DETROIT – A Southfield woman was sentenced Tuesday for running a red light, striking a 40-year-old mother in a crosswalk, and leaving her there to die.
Police said they were called at 1:06 p.m. Dec. 4, 2019, to the area of West McNichols and Telegraph roads in Detroit.
Recommended Videos
When they arrived, officers found Najla Mateen II, 40, of Detroit, lying on the ground. They said she had been struck by a car while in the crosswalk on Telegraph Road.
Chirin Kudeimati, now 41, of Southfield, is accused of ignoring a red light while heading north on Telegraph Road. She crashed into Mateen and drove away, officials said.
Mateen was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities arrested Kudeimati and charged her with reckless driving causing death and failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death. Prosecutors and defense lawyers reached an agreement in June 2020 that dismissed the reckless driving causing death charge.
As part of the agreement, Kudeimati pleaded guilty to failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault causing death and moving violation causing death.
On Tuesday (Oct. 25, 2022), Kudeimati returned to court for sentencing. She heard victim impact statements from Mateen’s loved ones, including her mother and daughter.
“She killed my mother, she went home, she had a drink, and just waited for the police,” Mateen’s daughter said. “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.”
“What compounds this loss and this immeasurable grief is the injustice of it all,” another loved one said. “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 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.”
Kudeimati’s lawyer said his client has “cried and cried,” knowing the pain she caused Mateen’s family.
“If she could do something to bring her back, she would, but she can’t,” he said.
“I’m really sorry,” Kudeimati said. “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.”
Judge Wanda Evans followed the agreement negotiated between the two sides and sentenced Kudeimati to 1-15 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections.