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December 23, 2024
December 2, 2024

Canton woman in ‘polygamist cult’ found guilty of stabbing 13-month-old daughter to death

Written by: E. George

Published December 2, 2024 @ 2:30 PM ET

Warning: The following story contains information regarding alleged physical violence against children.

Update: Chloe Driver was convicted of aggravated assault, child cruelty, felony murder, and malice murder for stabbing her 13-month-old daughter, with a consideration of mental illness, according to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.

Although the jury denied her insanity plea and determined she was responsible for her actions, they acknowledged her mental health issues, which will be treated while she serves her time with the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Driver’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday, December 12, 2024.

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. – The trial of Chloe Alexis Driver, a 20-year-old Cherokee County mother accused of stabbing her 13-month-old daughter, Hannah Nicole Driver, to death in December 2020, began on Tuesday, November 12th, in Fulton County Superior Court.

On the afternoon of December 8, 2020, emergency responders were called to a home in the Mountain View subdivision along Mountain Vista Boulevard in Canton. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered both Driver and her daughter in an upstairs bedroom.

The young child, Hannah, was found bleeding profusely and was rushed to the hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Driver, meanwhile, was found in a distressed state. According to police reports, she appeared emotionally overwhelmed, and officers immediately secured the scene and began their investigation.

Hannah’s cause of death was later determined to be multiple stab wounds, marking the tragic end of the child’s short life. Driver was booked on December 22, 2020, and charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children.

The prosecution’s primary focus will be proving that Driver intended to kill her daughter, while the defense has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, arguing that Driver’s mental state at the time of the killing was severely compromised.

In opening statements, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Groppe described the brutal nature of Hannah Driver’s death. Holding up a photo of the 13-month-old, Groppe told the jury, “This is Hannah Nicole Driver on December 8, 2020. She was 13 months old. This is not the way you will see her in this trial. Instead, you will see her the way that first responding officers saw her… a beautiful baby girl who had been brutally murdered by her mother, stabbed repeatedly until every bit of life drained out of her.”

Groppe went on to discuss Driver’s involvement in a polyamorous relationship with Brian Joyce, also known as Benyamin Ben Michael, and two other women. The group, according to the prosecution, adhered to extreme views, including rejecting modern medicine, following a strict vegan diet, and engaging in unconventional spiritual practices.

Groppe acknowledged that the jury would hear testimony about these beliefs but emphasized, “You are going to hear a lot of distracting evidence about this group… but what your decision is in this case is what happened to Hannah.”

Groppe further stressed that while the case would involve evidence related to the group’s controversial lifestyle, the core issue for the jury was determining whether Driver deliberately murdered her daughter. The prosecution’s strategy will center on establishing that Driver’s actions were intentional, not the result of temporary mental instability or external influences.

The defense, led by attorney Angela Trethaway, has argued that Driver was not in her right mind when she killed her daughter, citing severe psychological stress caused by her involvement in the controversial group. Trethaway stated that there was “no dispute as to the facts regarding the events that occurred,” acknowledging that Driver killed her daughter.

However, the defense’s primary contention is that Driver’s mental state at the time of the crime was significantly impacted by manipulation and coercion from Brian Joyce and his associates.

In her opening remarks, Trethaway told the jury, “The only issue in this case that you need to decide is Ms. Driver’s mental status and mental state at the time of the crime.” She painted a picture of a young woman in the grips of psychological distress, influenced by Joyce’s extreme beliefs and the unhealthy dynamics within their polyamorous relationship.

The defense will likely argue that Driver’s mental illness, exacerbated by these stressors, led her to commit the horrific act and that she was not fully accountable for her actions.

The trial proceeded with the prosecution calling several witnesses to testify, including law enforcement officers and emergency responders who were first on the scene. Among the first to testify was a 911 dispatcher, who recounted receiving multiple calls reporting the stabbing of a child.

Audio recordings of the calls were played for the jury, providing chilling insight into the frantic moments after the crime was discovered. The dispatcher confirmed that none of the callers mentioned that Driver had also been injured, which may be a key point for the prosecution, suggesting that Driver was emotionally distressed but not physically harmed.

The homeowner, who had known Brian Joyce for several years, also took the stand. He described Joyce as “some sort of crazy hippie” and confirmed that Joyce and his polyamorous partners, including Driver, had occasionally stayed at his home. While aware of the group’s unconventional lifestyle, he testified that he had never observed any behavior that raised alarm.

Canton Police Officer Gary Pruitt was another key witness. He was the first to arrive at the scene and testified that he found Hannah on a bed, bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Body camera footage from Pruitt’s arrival was shown to the jury, capturing the moment when he discovered the young child’s condition. Officer Pruitt also described Driver as emotional but not physically harmed when he arrived.

A paramedic who attended to the child recounted the distressing situation, noting that she felt a heightened sense of danger due to the presence of a knife near the child’s body. Another paramedic moved the knife away from the scene as they worked to save Hannah’s life. She testified that she did not know the identities of those present, which added to her anxiety while performing emergency care.

Detective Tom Priest, who led the investigation, described the crime scene in grim detail, pointing out the significant amount of blood found on the bed and floor. He noted that a knife found at the scene appeared to be part of a kitchen set belonging to the family.

Investigator Christopher Shaw, who examined the child’s body at the hospital, corroborated these findings, detailing the gruesome injuries sustained by Hannah, including severe knife wounds to her neck.

Finally, digital forensics specialist Lindsay Harris testified about her work in unlocking Driver’s cellphone and extracting over 800,000 pages of data, which could provide further insights into Driver’s mental state leading up to the crime.

As the trial continues, medical witnesses are expected to testify, including experts who will address Driver’s mental health and whether she was capable of forming the intent required for a conviction on murder charges. Judge Ellen McElyea is presiding over the case, which is expected to unfold over several weeks, with testimony from both sides painting a complex picture of mental illness, extreme beliefs, and a tragic loss of life.

The jury will ultimately have to decide whether Chloe Driver’s actions were the result of premeditated murder or whether she was suffering from a mental breakdown induced by her involvement in the unorthodox group.