Trial of men accused of killing Nashville nurse begins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The jury selection in the murder trial of two men accused of killing a Nashville nurse began Monday morning.

Devaunte Hill and James Cowan were arrested in connection with the shooting death of Saint Thomas Ascension West nurse Caitlyn Kaufman.

Kaufman was shot and crashed her car on Interstate 440 on the evening of Dec. 3, 2020. A witness testified during an earlier hearing that Kaufman cut them off while driving on I-440 and the shooting was the result of road rage.

Kaufman was found slumped over her steering wheel in her car on I-440 by a Metro Parks officer on his way home. Last year, the lead investigator testified that the officer came upon Kaufman’s car originally thinking it was a wreck but discovered several bullet holes. Kaufman’s car was still running and her foot was on the brake, according to testimony.

Hill was arrested six days after the shooting and investigators took Cowan into custody more than a month later. Metro Police said they recovered two pistols from Cowan’s car after his arrest.

Hill and Cowan are charged with first-degree murder in Kaufman’s death.

During a preliminary hearing in November, Kaufman’s parents came face to face with the two suspects in her murder.

Her mother struggled to hold back tears while her father lunged through the partition in the courtroom at the defense table. Bailiffs removed Kaufman’s dad from the courtroom, and he sat outside for the remainder of the hearing.

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