NASHVILLE, Tn. (EYT) — Investigators say that the murder of a Clarion University graduate who was fatally shot while driving to work in Nashville, Tennessee, may have been the result of road rage.
According to the Tennessean, while police have found no prior link between Caitlyn Kaufman and the two men being charged in her shooting, a possible motive offered by witnesses and investigators on the case is road rage.
Kaufman, a 26-year-old Butler County native, was found dead in her vehicle on December 3 on the shoulder of I-440W and most likely died within moments of being shot in her left shoulder.
Kaufman was discovered, deceased in her SUV, by a Metro Nashville officer who stopped around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, to investigate why her vehicle was parked on the shoulder of the highway, believing it was a single-vehicle crash.
A Davidson County Medical Examiner determined Kaufman was killed by a single gunshot that entered her left shoulder and likely died within 15 seconds, with no time to even call 9-1-1.
Thus far, three individuals, who investigators have said did not know Kaufman prior to that day, have been arrested in connection with her death.
James Edward Cowan, 28, and Devaunte Lewis Hill, 21, are each facing a homicide charge, while Cowan’s girlfriend, 21-year-old Dimeneshia Carter, is facing an accessory charge.
Cowan and Hill appeared in front of Davidson County General Sessions Judge Melissa Blackburn on Thursday, and Blackburn subsequently found probable cause to send their cases to a grand jury.
They both remain in custody as of late Thursday.
Carter is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
There are also federal charges pending against Cowan. He is facing charges for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance based on evidence found when he was arrested.
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