The man, who shot his girlfriend while she was driving and her four children were inside the vehicle, was found guilty of first-degree murder, among other charges, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Mandiko Kwadzo, 31, appeared in court for sentencing after causing the death of his girlfriend, Carliena Calyton on July 27, 2020. The judge found him guilty of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In a statement, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office recalled that in July four years ago, officers with the West Sacramento Police Department responded to a 911 call, reporting that shots had been fired inside the residence where Clayton had recently moved with her four children, who ranged in age from 2 to 6.
Witness said that they all got into the car
When officers arrived at the home, no one was there, but they found evidence that a gun had been fired. A witness told them that they had seen the victim and Kwadzo arguing and that the two of them and the children had gotten into a car.
“A man was at Cliff’s Marina in Sacramento County when he heard a gunshot followed by a car crashing into the Sacramento River. He called a friend and when the two arrived at the scene of the accident to help, they saw the victim’s car partially submerged in the river,” the prosecutor said in the statement.
KXTV reported that as the men approached the river, they saw the children’s hands trying to get out of the vehicle and jumped into the water to help them. They described Kwadzo as “standing near the car not helping at all.”
One of the children said that the man shot
“When they looked inside the car, they found the victim unconscious in the driver’s seat and her four children in the back seat. The oldest child, aged 6, had already unbuckled all of his seat belts, but the youngest child, aged 2, was still in her car seat,” the prosecutor added.
California Highway Patrol officers were the first to respond to the crash and discovered Clayton was unresponsive and had no pulse. He also had “severe bleeding in his head.”
Authorities initially believed Clayton’s injuries were a result of the car crash, but her 6-year-old son told the CHP that Kwadzo had shot his mother before the crash.
“The older boy told officers that Kwadzo shot his mother, at which point he was taken into custody. It was later determined that the victim suffered two gunshot wounds to the head. The gun was never located,” the statement said.
The accused did not help to save the children
The investigation revealed that the couple argued. Kwadzo was in the passenger seat and fired at the victim, which then hit the river. And as described, the man did nothing to save the children who were screaming for help.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said Madiko Kwadzo will appear before Judge Kenneth Brody on Sept. 6 for his sentencing hearing. He faces a maximum sentence of 53 years in prison or life in a state penitentiary.
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