NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The girlfriend of one of the men accused in the murder of a Nashville nurse has now been arrested on charges of harboring a fugitive.
Metro police said 21-year-old Dimeneshia Carter was with James Cowan on Tuesday night when he was arrested. Police said the couple had been surveilled by undercover detectives and ATF agents and Carter was seen driving Cowan in a rental car from a motel to the apartment complex where he was arrested.
Carter told detectives during questioning she was staying with Cowan and providing him transportation while knowing he was wanted, police said.
Officers said two semi-automatic pistols, 126 rounds of ammunition, 1 pound of edible marijuana gummies, 7 ounces of marijuana, 5.3 grams of powder cocaine, 238 Xanax bars and 56 Adderall pills were seized from the rental car. Charges in relation to these items are pending.
She was arrested on Wednesday morning and is being held in lieu of a $75,000 bond.
Cowan and Devaunte Hill have been charged in the death of Caitlyn Kaufman on December 3. Kaufman was driving on Interstate 440 to Saint Thomas West Hospital when she was shot and killed. The 26-year-old worked at the hospital as an ICU nurse. Metro Nashville Police detective Christopher Dickerson says he called Kaufman's mother Diane, to explain the news of a second arrest.
"She just stated that she was relieved that he was off the streets. She hopes moving forward that justice will be done," Dickerson said.
Dickerson says cell phone data showed Cowan routinely spoke to Hill and the two were considered friends. Acting on a search warrant, police traced both Cowan and Hill’s phones to I-440, not far from where Kaufman was killed that December night. As for a motive, police say they do have leads but nothing they can share at the moment.
“What I can tell you is they did not know each other. The two suspects did not know Kaufman,” Dickerson said.
While police work on motive, they say Cowan’s lengthy criminal history in Tennessee put him on police and TBI’s radar.
Cowan’s charges include evading arrest, multiple parole violations, felony gun possession and drug possession.
“Hopefully this will be something where he’s put away for a long time. We’ll see how it goes, but I know that everyone has been working hard,” Dickerson said.
Hill and Cowan are scheduled for court appearances on December 21.
