Father lunges at two men accused of killing daughter during court hearing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A father lunges at two men accused of killing his daughter, 26-year-old Caitlyn Kaufman, inside a Davidson County courtroom on Tuesday morning.

Kaufman was an Ascension Saint Thomas nurse who was shot and killed on Interstate 440 on her way to work two years ago.

Before Tuesday’s motion hearing, Rick Kaufman, Caitlyn’s father, moved through the partition toward Davaunte Hill and James Cowan, the two men accused of killing his daughter on Dec. 3, 2020. He was taken out of the courtroom by two bailiffs and sat outside the courtroom for the remainder of the hearing. Diane Kaufman, Caitlyn’s mother, stayed inside and teared up throughout the morning.

Assistant Director Attorney Jan Norman brought several witnesses to the stand, including lead investigator Sgt. Chris Dickerson, who detailed what law enforcement saw when they got to the scene on I-440 West between Hillsboro Pike and West End.

“There was a parks officer, I believe he was on his way home. He drove by and he thought that it was a wreck. He thought a vehicle had rammed through the guardrail,” Dickerson testified. “So, at first, he went by, and he was able to flip around, and he went up on the vehicle and he realized it had several bullet holes in the vehicle and then he realized there was an individual slumped over the steering wheel, so he positioned his vehicle in front of her and I believe he called additional units.”

Dickerson also testified the car was still running and Kaufman’s foot was on the brake.

Police also said how they found out who killed Kaufman. They said one man traded guns with Hill, came forward to police for reward money, and Hill was arrested. That man was also a confidential informant for Metro Police, a position he no longer holds.

The Kaufman family is from Pennsylvania, but Caitlyn moved to Nashville after becoming a nurse. Hill and Cowan are facing life in prison.

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