A Texas businessman and father of two was found guilty of orchestrating the murders of a Nashville escort and her on-again, off-again lover after being blackmailed by the woman’s boyfriend.
Erik Charles Maund, the heir to a successful car company in Austin, was initially entangled with 33-year-old Holly Williams in early 2020. A year earlier, Maund and Williams had engaged in a short-lived extramarital affair. In February 2020, Maund arranged to meet with Williams again while he was in Nashville on business.
However, about a month after their encounter, Maund began receiving threatening texts demanding $25,000 from an anonymous sender. After an unsuccessful private investigation, Maund turned to a friend for help. This friend, Gilad Peled, in turn enlisted the help of two retired U.S. Marines, Bryon Brockway and Adam Carey, to assist in the investigation.
Peled testified that Maund initially did not want to involve law enforcement because he feared his family would find out about his affair. However, as the investigation progressed and the blackmail demands became more urgent, Maund agreed to pay $60,000 to start an investigation.
After 10 days without any progress, Brockway took matters into his own hands and proposed to “take out” the blackmailer, 35-year-old William Lanway. Maund agreed to pay $100,000 to each of the former Marines to carry out the murder.
On March 11, 2020, Lanway set a deadline of 8 p.m. to receive the demanded $25,000. When he did not receive the money, Brockway shot and killed him in a parking lot, while Carey fatally shot Williams at a nearby construction site. Their bodies were found the next day.
In November 2021, Maund, Brockway, and Carey were convicted of various charges related to the murders, including conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and kidnapping resulting in death. Peled, who had pleaded guilty prior to the trial, was the prosecution’s main witness and is also expected to be sentenced in 2024.
U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis expressed satisfaction with the outcome, saying, “We are committed to aggressively prosecuting violent crime in Middle Tennessee, and I am very pleased that the men responsible for these murders have finally been held accountable for their deplorable actions.”
Maund, Brockway, and Carey each face mandatory life in prison or the death penalty. The judge will consider Peled’s cooperation when handing down his sentence.
The case highlights the dangers of extramarital affairs and the potential consequences that can arise from them. It also serves as a reminder that hiring someone to commit a crime not only puts the target at risk but also those involved in the plot. The families of the victims and defendants will have to live with the devastating effects of this tragic and senseless crime for the rest of their lives.
