Aspiring Detroit Model Allegedly Taped Clerk's Eyes, Mouth Shut Before Fatal Stabbing In GA
DALTON, Ga. (AP/WWJ) - An aspiring model and singer from Detroit is facing murder charges after a northwest Georgia convenience store clerk was found stabbed to death.
The U.S. Marshals Service said 21-year-old Skyy Raven Marie Mims was arrested Tuesday in the slaying of 37-year-old store clerk Dahyabhai Chaudhari.
The incident happened late Sunday night in Dalton, located about 90 miles north of Atlanta, near the Tennessee-Georgia state border.
Mark Rogers, who found Chaudhari dead on the floor, called 911 around 12:30 a.m. Monday and told operators that the worker's mouth and eyes had been duct-taped shut. Rogers told The Daily Citizen of Dalton that change was scattered behind the cash register, leading him to tell the 911 operator that he thought 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 saw a woman standing behind the counter with sunglasses so large they covered most of her face.
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 wore 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 said 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.
Police on Tuesday 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.
Chaudhari was apparently stabbed to death, 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.
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.
"She said she was getting more support from people in Atlanta," Max told The Daily Citizen. "She said it was amazing. I was like, 'Why are you going to Atlanta? What's in Atlanta?' And she said, 'I think I can build a fan base.' I thought that was true. Her music was more outside the box and I thought Atlanta was a good place for that. She had so much potential there, I think."
Mims is currently being held without bond and is due back in court on Friday. An investigation is ongoing.
TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
