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Thread: Devaunte Hill Sentenced to 25 Years/James Cowan Aquitted In 2020 TN Slaying Of Caitlyn Kaufman

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    Devaunte Hill Sentenced to 25 Years/James Cowan Aquitted In 2020 TN Slaying Of Caitlyn Kaufman

    A06BBB71-C831-4036-864B-1603319898F4.jpg
    Caitlyn Kaufman

    F1E57EFB-6D6D-4071-BFBA-26814BD5AA27.jpg
    Hill (Left), Cowan (Right)


    Suspects in Killing of Tenn. Nurse Driving to Work Are Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charges

    Devaunte Hill, 21, and James Cowan, 28, are facing murder charges in the deadly shooting of Caitlyn Kaufman, who was gunned down while driving to work

    The two Tennessee men who were arrested in December for allegedly shooting and killing a nurse on her way to work have been indicted for murder.

    On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Devaunte Hill, 21, and James Cowan, 28, on first-degree murder charges, a Davidson County Court Clerk confirmed to PEOPLE.

    The indictments stem from the Dec. 3, 2020, shooting death of Caitlyn Kaufman, 26, of Lebanon.

    Shortly after 6 p.m. that night, Kaufman was heading to her shift at St. Thomas West Hospital, where she helped treat COVID-19 victims, when at least six shots were fired at her SUV, the Metro Nashville Police Department said at the time.

    According to the medical examiner, one of the bullets hit her in the left shoulder, killing her within 15 seconds, the Tennessean reports.

    Her bullet-ridden Mazda CX-5 SUV rolled to a stop on the right shoulder of I-440 west and was still running when the officer stopped to check on it, NBC News reports.

    Inside, he found her body slumped over the wheel.

    On Dec. 11, a SWAT unit with the Metro Nashville Police Department arrested Hill. Cowan was arrested on Jan. 12.

    Cellphone data put both suspects at the crime scene, the MNPD said.

    Court testimony in January suggested that the two men charged in the murder of Kaufman may have shot at her out of road rage after being cut off on I-440, WZTV and the Tennessean report.

    The suspects remain held at the Davidson County Jail without bond. They are scheduled to return to court on June 3 and have not yet entered pleas. Their attorneys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.

    Kaufman's family and friends are still reeling from her loss.

    "Why did you do that to her?" her distraught mother, Diane Kaufman, said at a December press conference, KDKA reports. "She didn't deserve it. I don't, I can't, I can't wrap my head around it. I don't know how someone can take another person's life like that."

    According to her Facebook profile, Kaufman, who was from Chicora, Pa., had been working at St. Thomas West Hospital since December 2018.

    She graduated from Clarion University in Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the women's swimming and diving program, according to ExploreClarion.com.

    "She was a very compassionate young lady, had a heart of gold, and was on her way to work to help people," her mother said at the press conference.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/people....es/%3famp=true
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

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    Suspects accused of killing Caitlyn Kaufman on I-440 appear in Nashville court

    by Amanda Chin

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) —

    The two men accused of killing ICU nurse Caitlyn Kaufman appeared in court Tuesday morning.

    It was an emotional day in court as Kaufman’s father charged at Devaunte Hill and James Cowan seconds after the suspects entered the courtroom.

    Kaufman had been on her way to work as an ICU nurse at St. Thomas West when investigators say someone shot at her on I-440 at least six times in 2020.

    The medical examiner says the shots killed her within 15 seconds.

    Hill and Cowan are charged with murder after investigators revealed cell phone data that had them both at the scene.

    The motion hearing Tuesday revealed new details from that day, as the judge started to release sealed documents.

    Metro Nashville Police Department’s lead investigator in the death of Kaufman took the witness stand Tuesday.

    Sergeant Chris Dickerson says a Metro Parks officer originally found Kaufman and says the car was still running when he arrived on the scene as well as her foot still on the brakes.

    The investigator goes on to say no damage is consistent with any car crash happening, which is an argument the defense had been trying to make.

