Chirin Kudeimati: Michigan woman, 41, sentenced to 1 to 15 years in prison in fatal hit-and-run case
DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Chirin Kudeimati, a Southfield woman who ran a red light, struck a 40-year-old mother on a crosswalk, and then abandoned the woman to her death, was reportedly sentenced on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Detroit police reported that they were called to the intersection of West McNichols and Telegraph Roads at 1.06 pm on December 4, 2019.
According to a report by Click On Detroit, officers arrived at the accident scene and discovered Detroit resident Najla Mateen II, 40, on the ground. They claimed she was in the Telegraph Road crosswalk when she was hit by a car. Kudeimati, 41, is charged with running a red light while traveling north on Telegraph Road. She allegedly hit Mateen and fled the site after that, according to the authorities. Mateen was later declared dead. Authorities arrested Kudeimati and accused her of causing a fatal accident and failing to halt at the scene of the incident.
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A deal between the defense and prosecution attorneys in June 2020 resulted in the dismissal of the accusation of careless driving causing death. In accordance with the terms of the deal, Kudeimati entered a guilty plea to two counts of causing death by moving violation and failing to halt at the site of an accident when at fault.
Kudeimati was reportedly back in court on Tuesday, October 25, for the sentencing. Mateen's family members and those close to her, including her mother and daughter, gave victim impact statements, which she heard. Mateen's daughter said, "She killed my mother, she went home, she had a drink, and just waited for the police."
Mateen's daughter continued, "If you see the news video, you can see that my mother was carrying her life on her back, and it was scattered all over the street. And Ms Kudeimati got to go home. It's not fair to us. It's not fair to have to hear the way my family was crying and screaming when they had to watch my mother for her funeral. That's all I have to say."
"...I want her to feel the pain that I feel as a young mother who also has a child," Mateen's daughter concluded. A person close to Mateen said, "What compounds this loss and this immeasurable grief is the injustice of it all. Our beloved Najla has gotten no justice, nearly (three) years later and the defendant that left her lifeless body on the side of the Detroit street has not been brought to justice."
The person continued, "The defendant cannot be allowed to slip through the legal system on a felony hit-and-run, leaving the scene of the crime. She left her there, offering no aid or assistance, like an animal on a country road or a highway. She was alone, in pain - broken legs, broken jaw, broken hip, broken arms, leaving good Samaritans to try to do the best they could, but to no avail."
"The defendant didn't just leave our dear Najla's body on the side of the road - she left all our broken hearts and our future dreams," the person concluded.
Kudeimati's lawyer asserted that his client "cried and cried," knowing the suffering she caused Mateen's family. "If she could do something to bring her back, she would, but she can't," he said.
Kudeimati stated, "I'm really sorry. I'm alone, and I understand. I really felt their pain and the suffering, and I wish it didn't happen, and I don't mean to run... and I'm really sorry. I ask for forgiveness from them." She was given a sentence of 1–15 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections by Judge Wanda Evans in accordance with the settlement reached between the two parties.