The man convicted in the deadly road rage shooting of a Nashville ICU nurse will spend 25 years behind bars, the maximum he could have received.
During a sentencing hearing earlier this month, 23-year-old Devaunte Hill apologized to Caitlyn Kaufman’s family for taking their daughter’s life.
“She didn’t deserve to die, especially in the way that she did,” Hill said. “I couldn’t tell you I know how it feels to lose a child, but I do know if anything happened to any of my children I would be devastated.”
A jury in January convicted Hill of second-degree murder. Prosecutors had fought for a first-degree murder conviction, arguing he shot with intent to kill.
Caitlyn’s mother asked the judge for the maximum sentence and told Hill she’d never forgive him.
Judge Dalton took the ruling under advisement and issued a written order Wednesday.
In Dec. 2020, Kaufman was on I-440 driving to work at St. Thomas West when she was struck by a bullet. It traveled through her chest and killed her within seconds.
"I wear a necklace containing Caitlyn’s ashes and fingerprints around my neck," Diane Kaufman said. "These are all I have left of her. Caitlyn’s life mattered. She had purpose."
James Cowan, the man driving the vehicle at the time Hill fired shots, was acquitted in the case. He still faces federal drug and weapons charges.
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