    The defense plans to have a crash investigator take the stand later this week.

    The hearing will resume on Thursday.

    https://fox17.com/amp/newsletter-dai...ath-local-news
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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    Jury deliberations ongoing in trial for two men accused in murder of Nashville nurse

    By: Kelsey Gibbs

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The trial for two men accused in the murder of Nashville nurse Caitlyn Kaufman resumed on Monday with closing arguments. The jury's deliberations are still underway.

    Caitlyn Kaufman was killed on I-440 two years ago. The 12 jurors will decide if the men the state says are responsible should be convicted on first-degree murder charges.

    After Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton read the instructions to the jury Monday, two alternates were dismissed and the jury broke for lunch around 11:40 a.m. Deliberations started immediately after — but after more than six hours, they told the judge they had not yet reached a verdict.

    It is the jury's job to determine if the prosecution presented enough evidence to show beyond a reasonable doubt that Devanunte Hill and James Cowan should each serve one count of a first-degree premeditated murder conviction.

    This comes after one of the defendants gave eye-opening testimony about what led to the shooting that killed the nurse.

    Hill’s public defenders admitted he shot at Caitlyn Kaufman’s SUV on the evening of December 3, 2020. But the attorney argued that Hill shouldn’t be charged with first-degree murder because the shooting wasn’t premeditated.

    Hill said on the day of the shooting in 2020, he had just left his brother’s house with the other defendant, James Cowan. Hill testified he wasn't thinking clearly because he had also just done cocaine and taken Xanax.

    Before getting in the car, Hill said he placed his loaded gun on his lap. As Cowan was driving on Interstate 440, Hill said Kaufman cut them off and Cowan swerved around her. That's when Hill fired the gun without knowing who was inside the other car.

    He said multiple times that Cowan had nothing to do with the shooting and that it just happened in an instant.

    Prosecutor Jan Norman said Cowan is just as guilty of the killing as Hill is because he had to maintain enough speed for the two to be side by side with Kaufman’s SUV for Hill to shoot out the window and aim his gun at Kaufman's car.

    The jury heard closing remarks after listening to five days of testimony from the prosecution and the defense.

    "Mr. Cowan had the power and control to allow this shooting to occur or to stop it. Mr. Cowan is the person that could have stopped this from happening. He assisted Mr. Hill; he aided him," said Jan Norman, assistant district attorney.

    "[There's] no proof that he solicited, ordered, directed, commanded or helped anybody to kill anyone," argued Ronald Munkeboe, James Cowan’s attorney.

    The prosecution said that both Hill and Cowan committed this crime because Hill was the shooter and Cowan the driver.

    They said the evidence throughout the trip showed it was a crime that was unlawful, that there was motive, and that the defendants did not stop to render aid and instead tried to hide evidence.

    The state rested its case on Friday, with the defense following on Saturday afternoon — ending the evidence phase of the trial.

    The defense said the crime was not premeditated — the shooting was not enacted with the intention to kill — and therefore, both defendants should be convicted of a lesser charge.

    "His actions were unjustifiable, thoughtless, but he didn’t intend to kill her," said Jason Chaffin, public defender for Devaunte Hill.

    The jury has the option to give a verdict for premeditated first-degree murder. If they don’t believe there’s enough evidence to prove this, then all 12 jurors will need to decide on a lesser conviction.

    The jury could also acquit one or both of the defendants.

    Deliberations will resume Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., weather permitting.

    Timeline of events

    On the evening of December 3, 2020, Caitlyn Kaufman was driving along Interstate 440 on her way to work at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital when she was shot and killed.

    According to Metro Police, a Metro Parks officer had seen a Mazda SUV on the right shoulder against the guard rail and assuming the driver had crashed, he approached to help. Inside they found Kaufman, who had died from a gunshot wound.

    Investigators said there were bullet holes in the window of the car. They believe the bullets were fired into the SUV.

