Polygamist cult mom who believed breastfeeding was pouring evil into baby learns her fate for stabbing 13-month-old daughter to death

A young mom who was living in a polygamist cult with her husband and his two other wives has been found guilty of stabbing her baby to death.

Chloe Driver, 24, was on trial in Georgia accused of murdering 13-month-old Hannah in December 2020.

Although she did not deny killing the infant and writing disturbing letters in which she confessed to the crime, she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

But after hearing from 21 witnesses at the end of a six-day trial, after just three hours of deliberating, a jury found her found guilty beyond reasonable doubt but mentally ill on all charges. 

The jury rejected Drivers insanity plea finding her criminally responsible for her actions. 

Driver was just 20 years old when she killed her daughter. She met her husband, Benyamin Ben Michael, when she was 17 and he was 38, the court heard. 

He was known as Z or Benyamin, and created contracts for each of his young wives and indoctrinated Driver into his whacky beliefs. 

The polygamist group did not believe in modern medicine, and little baby Hannah did not have a birth certificate, nor had she ever been to a doctor.

Chloe Driver, 24, on trial in Georgia accused of murdering 13-month-old Hannah in December 2020 has been found guilty of her murder

The polygamist group did not believe in modern medicine, and little 13-month-old Hannah did not have a birth certificate, nor had she ever been to a doctor

Driver was just 20 years old when she killed her daughter. She met her husband, Benyamin Ben Michael, when she was 17 and he was 38, (pictured on the day of his daughters death, with blood spatter on his shirt)

Driver was so blinded by the cult she believed she was pouring evil into her baby when breastfeeding her.

The court also heard her the three wives and their husband participated in alternative healing practices like drinking their own urine and sensory deprivation.

Drivers defense was that she was driven to insanity during her time in the cult, and therefore could not be held criminally responsible for her actions.

Prosecutors said that Driver had been motivated to kill her baby because she wanted her husband, the babys father, all to herself instead of having to share him with his two other wives.

The jury heard how Driver struggled with an unstable childhood and had a history of mental illness which only worsened during her abusive and oppressive marriage.

She finally snapped stabbing her baby and herself in December 2020. 

Her defense tried to portray her as a woman who had been  abused and coerced by her cult leader husband. 

It was, they claimed, a combination of mental illness and her extreme beliefs that ultimately resulted in baby Hannahs death. 

Driver was so blinded by the cult she believed she was pouring evil into her baby when breastfeeding her

In a distressing letter revealed in court, Driver wrote: He didnt do it, I did it. I was going insane and no longer wanted to be with his friends but kept coming back for him. I only wanted my baby and husband but he refused

Driver was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder, and cannabis use disorder. 

The defense attributed Drivers mental health struggles to a traumatic childhood and abusive relationships.

She had a very unstable childhood, Dr. McLendon Garrett told the court. 

Her family was cold, and she left them multiple times—living with boys, even leaving the state to move in with one. She experienced suicidal ideation early on and engaged in self-harm, including cutting and attempting to overdose on sleeping pills.

She was incredibly isolated. She wasnt allowed to speak to others unless it was for recruitment purposes. She couldnt go to stores, use money, or have a phone without supervision. Her only jobs lasted about two weeks, and those were out of necessity, Dr. Garrett said.

During the trial, one of the frantic 911 calls played in court was made by Jessica, the second wife of the group. 

She provided Drivers name, and told the dispatch officer I think a baby just died, and I think a woman is responsible for it. 

After several minutes on the line, dispatch officer Caylee McNealy said: I dont know whats going on, I need to know whats going on. Youre not telling me any information, can you tell me how the baby is doing?

Jessica answered: I dont believe she is breathing... I believe she was slit across the throat.

She told authorities that Driver was still with her baby, as was Joyce. In a separate 911 call, distressing screams and sobs were audible in the background as an officer was told she just killed a baby.

Shes 13 months old. She looks dead. 

The crime occurred inside the Canton, Georgia home of a friend of Drivers husband

Driver kept her head low and looked on the verge of tears as certain details were heard in court

Police told how Hannah suffered multiple stab wounds to the neck. Driver then stabbed herself in the neck.

Shed obtained the knife from the kitchen while her sister wives were napping and her husband was distracted.

Driver proceeded to lock herself and baby Hannah inside an upstairs bedroom, where she committed the crime.

When police arrived on the scene, they found Driver lying on a mattress next to baby Hannah who was covered in blood. Both were rushed to the hospital where the baby died from her injuries. 

In a distressing letter revealed in court, Driver wrote: He didnt do it, I did it. 

I was going insane and no longer wanted to be with his friends but kept coming back for him. I only wanted my baby and husband but he refused.

The prosecution told the jury, she wanted to be with him and he was never going to give up his polygamist cult lifestyle that they had adopted. 

Driver is now in the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections. She will be sentenced on December 12

The jury heard how Driver struggled with an unstable childhood and had a history of mental illness which only worsened during her abusive and oppressive marriage 

Shed gotten the knife from the kitchen while her sister wives were napping and her husband was distracted

Driver proceeded to lock herself and Hannah inside an upstairs bedroom, where she committed the crime

Baby Hannah suffered multiple stab wounds to her neck. Driver then stabbed herself in her neck

Katie Gropper, for the state of Georgia, said: She wanted him, she wanted to be with him. She was the first of this group of three wives and the two others came after her.

In the weeks leading up to Hannahs death, Driver had searched the internet to lean how to snap a neck, and researched the phrase killing somebody to save them. 

Prosecutors said Driver was not mentally ill when she chose to kill her baby, and was instead motivated by her desire to be alone with her husband and their baby daughter.

During the trial Driver kept her head low and looked on the verge of tears as certain details were heard in court while at other moments, she stared coldly ahead, unresponsive as chilling details of Hannahs death were shared.  

Before the jury went away to consider their verdict, Drivers defense team urged them to find her guilty by reason of insanity, arguing how was in a delusional state at the time of the babys death and was unable to tell right from wrong.

Justice for Hannah in this case is getting her mother the treatment she needs, they argued - but it was an argument the jury did not buy. 

Driver is now in the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections. She will be sentenced on December 12.