Chloe Driver murder trial day 2: Witness describes alternative lifestyle, beliefs

CANTON, Ga. - The trial of Chloe Driver, a mother from Cherokee County who is accused of stabbing to death her toddler daughter, Hannah Nicole Driver, in December 2020, began on Tuesday.

The second day of testimony on Wednesday featured statements from Jason Spillars, an acquaintance of Driver and Benyamin Ben Michael, also known as Brian Joyce or "Z."

Chloe Driver’s relationships, belief

Jason Spillars said Z had four wives, but he was not in one himself. Still, he was not against the idea. I guess you could say, you know, that he always believed in plurality as well—that men should have multiple women.

He said Z was with Chloe Alexis Driver, Jessica Lee Caffigan, and Sarah Stiles, but their chosen "Hebrew names" were Ku-Ani, Anna GamAni, and Sheilig respectively.

He recounted how Z and his wives were nomadic and how he had gone on several trips with them. "I thought it was really interesting because you only see that with religious cults," he said, talking about the social perspective of polygamy.

Spillars reported how Driver had been with Z the longest and had been together for years before the other women came on board. He observed a "very beautiful and healthy relationship" between all four of them. He said he never saw a petty argument while staying with them in a van during a week in Nokomis, Florida, in May 2020.

He talked about how every one of them practiced veganism and how he picked it up after meeting Z. "I was influenced in a positive way by them and being around them," he said, adding that the diet was not forced, but it was pretty logical. He also said that he, along with the others, would also drink their own urine for health reasons, going into great detail about the practice.

Spillars also talked about "dark therapy," where all the windows were blacked out, and people would meditate for an extended period of time. "Z never made them do any of that," he said, adding that the women wanted to seek a higher level of being.

He added that Z was the head of the household when it came to his family, believing in a patriarchal family and traditional gender roles. When pressed by prosecutors if that was biblically based, Spillars replied, "No, it's just psychologically sound. Men are better leaders, they are better decision-makers, they can regulate their emotions in a way that women cannot, and they're just better leaders." Still, he insisted that they had the choice to leave.

Spillars remembered Hannah Driver

Spillars said Hannah was always around. He became emotional when speaking about the infant’s short life. Driver also showed emotion during this portion of the testimony.

When pressed if he, Driver, and the others had a non-traditional belief system, he responded, "Yes, I'll take that as a compliment."

Chloe Driver’s state of mind

The prosecutor then turned her sights on a single person’s delusions versus a belief system. "Define what is real," Spillars challenged the prosecutor when questioned about an alternative reality. "There is something greater here that those who are inept choose not to believe or see."

When pressed on what the collective group believed, Spillars responded, "We're not talking about Ku-Ani or Sheilig..."

"I mean, these are women, you know, they want to run and laugh and be silly on the beach while me and Z are sitting here discussing doctorate-level perceptions and quantum physics. But these women don't have these types of conversations; they do what women do," he added. "We're not having these conversations with these women; I am not even sure they are capable of that."

He added that it was also not the women’s role to have those conversations.

Spillars said Driver would phase in and out of delusion. He recalled a time when he had to run her down to coax her to come back from the middle of the road in traffic.

He described a dramatic shift in her mentality after an encounter with a woman. "It started with, ‘I need to protect the baby,'" he described, adding that he would try to be as gentle and patient as possible with her.

Spillars testified that he provided CBD to Driver to help her with her moods. Leading up to her infant’s death, Chloe discussed moving to Florida with her family, planting a garden, and doing some self-healing.

Hannah Driver's death: ‘"It was like a massacre’

The prosecutor then steered the conversation to the day of Hannah's death. Spillars said the group had planned to leave that day, and he had just awoken from a nap. He and two of the other women were standing in the driveway when he heard Z scream. "Just like this terrified, painful scream, just like a scream," he said. "It was shocking."

He eventually worked his way into the house and up into the room. "I entered the room, and there was blood everywhere... Z was trying to give mouth-to-mouth," he said. "I just went into shock, basically." He described Hannah as making a "gurgling" sound.

He went on to describe Driver’s stab wound. He described putting pressure on Chloe's wounds, using his sweatshirt and hands. She wanted to see her child one more time. "Stop, I’m supposed to die," she told him.

He said, "It was like a massacre."

"I can't imagine having to deal with knowing that you lost control of your own mind to the point where you killed your own daughter. Women don't kill their babies; that's really rare," Spillars said, adding that he does not believe that prison is the place for her.

Spillars broke down in tears during the cross-examination. During questioning by the defense about what type of mother Driver was, he said, "She was an excellent mother. She loved her baby," he said, fighting back sobs.

The defense also discussed Spillars' previous assault charge, to which he took an Alford plea, and other accusations of violence. 

Chloe Driver's psychological examination

Dr. Asif Choudhary, a psychiatrist at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, testified that there were no illicit substances found in Hannah's system at the time she was admitted for treatment. He also testified that Chloe told him "I wasn’t supposed to make it."

Chloe would later go on to admit to him that she felt the only way she could get out of the relationship was to take her own life and take the life of her baby. He said she told him that this feeling had been growing for some time. 

