Carliena Clayton had just celebrated her 23rd birthday and the purchase of her first home when she was shot in the head by her boyfriend, Mandiko Kwadzo, in front of their four small children.
It happened while she was driving along the Sacramento River in California, causing the car to veer off the road and plunge into the water, trapping the children, ages 2 to 6, in the back seat.
Kwadzo escaped out of the passenger side and “was standing nearby the car, not doing anything to help” while his family slowly drowned, noted a press release. Thanks to quick-thinking bystanders who happened to hear the crash, all four children survived.
Kwadzo is now facing a life sentence after a jury in Sacramento County found him guilty of first-degree murder on July 24, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Carliena lost her life by somebody she was sleeping with every single night, so you never know what’s going through someone’s head,” childhood friend Aseanijanique White told CBS13 at the time.
The tragic events that led to Clayton’s death began early in the evening on July 27, 2020. A neighbor heard shots fired at the Sacramento-area home the couple shared and called 911.
Another witness told investigators the two had been arguing in the driveway before Clayton got into the car with the children. Just as she was pulling away from the house, Kwadzo hopped into the passenger seat, and they took off, according to the release.
Later that night, around 9:30 p.m., fisherman Harrell Fischer was working on his boat at a nearby marina when he heard screaming and what sounded like a car crash. He and a friend hopped into a boat and raced toward the car’s taillights, which were sticking out of the water, he told KRCA-3. When the men arrived at the scene, there were still signs of life.
“We went right up to the door, and we opened up the passenger door, and I saw a little face look up at me, and I about just melted. It was intense, and then I saw two little hands poke out, too,” Fisher said. They quickly jumped into the water to help the trapped children escape.
Kwadzo and Clayton had a blended family, each bringing children from previous relationships. They also shared one child together, according to CBS13.
“Kwadzo was standing nearby the car, not doing anything to help,” stated a press release issued by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office on July 25.
“When they looked into the car, they found the victim unresponsive in the driver’s seat and her four children in the back seat. The oldest 6-year-old child had already unbuckled all their seat belts, but the youngest 2-year-old child was still in her car seat. The two men got the children out of the car to safety.”
In an especially tragic twist, it was the 6-year-old hero — who had tried to save his siblings by unbuckling their seatbelts — who then told the men what actually happened — that Kwadzo had shot his mother in the car. An autopsy later revealed she had been shot twice in the head.
“You don’t come back from a shot like that,” the child reportedly said.
Once the children were out of the car, Fischer said he draped his coat around them and had them huddle together for warmth, CBS Sacramento reported.
When state troopers with the California Highway Patrol arrived, they found Clayton with no pulse and “severe bleeding” from her head. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The victim’s loved ones started a GoFundMe to help care for her two children. Clayton was described by friends and family as a loving and dedicated mom.
“She is 4’11 but has the heart of a giant. I’ve been saying that since I met her. She is the smallest little thing, but her heart is the biggest thing on her body,” White told reporters at the time.
Kwadzo, 31, is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on Sept. 6 and faces a maximum of 53 years to life in a state correctional facility.
If you or a loved one are experiencing domestic violence and need assistance, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline to get resources in your state: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
