A man who shot his ex-girlfriend and left her body with her children in a car that sank into the Sacramento River was found guilty of murder this week, Sacramento County prosecutors announced.
A jury on Wednesday found Mandiko Kwadzo guilty of use of a firearm in murder and possession of a firearm as a felon, with sentencing set for Sept. 6, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He faces 53 years to life in prison.
On July 27, 2020, West Sacramento police responded to reports of shots fired; a witness said they saw Kwadzo and 23-year-old Carliena Clayton arguing in the driveway of her home.
Police said Clayton was seen getting into a car with the four children and Kvarzo got into the passenger seat as they pulled out of the driveway. When police arrived, they found evidence of a shooting inside the home.
That night, a man at the Sacramento Cliff Pier heard a gunshot before his car plunged into the river, authorities said. The man called his friend and both went to the accident scene to help, only to see Clayton’s car in the water and Quazzo standing nearby, taking no action to help.
Clayton was unresponsive in the driver’s seat with her children in the back seat. Her 6-year-old had everyone unbuckled, but the 2-year-old was still in her car seat. The two men were able to rescue all the children from the car, authorities said.
Clayton had no pulse and was bleeding heavily from his head, according to arriving CHP officials. She was eventually pronounced dead at the scene. The first responding officers initially believed the family had been in a car accident, but the oldest child told police that Covazo shot his mother, and Covazo was arrested.
Clayton suffered two gunshot wounds to the head, but the gun was never found.
At the time of her death, Clayton had just purchased a home in the Sacramento area for herself and her children, friends told CBS News.
“Cariana lost her life because of who she slept with every night, so you never know what’s going on in someone’s head,” Arsenijani White said.
