Chloe Driver murder trial day 1: Young Canton mother accused of stabbing of toddler to death

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Chloe Driver (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

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 incident happened on Dec. 8, 2020 at home in the Mountain View subdivision located along Mountain Vista Blvd. When officers arrived, they said they found both the child and the then-20-year-old mother in an upstairs bedroom. The child was rushed to the hospital where she later died. 

According to court documents, she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

She faces charges of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children.

Chloe Driver murder trial opening statements: Mother was in ‘a polyamorous relationship’

In opening statements, the prosecution said that Driver was involved in a polyamorous relationship with Brian Joyce, who also went by Benyamin Ben Michael, and two other women. The group reportedly adhered to extreme views, rejecting modern medicine and following strict dietary and lifestyle rules. "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," the prosecutor, deputy chief assistant district attorney Katie Groppe, said.

Groppe emphasized the brutality of the crime. "This is Hannah Nicole Driver on Dec. 8, 2020. She was 13 months old," the prosecutor stated while holding up a photo of the child. "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."

The prosecution cautioned the jury that they would hear about Driver’s involvement in a controversial group with unorthodox beliefs, including strict veganism, sensory deprivation practices, and unconventional healing rituals.

Driver faces several charges, including felony murder. The state’s case focuses on proving that Driver intended to kill her daughter.

Defense attorney Angela Trethaway, however, argues that Driver was mentally unwell at the time of the incident, citing severe psychological stressors allegedly exacerbated by her involvement in the group. The defense's position emphasizes Driver’s mental state, suggesting that she was influenced by manipulation from Joyce and his associates, which they contend led to her deteriorated mental health. "There is no dispute as to the facts regarding the events that occurred... Miss Driver does not dispute that she killed her 13-month-old baby daughter," the defense attorney said. "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."

Chloe Driver murder trial: Gripping 911 calls, evidence presented

Eight prosecution witnesses testified Tuesday in the murder trial of Chloe Driver, who stands accused of fatally stabbing her 13-month-old daughter, Hannah. The court heard chilling accounts from law enforcement and emergency responders, as well as details about the events surrounding the child’s death.

A Canton Police 911 dispatcher was the first witness, recounting the 911 calls that reported Hannah's stabbing. Audio of the calls was played in court, with the dispatcher confirming that none of the callers indicated that Chloe had also been injured.

Following the dispatcher, the homeowner of the property on Mountain Vista Boulevard testified. He described his relationship with Brian Joyce, a man he referred to as "Z," whom he had met through a third party after seeing a video about spiritualism online. The homeowner said Joyce and his girlfriend had intermittently stayed at his home since 2015, describing Joyce as "some sort of crazy hippie." Although he was aware of Joyce’s polyamorous relationship, he stated that he had not observed concerning behavior.

Canton Police Officer Gary Pruitt, who was first to arrive on the scene, testified about responding to the dispatch call at around 2:27 p.m. "The call came out, it was that a mother had killed her baby with a knife," Pruitt said. He recounted finding the young child bleeding on a mattress, and jurors were shown body camera footage of his arrival at the home. Driver appeared emotional while the footage played. Pruitt added that Hannah was taken to the hospital by medics. During cross-examination, he confirmed finding Chloe lying on the floor, holding hands with her child on the bed.

Canton Police Cpl. Adam Yurkovsky testified that he began the initial investigation by separating the parties involved to prevent them from coordinating their accounts.

Paramedic Brooke Ice, an eight-year veteran with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, described feeling in danger as she attended to the baby, nearly kneeling on the knife believed to be the murder weapon. Another paramedic moved the knife, which had been on the floor near her. She testified that she was unaware of the identities of those present, heightening her sense of fear.

Canton Police Detective Tom Priest testified next, telling the jury, "I was led upstairs to the room where the incident occurred and saw large amounts of blood on the bed and on the floor. And I also observed a knife on the floor." Priest shared photos from the scene, including an image of Joyce, who he said appeared shocked and emotional upon learning of Hannah’s death.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Investigator Christopher Shaw testified that he was called in by Canton Police to assist with the investigation. Shaw went first to the hospital, where he documented the child’s injuries. He described seeing significant blood loss and knife cuts on the child's neck. Driver became visibly upset as Shaw detailed the injuries, including the condition of the child’s sock, while jurors viewed related photographs. Shaw described the crime scene as "a clear-cut scene," contained to a single bedroom, and noted that the knife suspected to be the murder weapon appeared to belong to a set taken from the kitchen.

Finally, Commander Lindsay Harris, a digital forensics specialist with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, testified about her role in unlocking Chloe Driver’s cellphone and extracting data. Harris said her division generated a report with over 800,000 pages of data from the device.

Medical witnesses are scheduled to testify Wednesday as the trial continues in Fulton County Superior Court, presided over by Judge Ellen McElyea.