Cult Mom Fatally Stabbed Toddler, Convicted Of Murder: Cherokee DA

CANTON, GA — A 24-year-old mother accused of being involved in a cult was convicted Wednesday of fatally stabbing her 13-month-old daughter in a Canton home.

A jury found Chloe Alexis Driver guilty of murder in connection with the death of her daughter, Hannah Nicole Driver, Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway's office said.

The stabbing death occurred on Dec. 8, 2020, when the Drivers stopped at a Mountain View home in Canton as they were en route to Florida, Treadaway's office said. They were traveling from North Carolina.

According to Treadaway's office, the suspected cult consisted of two men, three women, and a toddler.

Driver was accused of taking her young daughter into an upstairs bedroom with a knife shortly after arriving at the home. She was then accused of locking the door and stabbing her daughter in the neck, killing the child, before stabbing herself.

The baby's father tried to save her life, as well as first responders once they arrived; however, Hannah Driver died of her injuries, Treadaway's office said.

An autopsy showed she had been stabbed four times, Treadaway's office said.

After a six-day trial and a four-hour deliberation, the jury found Chloe Driver guilty but mentally ill on the charges of malice murder, felony murder (aggravated assault), felony murder (first-degree cruelty to children), aggravated assault and first-degree cruelty to children, Treadaway's office.

"A verdict of guilty but mentally ill means that the jury rejected the defendant’s insanity defense and found that Driver was criminally responsible for her actions. (Chloe) Driver will be sentenced for the crime of murder according to the laws of the State of Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Corrections will have the responsibility of addressing her mental health needs while she is incarcerated," Treadaway's office said in a news release.

Cherokee County Chief Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea will sentence Chloe Driver on Dec. 12.

“The facts of this case are deeply disturbing, and our hearts go out to all who responded and provided care to 13-month-old Hannah Nicole Driver, an innocent little girl who was stabbed to death by her own mother,” Treadaway said in the release. “During the trial, jurors watched bodycam footage of Cherokee County first responders fighting for Hannah’s life. Canton Police officers, Cherokee County firefighters and Northside Cherokee Hospital personnel demonstrated incredible dedication and compassion, even to the point of exposing themselves to horrific trauma that haunts them to this day.”