Chloe Driver found guilty of stabbing to death her 13-month-old daughter

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA. – The verdict has been reached in the case of Chloe Driver, a Cherokee County mother who was accused of stabbing her infant daughter to death in December 2020.

Jurors took less than three hours to find the 24-year-old man guilty but mentally ill of killing 13-month-old Hannah Nicole Driver. The charges included murder with malice, capital murder (aggravated assault), felony murder (first-degree child abuse), aggravated assault and first-degree child abuse.

The finding of guilty but mentally ill means the jury rejected Driver’s insanity plea and found her guilty of the felonies.

She will be sentenced for her crimes on December 12. In the meantime, the Georgia Department of Corrections will be responsible for addressing her mental health needs.

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What happened to Hannah Nicole Driver?

Canton Police were called to a home in Mountain View on December 8, 2020.

Driver was staying there with a group of two men, three women and a child believed to be members of a cult traveling from North Carolina to Florida.

Shortly after arriving at the home, Driver took a knife from the kitchen, locked herself in the bedroom with her daughter and stabbed her before stabbing herself, officials said.

The child’s father allegedly attempted life-saving measures until first responders arrived. The driver survived, but her child died on the spot.

According to the autopsy, she was stabbed four times in the right carotid artery, proximal esophagus, 4th cervical vertebra and right upper back.

“The facts of this case are deeply troubling, and we sympathize with everyone who responded to help 13-month-old Hannah Nicole Driver, an innocent little girl who was stabbed to death by her own mother,” the district attorney said. Susan K. Treadaway. “During the trial, jurors watched body camera footage of Cherokee County first responders fighting to save Hannah’s life. Canton police officers, Cherokee County firefighters, and staff at Northside Cherokee Hospital demonstrated incredible dedication and compassion, even to the point of exposing themselves to horrific trauma that haunts them to this day.”

The driver’s trial lasted six days. A total of 21 witnesses testified, 15 of whom were called by the state. 135 pieces of evidence were presented, including 911 calls, crime scene photos and the murder weapon.

The driver pleaded insanity, but state authorities said she did not meet the criteria under Georgia law.

“No matter how hopeless you feel, no matter how desperate you feel, no matter how angry you are, no matter how upset you are, you cannot commit the act of murder and that is the law,” the Chief said. Assistant District Attorney Kathy Gropper in her closing statement. “It was a cruel, vile, terrible way to die. And I don’t care how bad your life is, you can’t do that to that girl and there won’t be any consequences for you. She chose this life.” Hannah didn’t.