Most of his testimony dealt with his going over notes taken during his interviews with Chloe. They revealed how she felt like "Z" had been "collecting people," she had felt ganged up on and minimized. She struggled with the ability to leave and felt like she could not leave the situation.

Dr. Choadhary's notes also revealed Chloe had become more paranoid over the last few months while taking CBD.

"She is fixated that we are living in hell, and we are all actors in a movie we can rewind. When we die, we don't really die," he said, reading from one of his notes.

He said she refused medication.

Chloe had also revealed that she had been psychically abused for not cooperating with the group. She confided that she met "Z" when she was 17 and had Hannah shortly a year after. She also revealed she was not allowed to own a car, have a driver's license, or hold a job until they became homeless.

ER doctor describes treating Hannah Driver

Dr. Carli Blomquist, an emergency room physician at Northside Cherokee Hospital, testified that young Hannah was brought in for treatment on Dec. 8, 2020. "Her clothes were bloody, CPR was in progress, I could see stab wounds on the neck that were no longer bleeding, and there wasn't any apparent sign of life," she recalled.

Dr. Blomquist said the room was crowded with medical personnel, all attempting to revive the 13-month-old. "Unfortunately, after all the attempts to get her heart back beating, it was very clear that that was not going to happen," she recalled, adding that shortly after, they performed a check of her vitals, and the time of death was called at 3:10 p.m.

Other expert witnesses in Chloe Driver murder trial

"The wounds were no longer bleeding; she had lost a lot of blood," the doctor said, adding that her blood was gone.

Dr. Lora Darrisaw, a pediatric forensic pathologist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, also took the stand to discuss Hannah’s autopsy. She found multiple stab wounds, one in the neck, which went far into the child, striking her spine. Dr. Darrisaw went into great detail about every other injury the young girl received.

Caralyn Ordonez, a latent print examiner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, testified that no prints were found on the suspected murder weapon. Ordonez said the presence of a reddish-brown substance on the knife when she examined it could be the reason no prints were retrieved. She also noted that the material of the knife’s handle might have prevented the retrieval of fingerprints.

Chloe Driver murder trial day 1 recap

The murder trial of Chloe Driver, accused of fatally stabbing her 13-month-old daughter, Hannah, in December 2020, opened Tuesday with emotional and graphic testimony from witnesses and first responders. Driver, a 20-year-old mother from Cherokee County, was found with her daughter in an upstairs bedroom of their home in the Mountain View subdivision, where officers responded to a distress call. Despite efforts by medics, Hannah succumbed to her injuries shortly after being taken to the hospital.

Prosecutors argued that Driver was influenced by extreme beliefs promoted by a polyamorous group she was involved with, which allegedly rejected modern medicine and adhered to rigid dietary and lifestyle restrictions. According to Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Groppe, these beliefs may provide background to Driver's actions but do not excuse them. "This case is about what happened to Hannah," Groppe emphasized, adding that the jury must ultimately decide if Driver intended to kill her daughter. During opening statements, Groppe described the brutality of the alleged murder, displaying a photo of Hannah to the jury and recounting the disturbing details of her death.

The defense, however, painted a different picture, focusing on Driver’s mental state at the time of the crime. Defense attorney Angela Trethaway argued that Driver was not in control of her actions due to severe psychological distress, which she claimed was exacerbated by manipulative relationships within the polyamorous group. The defense does not dispute that Driver killed her daughter but contends that her mental health status should be the key factor in determining her guilt. "Miss Driver does not dispute that she killed her 13-month-old baby daughter," Trethaway stated. "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."

Testimony from first responders gave the court insight into the events of December 8, 2020. Canton Police Officer Gary Pruitt, the first to arrive, described a chaotic scene, with Hannah found bleeding on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom. Body camera footage from Pruitt’s arrival was shown in court, capturing the moments he discovered both mother and child. The officer testified that Driver appeared emotional as the footage was played, showing her lying on the floor next to her child.

Additional testimony was provided by Canton Police Cpl. Adam Yurkovsky, who led the initial investigation. He recounted his efforts to separate those present at the scene, including a man named Brian Joyce, with whom Driver was reportedly in a relationship. The prosecution suggested that Joyce’s influence over Driver contributed to her psychological state, and a homeowner who had allowed Joyce to live on the property testified about Joyce's lifestyle and beliefs. However, the homeowner stated that he hadn’t observed any behavior from Driver that would have raised immediate concern.

Further testimony came from paramedics and investigators who detailed the physical evidence found at the scene. Paramedic Brooke Ice described the tense moments when she responded, nearly kneeling on the knife suspected to be the murder weapon. Canton Police Detective Tom Priest and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Investigator Christopher Shaw presented photos of the crime scene and detailed the injuries Hannah suffered. Shaw recalled documenting extensive blood loss and knife wounds on the child’s neck, which led Driver to become visibly emotional in the courtroom.

Digital forensics evidence is also playing a role in the trial. Commander Lindsay Harris, a specialist with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, testified about the analysis of Driver’s cellphone, revealing extensive data that investigators reviewed for clues about Driver’s state of mind leading up to the incident. The trial, presided over by Judge Ellen McElyea, continues with more witness testimony scheduled on Thursday.