By Yolanda Jones
The Commercial Appeal
COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — A Collierville man was charged Monday with two counts of murder and with kidnapping in connection with the death of his pregnant girlfriend, whose mutilated body was found inside a Tunica casino hotel room April 5.
Nathaniel Yates III, 34, made his first court appearance Monday morning, during which Tunica County Justice Court Judge Louise Linzy set his bond at $10,010,000.
Yates remained in the Tunica County Detention Center.
Tunica County Sheriff’s Office authorities said they are awaiting a complete autopsy report from the Mississippi Crime Lab to determine a cause of death for Brandi Nicole Floyd, 25, also of Collierville. She was about five or six months pregnant, authorities said.
Authorities also are hoping blood samples will reveal if the suspect was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Shortly before 6 a.m. April 5, authorities said deputies received a call about a disturbance in a first-floor room at the Hollywood Casino Resort.
When deputies arrived, they found Floyd had been mutilated with sharp objects, including a knife. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Yates, who checked into the hotel with Floyd, tried to escape from deputies by jumping through the hotel room window. He was immediately captured and taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven, where he was treated for injuries. He was released Saturday.
Neighbors of Yates and Floyd, who lived together in Collierville, said the couple have a 17-month-old daughter. Collierville police records show one incident of officers being called to the house on Cannon Avenue, where Floyd lived with Yates. Police couldn’t determine who was the aggressor, so no one was taken into custody.
The case will be sent to a Tunica County grand jury, which will decide if Yates will be indicted.
If convicted of the two counts of murder, Yates could receive a maximum penalty of life in prison. The kidnapping charge carries a penalty of 30 years to life in prison.
Copyright 2012 The Commercial Appeal, Inc.