Aspiring Detroit Model Found Guilty In Stabbing Death Of Georgia Store Clerk
DALTON, Ga. (WWJ/AP) - An aspiring model, dancer and rapper from Detroit has been found guilty in the death of a northwest Georgia convenience store clerk.
Skyy Raven Marie Mims was found guilty Friday in the March 2014 death of 37-year-old Dahyabhai Chaudhari. Investigators have said Mims attacked Chaudhari before fleeing the store with lottery tickets and cash.
Attorney Carla Marable argued that Mims, who was 21-years-old at the time, is innocent and said police arrested her in a case of mistaken identity.
But District Attorney Bert Poston said Mims' cellphone was found on the scene next to the man's body and investigators found additional evidence linking her to the scene when she was arrested.
Mims is due back in court for sentencing on June 19. She faces the death penalty.
Chaudhari was working at the Hi-Tech Fuel gas station in the Dalton, Ga. area when he was killed. He was found in a pool of blood, with his mouth and eyes duct-taped shut.
Mark Rogers, who found Chaudhari dead on the floor, called 911 around 12:30 a.m. and told operators that change was scattered behind the cash register, leading him to believe there had been a robbery.
Charles David Branson, another customer who was in the store earlier that night around 11:15 p.m., told police he heard what sounded like an argument between the clerk and a woman who identified herself as the man's wife.
Branson told The Chattanooga Times Free Press that he first saw a smiling Chaudhari behind the counter, but his eyes were red as if he had been crying. Then, the clerk disappeared and Branson waited for at least 10 minutes. After using the restroom, where he thought he heard an argument involving a man and a woman, Branson said he went to the counter and saw a woman behind it.
Branson said the woman was wearing a white sweatshirt with the hood pulled tight and blue sunglasses so big they covered most of her face, so that all he could see was her nose, mouth and chin. Branson told police the woman claimed to be the clerk's wife, and yelled at him that he had to leave and the store was closing early. Just over an hour later, Chaudhari's body was discovered.
Two days later, police tracked Mims to a Bartow County residence where she was hiding out. Mims apparently tried flee when officers arrived, but was quickly apprehended. According to reports, police found a Kia Soul outside of the residence that matched the description of a stolen car from Michigan.
A medical examiner said Chaudhari died from a single stab wound to the back, but police haven't discussed other circumstances surrounding the case. The killing was captured on a store surveillance camera, which was turned over to investigators. Police have said Mims and Chaudhari did not know each other.
According to reports, shortly after the killing, Mims updated her social media accounts with a one word status: knowledge.
Mims, whose last known address is in Detroit, was visiting Atlanta frequently to try to break into the music scene there, according to her friend, Ibrahim Max.
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