A Georgia mother who believed breastfeeding her baby was 'pouring' evil into the child has been found guilty of murder. Chloe Driver, 24, was convicted of stabbing her 13-month-old daughter Hannah to death in December 2020. The jury rejected her insanity plea, instead finding her guilty but mentally ill.
Prosecutors argued that Driver killed her daughter to gain sole possession of her husband, Benyamin Ben Michael, also known as Brian Joyce or 'Z'. Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper told the court that the husband had two other wives and that the polygamist group held 'radical views' and practised 'alternative' healing, including drinking their own urine.
Driver's defence team claimed she was abused and coerced by her alleged cult leader husband, suffering from mental illness and extreme beliefs. A forensic psychologist testified that Driver had schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder, and cannabis use disorder, attributing her struggles to a traumatic childhood and abusive relationships.
In a letter read in court, Driver confessed: 'He didn't do it. I did it. I was going insane and no longer wanted to be with his friends but kept coming back for him.' The defence argued that the claim she killed the child to have her husband to herself 'defies logic', as she would have also killed the other wives.
Police found Driver lying on a mattress next to her blood-covered baby, holding her hand. Both were taken to hospital, where Hannah died from her injuries. An emergency room doctor testified that the baby was 'empty of blood' when brought in.
