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Devaunte Hill, a 23-year-old man convicted of a second-degree murder charge in the deadly road rage shooting of Nashville ICU nurse Caitlyn Kaufman in January 2023, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Devaunte Hill received the maximum punishment after being convicted of a second-degree murder charge in the death of a 26-year-old nurse who was shot dead while driving to her shift at Ascension St. Thomas Hospital on December 3, 2020.
According to Fox News, during the murder trial, Hill reportedly confessed to the crime and testified that he was under the influence of drugs when he became enraged after the victim reportedly cut him off while on her way to work.
Details of Devaunte Hill's road rage incident explored
On December 3, 2020, Devaunte Hill was reportedly riding alongside James Cowan, who was behind the wheel, when the nurse cut them off while on her way to work on Conway road in Nashville.
Hill and Cowan then reportedly chased down the vehicle and began shooting at the victim, who pulled over after being wounded but died before she could dial 911. Kaufman, fatally hit in the shoulder by a single bullet, was pronounced dead at the scene.
While Hill and Cowan were both charged with criminal homicide, the latter was acquitted in the case as he did not discharge the weapon that killed the nurse. However, according to Channel News 9, Cowan still faces federal drug and weapons charges.
During a sentencing hearing earlier this month, Devaunte Hill apologized to the victim’s family for violently gunning down their daughter and noted that he would be devastated if a similar fate struck his child. He said:
“She didn’t deserve to die, especially in the way that she did. I couldn’t tell you I know how it feels to lose a child, but I do know if anything happened to any of my children I would be devastated.”
However, Caitlyn’s aggrieved mother refused to forgive the suspect and asked the judge for the maximum sentence reserved for the second-degree murder charge. During the hearing, the victim's mother Diane Kaufman said:
"I wear a necklace containing Caitlyn’s ashes and fingerprints around my neck. These are all I have left of her. Caitlyn’s life mattered. She had a purpose."
Shortly after Hill was sentenced, officials said that the victim’s family were pleased with the punishment.
As previously reported, Caitlyn Kaufman, described as a selfless individual by her family, reportedly studied nursing at Butler County Community College in Oak Hills, Pennsylvania. Kaufman then moved to Nashville and began practising as a nurse.
