A Cobb County grand jury has indicted a woman for second-degree murder in the 2017 beating death of her 21-month-old son, according to the district attorney.
But that’s a lesser charge than Chantelle Driver previously faced, court records show. Earlier this year, Driver’s former fiancé was found guilty but mentally ill of more serious charges, including first-degree murder.
In February 2017, then 22-year-old Driver and 21-year-old Shomari Holmes were arrested after the boy was severely beaten, according to investigators. The toddler was taken to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta location, where he died several days later.
At the time of the boy’s death, Driver told police he “was acting lethargic and scared for the last week,” according to her arrest warrant.
Police previously said Holmes beat the boy in the head and ribs with closed fists. Driver, according to investigators, knew the abuse was going on but did not attempt to stop it.
Initially, only Holmes was charged with felony murder. Then in 2018, Driver was indicted on a felony murder charge, according to court records.
The cases against the two remained open until January, when Holmes was convicted of murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and cruelty to children. He was sentenced to life plus 180 years in prison, court records show.
The following month, an attorney for Holmes filed a motion for a new trial, which is still pending. He is an inmate at Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Driver is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 5, records show.
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