Hannah Driver: Mom Sentenced In Cult Killing Of Daughter In Cherokee

CANTON, GA — The 24-year-old mother convicted of stabbing to death her 13-month-old daughter four years ago as part of a cult has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Cherokee County Chief Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea imposed the sentence on Chloe Driver during a Thursday hearing. Driver was convicted of malice murder in November in the death of her daughter, Hannah, and was accused of being involved in a cult.

A jury on Nov. 20 found Driver guilty but mentally ill.

Driver was additionally convicted of felony murder (aggravated assault), felony murder (first-degree cruelty to children), aggravated assault and first-degree cruelty to children. McElyea sentenced her to 20 years to serve concurrently with the life sentence on the latter charge.

Driver spoke during the sentencing and said she would accept any punishment imposed on her by the court.

"This trial was only a snapshot of my life and mind," Driver said. " ... Though I may not legally meet the definition of insanity as of today, I know in the bottom of my heart that I was because I never would have done what I did had it not been for my decompensation."

Defense attorneys asked McElyea to take Driver's mental health into accountability while sentencing. Prosecutors urged the judge to sentence Driver to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Driver must serve 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole, per Georgia law.

During sentencing, McElyea said the death of a child at the hands of a parent is "a wrong that is unfathomable."

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

"A parent killing a child is something that just offends us on the deepest level," she 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, Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. 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 died of her injuries, Treadaway's office said.

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