Man convicted of killing woman, leaving her 4 children in car submerged in river

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) -- A man faces 53 years to life in prison after killing a mother of four in 2020 and leaving her young children behind in a vehicle that had been submerged in a body of water.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office announced that a jury convicted Mandiko Kwadzo on July 24 of the first-degree murder of Carliena Clayton, as well as an enhancement for using a firearm in the commission of the murder. He was also found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Kwadzo is set to be sentenced on Sept. 6.

On July 27, 2020, West Sacramento Police responded to a report of shots fired inside a home and discovered evidence of a shooting. According to prosecutors, Clayton and Kwadzo were seen having an argument in the driveway. Clayton reportedly got in a vehicle with her four children, and as she pulled out, Kwadzo entered through the passenger side.

According to prosecutors, later that evening, a man at Cliff's Marina heard a gunshot and then a car crashing into the Sacramento River. The man and his friend allegedly saw Clayton unresponsive in the driver's seat of the vehicle which had been partially submerged in the river. The district attorney's office said the victim's four children were all in the back seat at the time. The oldest child, age 6, reportedly unbuckled all of the other kids' seatbelts. The youngest victim, a 2-year-old, was still in her carseat, but the male witness and his friend successfully pulled the children out to safety.

According to prosecutors, Kwadzo stood near the car but didn't do anything to assist with the situation.

Responding California Highway Patrol officers observed the victim bleeding from her head and without a pulse. Investigators initially thought it was a car accident, but the oldest child reportedly said Kwadzo shot his mother.

Authorities later determined Kwadzo shot the victim twice in the head, and officials took him into custody.

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