Man is convicted of killing girlfriend and leaving her 4 kids to die in river

A man from California was found guilty last week of killing his girlfriend, while she drove her four children. The car swerved off the road with the kids inside. Mandiko Kwadzo, 31, was charged with the first-degree murder of Carliena Clayton, 23

The crime happened on July 27, 2020. Police were first involved when someone called about gunshots coming from a nearby house. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said a neighbor saw the couple fighting in their driveway before driving off with the kids.

A bystander at Cliff's Marina heard a gunshot later that evening followed by the sound of a vehicle plunging into the Sacramento River. The man and a friend investigated the noise and discovered a partially submerged vehicle with Kwadzo standing nearby, not attempting to assist the children.

The two bystanders jumped in to save the kids from the sinking vehicle. The four children, aged 2 to 6, were pulled to safety. The DA said the oldest kid had unbuckled everyone, but the youngest was still in a car seat.

Highway Patrol found Clayton unconscious and bleeding from her head. What initially was presumed to be a car accident turned out to be an act of crime when Clayton's oldest child informed authorities that Kwadzo had shot their mother.

Later reports showed Clayton had been shot in the head twice. Police never found the murder weapon. Kwadzo will be facing 53 years to life for his crime and will be sentenced on September 6.