Georgia – Police say officers were called to a home in the Mountain View neighborhood in Canton, Georgia.
A woman, 24-year-old Chloe Driver, had stopped there with a group of two men, three women and a baby, believed to be part of a cult traveling from North Carolina to Florida.
Shortly after arriving at the home, officials said Driver took a knife from the kitchen, locked herself in a bedroom with her daughter, 13-month-old Hannah Nicole Driver, and stabbed her before stabbing herself.
The baby’s father allegedly attempted lifesaving measures until first responders arrived. Driver survived, but her baby was pronounced dead at the scene.
She had been stabbed four times with wounds to her right carotid artery, proximal esophagus, 4th cervical vertebra, and right upper back, according to the autopsy.
In November 2024, Driver was convicted. She pleaded insanity, but the jury rejected her plea and found her criminally responsible for her actions.
She was found guilty but mentally ill of malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, and aggravated assault by a jury in Cherokee County.
On December 12, Judge McElyea described the murder as a “heinous offense” with “graphic and traumatic” evidence. She stated that the court sought resources to support jurors affected by the case, adding that “a parent killing a child offends us on the deepest levels.”
In handing down a life sentence, the judge noted that Driver attempted suicide after the killing and referenced testimony from three psychologists about her “profound” mental illness. She acknowledged the jury’s verdict of guilty but mentally ill.
Driver was also sentenced given 20 years to be served concurrently due to the victim’s age. The Georgia Department of Corrections will determine how her mental health treatment is managed.
