Video surveillance captured a mother intentionally slamming her car into two pedestrians outside of a Cincinnati Kroger on the night of Wed, Aug. 24. One of the victims died early the next day, Fox 19 reported.
Taah’viya Chapman, 24, was arrested the next day and charged with aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, felonious assault, and endangering a child.
According to Cincinnati.com, Chapman targeted her boyfriend and the father of her child, Jawon Khalid Lunsford, after discovering he was in an “inappropriate” relationship with her sister by going through his phone.
The video showed Chapman driving full speed towards Lunsford while a 58-year-old Christopher Scott Griffith walked towards the store with his cane. After the impact, Chapman departed from her vehicle, approached Lunsford, and began punching him numerous times—all while her 8-month baby remained in the car. She attempted to flee the scene but was stopped.
While Lunsford only suffered a broken leg, Griffith was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center but died from his injuries. Ten minutes after Griffith’s death, Chapman was brought to the Hamilton County Justice Center. When she appeared in court, Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Tyrone Yates set her total bound to $2,000.
“What this woman did is sickening,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters stated. “Her total disregard for human life is stunning. This woman didn’t care about the lives she put in danger – including her own 8-month-old child. That level of selfishness is impossible to understand, but we will do everything in our power to ensure she spends the rest of her life in prison.”
Chapman was wanted for an April charge dealing with the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. She failed to return a different child of hers to the father, who had custody of the child.
According to the family of Griffith, he was a sound engineer who toured with huge artists like Prince and Aerosmith but got into a motorcycle crash that left him paralyzed from the neck down in 2013. His recovery enabled him to walk with a cane.
