Taahviya Chapman, a 24-year-old American woman, has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison. She is sentenced for deliberately hitting people with her car, and killing one person. The deadly incident occurred in 2022 in Cincinnati. Her deliberate actions were captured on camera, and the authorities arrested her and prosecuted her.
Table of Contents
The Car Crash
In 2022, Taahviya ran her car over her boyfriend over his alleged infidelity and killed another man in the process. The crash happened in front of a Kroger place in Cincinnati. The prosecutor in charge of the case reported that Taahviya Chapman has pleaded guilty to all the charges against her.
What does it mean for her to plead guilty?
To plead guilty means that her sentence would range between 18 and 23 years. The prosecutor further revealed that Taahviya intentionally used her car to harm people in the parking lot. The incident was captured on camera, and it became evidence that was submitted in court.
The Victims
Christopher Griffith
One of the victims was Christopher Griffith, an innocent man who was going inside the store. After Taahviya hit him, he was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. The then 58-year-old Griffith sadly passed away from injuries sustained from the accident.
Jawon Lunsford
The second victim is the father of Taahviya’s baby, Jawon Lunsford. Jawon also sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital. It didn’t end there. After she hit the victims, instead of checking to see if they were right, Taahviya did the opposite. She then went to where Jawon was lying on the floor injured and started assaulting him. Taahviya did all these while her baby was in the vehicle. The accident and subsequent assault left Jawon with serious injuries. One of them is a broken leg that will take months to heal.
Aftermath
Taahviya Chapman was arrested and charged to court after the incident occurred. The death of Griffith and assaulting Jawon after hitting him made her charges serious. With the glaring evidence presented in court, Taahviya knew she had no way out other than to plead guilty.
Video evidence
The prosecutor in charge of the case presented video evidence taken from the CCTV where the incident took place. The CCTV vividly captured the moment Taahviya hit the two men and came out of the vehicle to assault Jawon. The video also showed Taahviya repeatedly punching her injured boyfriend on the ground.
What made Taahviya commit the crime?
Taahviya’s boyfriend, Jawon, was going to Kroger last year, and she offered to drop him off. This would later be one of the things she regrets most in her life. Taahviya confessed that she checked her boyfriend’s phone while he was still inside Kroger. She discovered that Jawon and her sister were sending inappropriate texts to each other. This fuelled her rage and made her lose her ability to do crime. She purposely hit Jawon when she saw him outside after he was done shopping. Unfortunately, Griffith who was about to enter the store was in front of Jawon at that time and became a victim too. Taahviya didn’t stop to check her actions and heartlessly plowed into both Griffith and her boyfriend. Griffith gave up the ghost at a hospital in Cincinnati.
The victims’ families
The incident sparked media outrage because it was brought to social media. Her lack of self-control simply because she thought her man betrayed her appalled so many people. As a result of her actions, a family has been left bereaved. And another family has been left taking care of their incapacitated loved one in the hospital. Griffith’s family felt incredibly sad and understandably angry over losing Griffith in a senseless manner. They couldn’t fathom how someone could ram a huge vehicle over her fellow human being.
Prosecuting statements
The prosecutor in a statement revealed that Taahviya left her child alone in the vehicle to go after Jawon. It was apparent that the baby was in the car when Taahviya crashed into the victims. The prosecutor was shocked that Taahviya wasn’t concerned that something could have happened to the baby during the crash. She put the life of her baby at risk, and this shows she’s an unfit mother.
Also, she didn’t care if she killed Griffith and Jawon, showing she didn’t have any regard for their lives. In his closing statement, the prosecutor accused Taahviya as a selfish, aggressive, and unfit mother. He assured the victims’ families that Taahviya would not go scot-free.
Taahviya’s Reaction After The Incident
Taahviya regretted her actions during the court proceedings. Perhaps she became clear-headed after realizing she was going to spend most of her life in prison. To reflect on her actions, she wrote a letter to Griffith’s family and stated that her behavior was unjustifiable. She promised to always think about the consequences of her actions every day of her life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although Taahviya Chapman is remorseful, what is done is done. Her apology can never bring Griffith back to his family nor erase her criminal record. This is a lesson for people to learn to control their anger and think before they act. Even if your partner is cheating on you, the best action is to leave if you are angry. Never let the situation escalate into violence because if it does, the consequences can be devastating as in the case of Taahviya Chapman.
