Possible motive behind deadly pedestrian Kroger crash revealed by prosecutor

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A possible motive for a woman’s decision to plow into two pedestrians outside of the Spring Grove Village Kroger was revealed Thursday by Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.

Taah’viya Chapman, 24, dropped off her boyfriend, Jawon Lunsford at the Kroger on Aug. 31.

While inside the store, Deters said Chapman went through Lunsford’s phone and found what she considered to be inappropriate texts between her sister and her boyfriend.

Chapman then used her van to hit Lunsford as he walked out of Kroger, Deters said.

Walking in front of Kroger at the same time as Lunsford was an innocent bystander, Christopher Griffith.

Griffith, 58, suffered injuries when Chapman hit him, which led to his death at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

“She took this three-ton vehicle and plowed into him and plowed into Christopher Griffith, an innocent man on a cane walking across a crosswalk,” Deters said.

Lunsford sustained a broken leg in the crash.

Prosecutor Deters showed the video of the crash on Thursday.

In the video, Chapman is allegedly seen getting out of the van and running over to Lunsford as he lies on the ground.

Chapman then proceeds to punch her boyfriend numerous times, Deters said as the video played.

While Chapman was out of the vehicle, she left her and Lunsford’s 8-month-old daughter in the car.

“Her car was disabled,” Deters explained. “She exited the vehicle leaving her 8-month-old baby in the car and proceeds to go to her boyfriend and start beating him after he’s been run over by this car.”

Because she left the child in the car, Deters said a grand jury chose to indict her on child endangerment charges on top of the charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and attempted murder.

Chapman now possibly faces life in prison, according to Deters.

>> SEE MORE: Pedestrians struck at Kroger: 58-year-old man dies, driver charged with murder

Last week when Chapman appeared in court, documents surfaced that alleged she had previously lost custody of a four-year-old child.

That child is now in the custody of her father.

As for the 8-month-old, Deters said he believes the child is in the custody of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services.

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