    Detectives said six rounds were fired into the vehicle.

    A week later, on December 11, then 21-year-old Devaunte L. Hill was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide.

    A day later, a second suspect, James Edward Cowan, also known as James Lillard was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

    In January 2021, a witness testified that he heard one of the suspects confess to killing Kaufman and said the suspect claimed they shot the nurse because she may have cut them off on I-440.

    https://www.newschannel5.com/news/co...ents?_amp=true
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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    I've always thought voluntary intoxication should not be a mitigating factor in a murder. He intentionally became mind-altered, so should be responsible for what he does when mind-altered.

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    Jury verdict: Cowan not guilty, Hill guilty of second-degree murder in Caitlyn Kaufman case

    By: Emily West

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After a trial lasting more than a week, a jury acquitted one of the two men charged in the death of nurse Caitlyn Kaufman on I-440 while finding the other defendant guilty of a lesser charge.

    On Tuesday the jury found Devaunte Hill guilty of second-degree murder, and returned a not guilty verdict on all charges for James Cowan. Hill fired shots that killed Kaufman two years ago in what was described as a road rage shooting. Cowan was in the car with Hill at the time of the shooting, but the jury found he was not responsible for Kaufman's death.

    Both Hill and Cowan faced first-degree premeditated murder counts, as well as lesser counts.

    After beginning deliberations Monday, the jury returned to the courtroom early Tuesday afternoon without a verdict. Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton read them the responsibility of the jury, including the need for a decision to be unanimous, before deliberations continued.

    The verdict was reached almost an hour later, just before 3 p.m.

    Sentencing for Hill will take place March 3.

    Timeline of events

    On the evening of December 3, 2020, Caitlyn Kaufman was driving along Interstate 440 on her way to work at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital when she was shot and killed.

    According to Metro Police, a Metro Parks officer had seen a Mazda SUV on the right shoulder against the guard rail and assuming the driver had crashed, he approached to help. Inside they found Kaufman, who had died from a gunshot wound.

    Investigators said there were bullet holes in the window of the car. They believe the bullets were fired into the SUV.

    Detectives said six rounds were fired into the vehicle.

    A week later, on December 11, then 21-year-old Devaunte L. Hill was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide.

    A day later, a second suspect, James Edward Cowan, also known as James Lillard was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

    In January 2021, a witness testified that he heard one of the suspects confess to killing Kaufman and said the suspect claimed they shot the nurse because she may have cut them off on I-440.

    https://www.newschannel5.com/news/ju...case?_amp=true
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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    Man who admitted to killing Nashville nurse on interstate gets 25 years


    by Jordan Whittington

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — The man convicted in the deadly road rage shooting of a Nashville ICU nurse will spend 25 years behind bars, the maximum he could have received.

    During a sentencing hearing earlier this month, 23-year-old Devaunte Hill apologized to Caitlyn Kaufman’s family for taking their daughter’s life.

    “She didn’t deserve to die, especially in the way that she did,” Hill said. “I couldn’t tell you I know how it feels to lose a child, but I do know if anything happened to any of my children I would be devastated.”

    A jury in January convicted Hill of second-degree murder. Prosecutors had fought for a first-degree murder conviction, arguing he shot with intent to kill.

    Caitlyn’s mother asked the judge for the maximum sentence and told Hill she’d never forgive him.

    Judge Dalton took the ruling under advisement and issued a written order Wednesday.

    In Dec. 2020, Kaufman was on I-440 driving to work at St. Thomas West when she was struck by a bullet. It traveled through her chest and killed her within seconds.

    "I wear a necklace containing Caitlyn’s ashes and fingerprints around my neck," Diane Kaufman said. "These are all I have left of her. Caitlyn’s life mattered. She had purpose."

    James Cowan, the man driving the vehicle at the time Hill fired shots, was acquitted in the case. He still faces federal drug and weapons charges.

    https://fox17.com/news/local/caitlyn...ibextid=Zxz2cZ
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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