Four years after a mother of four was found dead in a car that was pulled out of the Sacramento River, a 31-year-old man has been convicted of her murder.
Last week, Mandiko Kwadzo was found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2020 shooting of 23-year-old Carliena Clayton, according to CBS News.
On July 27, 2020, a bystander witnessed Kwadzo and Clayton arguing in the driveway of a Sacramento home. Shortly after, Clayton was seen getting into a vehicle with her four children and driving away. Kwadzo was in the passenger seat.
Unfortunately, Clayton never returned home that evening in what turned out to be her final moments with her children.
After Clayton and Kwadzo entered a vehicle and drove off, a man working at a marina in Sacramento County that evening heard gunshots and a car crashing into the Sacramento River.
He and a friend then went to where the crash occurred and saw Kwadzo standing outside of the water while Clayton and her children were still inside of the car.
According to the CBS News report, the two men pulled the four children out of the car to dry land. All four of the children survived. But when emergency responders arrived, they found Clayton dead, with severe bleeding coming from her head.
While prosecuting attorneys initially believed that the cause of her death was a car accident, Clayton’s oldest child told them that Kwadzo shot his mother twice in the head, which led to him being the prime suspect in the case.
It’s not clear exactly what led up to the shots being fired or if there was a history of domestic abuse in their relationship. It also hasn’t been made clear if Kwadzo is the father of any of the children who were in the car with Clayton the night of the shooting.
Kwadzo faces 53 years to life in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, September 6.