Nashville police make arrest in killing of Butler County native
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Nashville police on Friday arrested a man in connection with the killing of a Butler native who was on her way to her shift as a nurse at a Tennessee hospital.
Caitlyn Kaufman, 26, was shot and killed Dec. 3 as she drove on I-440. An officer discovered her body a little over two hours later when he spotted her SUV along the shoulder and believed he’d come upon a crash.
Devaunte Hill, 21, was arrested early Friday and charged with homicide, Nashville police announced in a Friday press conference.
Police said the tip that led them to Hill came within an hour of an announcement that a $50,000 reward had been raised for information in the case. Authorities said a concerned citizen came forward Thursday afternoon and identified Hill. Police said the person gave information that led detectives to a 9mm handgun which, when fired, produced shells that matched those found at the scene.
Authorities said Hill’s cell photo data showed he was in the area of I-440 at the time they believe Kaufman was killed. Nashville Detective Chris Dickerson said Hill implicated himself in the killing during an interview with detectives.
Police did not give a motive for the shooting, but they said the two did not know each other.
Dickerson said Kaufman’s mother had returned to Butler County on Thursday to prepare for her daughter’s funeral set for Saturday.
“While it was a relief to be able to sign the arrest warrant naming Hill at 3:37 this morning, it was an exceptional relief to be able to call Kaufman’s mother, Diane, in Pennsylvania this morning to tell her that an arrest had been made,” Dickerson said.
Diane Kaufman told the Tennessean she will “forever be grateful” to the Nashville police and community.
“I think I’m still in shock,” she told the newspaper. “I was in shock with the shooting, but now I’m in shock over the arrest. I’m just so thankful.”
Her daughter was headed to her 7 p.m. shift at St. Thomas West Hospital when she was shot and killed, according to the Tennessean, which police believe happened between 6:05 and 6:10 p.m.