front of the courthouse for cases of murder and rape (where overwhelming evidence was involved) would put a stop to a whole lot of trouble.
March 20, 2014 @ 2:29 pm
Amen. We need to legalize or decriminalize drugs and lessen the penalties in general for nonviolent offenses, while toughening the penalties for violent crimes.
March 20, 2014 @ 7:25 pm
Absolutely agree. We waste too much of law enforcement’s time and taxpayers’ money prosecuting people for victimless crimes. Better to end the war on drugs and go all out to catch the real criminals and punish them severely.
April 1, 2023 @ 6:09 pm
Absolutely not. These drugs aren’t safe and it wasn’t the laws fault that you two got yourselves messed up on them.
March 20, 2014 @ 7:26 pm
Yep, no need for drugs, just whiskey for our men and beer for our horses.
March 21, 2014 @ 12:05 pm
Adrian…whiskey is a drug.
March 22, 2014 @ 9:00 am
alcohol is drug, not whiskey
March 20, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
My guess is that weed is not the drug that is involved here. Legal or not, people can get weed just about anywhere. So much evil in the world.
March 20, 2014 @ 2:28 pm
Terrible. My prayers go out to the Cash family.
March 20, 2014 @ 2:32 pm
Horrible news. May she rest in peace.
Also, isn’t Putnam County the location of Muddy Roots? The thought of that place containing violent drug gangs seems highly disturbing.
March 20, 2014 @ 2:37 pm
Cookeville and Muddy Roots are located in Putnam County, though I think the characterization that violent drug gangs are roaming the area frequently from this story is a little ridiculous. I’ve never had any problems in Cookeville, but to east Nashville hipsters, it is a good place to thumb your nose at. Incidentally, two years ago, two people were stabbed at Muddy Roots, though the injuries were minor and the incident accidental.
March 20, 2014 @ 4:28 pm
Accidental? Did they trip and accidentally fall on the knife?
March 20, 2014 @ 7:33 pm
How do you accidentally stab someone?
March 20, 2014 @ 8:06 pm
What I meant is it did not happen with malicious intent. I wasn’t there so I don’t know the whole story, but apparently someone was in a tent, had a knife, someone else came into the tent, thinking it was their tent when it wasn’t. And then knife, tent, human extremities, tent poles and drunken minds played a tipsy game of twister with some stab wounds as a result. One of the guys was fine, and was back out in the crowd within hours. Not exactly sure what happened with the other guy, but it was nothing life threatening or anything like that. Again, I don’t really know the full story.
March 20, 2014 @ 3:36 pm
This guy needs to get his ass jumped everyday in prison.
They will probably protect him since the system is full of BITCHES!!!!
March 20, 2014 @ 5:59 pm
Damn… 🙁
My thoughts and prayers to the Cash family… RIP Courtney.
March 18, 2022 @ 6:51 am
So horrible! I was a victim of attempted 1st degree murder. I was stabbed 8 times by an ex boyfriend. I had to go through unbelievable pain, mentally and physically.
He is out now, only served 10 years.
The punishment for this kind of crime needs to be harsher.
March 27, 2024 @ 3:49 pm
If you’re blaming our times currently for all the drug abuse, you obviously don’t knowwcanyrhibg about Johnny Cash…