Lawyer: Shooter acted in anger, not premeditation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The trial in the case of a Nashville nurse killed as she was driving to work will center on whether Devaunte Hill acted in a premeditated way when he shot Caitlyn Kaufman, or whether he reacted automatically and without thinking after being cut off.

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 differ on whether Hill and co-defendant James Cowan are guilty of first-degree murder, The Tennessean reported.

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.

A tip to police identified Hill, 23, and Cowen, 30, as suspects.

In court on Wednesday, Davidson County Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman began by painting a picture of Kaufman’s daily routine, brutally interrupted.

Meanwhile, “At 7:37 p.m. Devaunte Hill was entering into Google ‘Nashville shooting,’” Norman said.

Defense attorney Georgia Sims said Hill told a friend that Kaufman had cut them off.

Memphis activist Justin J. Pearson elected to state House

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Memphis community activist who led the charge against plans for an oil pipeline over an aquifer that provides drinking water to 1 million people has won a seat in the Tennessee Legislature.

Justin J. Pearson, 28, won the seat in a special election Tuesday by a significant margin, news outlets reported. With all precincts reporting, Pearson received 1,235 votes in unofficial totals for the Democratic primary while attorney Julian T. Bolton came in next with 289 votes.

There was no Republican candidate, so the seat goes to Pearson. He succeeds Democrat Rep. Barbara Cooper, who represented Tennessee House District 86 until her death on Oct 25.

Pearson co-founded the grassroots organization Memphis Community Against the Pipeline in response to a planned crude oil pipeline that would have run through wetlands and under poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods in south Memphis. The company canceled plans for the pipeline in 2021.

Since no general election is necessary, the Shelby County Commission plans to appoint Pearson on Feb. 1.