Man shoots 23-year-old girlfriend in head as she was driving, causing her to crash into river with her 4 children

Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - A jury in California convicted a man of murdering his girlfriend last week.

Mandiko Kwadzo, 31, is facing a sentence of 53 years to life in prison after jurors found him guilty of first-degree murder, using a firearm in the commission of the murder, and possessing a firearm as a felon.

Those charges all stem from the d3ath of Carliena Clayton, 23, who was found lifeless in her car after it crashed into the Sacramento River on July 27, 2020.

Police arrived at the home of Kwadzo and Clayton that night after someone reported that they heard a gunshot inside the residence, according to a release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

At the scene, police spoke to a witness who said that the two were seen fighting in their driveway before driving off in Clayton's car with her four children, three of whom she shared with Kwadzo, according to the release.

West Sacramento Police later said that officers also discovered evidence of a shooting inside the residence.

Then, at around 9:30 p.m., a caller reported hearing a gunshot near a local marina followed by the sound of a car crashing into the river, according to the release.

That caller, Harrell Fischer, had been on his boat nearby and he quickly called a friend for assistance.

The two men then arrived at the scene of the crash to find Clayton dead behind the steering wheel and her four children in the backseat of the submerged vehicle.

All four children were pulled from the vehicle by Fischer, who had some help from Clayton's oldest son. The brave young boy, 6, had already helped unbuckle two of his three younger siblings from their seatbelts by the time the two men arrived to help, according to the release.

When the two men arrived at the scene, they discovered Kwadzo "standing near the car not doing anything to help" as his own children slowly started to drown in the vehicle.

The police initially assumed Clayton had died in a car accident, but the brave boy foiled Kwadzo's attempt to cover up his crime by turning him into the police.

Clayton's 6-year-old son informed police that Kwadzo had shot his mother, causing her to drive off the road, according to the release.

The medical examiner later determined that Clayton had been shot twice in the head.

Kwadzo is set to be sentenced for his crimes on September 4.