Jury convicts man charged in Butler County native Caitlyn Kaufman's death, acquits the other

NASHVILLE (KDKA/AP) - One of the two men charged with killing Butler County native Caitlyn Kaufman while she was driving to work in Tennessee was found guilty.

The jury acquitted James Cowan and found Devaunte Hill guilty of second-degree murder, according to The Tennessean. The verdict came Tuesday after more than 11 hours of deliberation. 

In opening statements on Wednesday, both sides agreed that Hill killed the nurse on Dec. 3, 2020, as she drove to work at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville shortly after 6:00 p.m. They even both agree the motive was road rage. However, they differed on whether Hill and co-defendant James Cowan were guilty of first-degree murder.

Kaufman's Mazda CX-5 SUV was discovered wrecked along Interstate 440 around three hours later by a Metro Parks officer who thought it was a single-vehicle wreck. He discovered the car was riddled with bullets and Kaufman was dead inside.

In court, Hill's defense attorney said Hill acted in anger and "did not act with the conscious desire to kill" Kaufman. Cowan's defense attorney tried to distance his client from the shooting, saying there was no proof he had a weapon, fired a weapon or demanded someone kill anyone.