The Murder of Dahyabhai Kalidas Chaudhari
This case was recommended to me, so I watched an episode of See No Evil. It’s season 10 episode 1, titled ‘Ticket To Murder.’
A hardworking man is killed during his late night shift.
Background
Dahyabhai Kalidas Chaudhari, also known as DK, was born on November 14, 1967 in India. At the time of this death, DK had only been living in Dalton, Georgia for a few months, and working at Kanku’s Express.
DK was described as hardworking and willing to help his c0-workers with anything they needed. DK was very well known by the regular customers and was very friendly.
Dahyabhai Kalidas ‘DK’ Chaudhari
The 911 Call
On Sunday, March 9, 2014, a regular customer at Kanku’s called 911 around 11:30pm. He had come into the store looking for DK. The door to the back employee area was slightly open. He could see DK’s feet and a pool of blood, and called 911.
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) arrived at the scene. They identified DK as their victim by his ID in his wallet.
It was clear that the crime was very violent. DK had been stabbed multiple times. There was cast off on the walls, which suggested that DK had at least attempted to defend himself.
The Surveillance Footage
The police were able to obtain surveillance footage from the interior and exterior of the store.
On the footage, DK was seen working the register and interacting with customers. During downtime, he walked around the back employee area, when a person suddenly ran up behind him.
The camera in the back storage area showed the very violent incident. The suspect had come into the store wielding a gun, which DK was able to knock away. The suspect grabbed a knife, and stabbed DK several times.
The suspect can be seen putting duct tape on DK’s face, squatting next to him to watch him die, and attempted to smother him. The police believed that the suspect was just trying to speed up the process.
The suspect had entered the store wearing a white hoodie tied tightly around their face and wearing sunglasses. After they killed DK, they stole money from the register and about a roll of lottery tickets.
The suspect interacted with a customer, who later came forward about their conversation. They walked into the room where DK had been killed, put their stolen loot in their black duffel bag, and left the store on foot.
A Shocking Discovery
The police continued to watch the surveillance footage to see if and when the suspect had entered the store.
An individual wearing a black hoodie had entered the store carrying a very similar black duffel bag across their shoulder. They walked into a restroom, but when they came back out into the store, they were now wearing a white hoodie. After changing into the white hoodie, the suspect committed the crime.
The police obtained surveillance footage from another gas station across the street called the Kangaroo gas station. On the surveillance footage, a woman with curly blonde hair wearing a white hoodie entered the store. After using her credit card to purchase gas, she got into a green Kia Sol at the gas pump, and drove away.
A CSI technician discovered a cell phone underneath the fryer in the back room where DK was killed. The police would later discover that the phone wasn’t DK’s, but it belonged to the suspect.
A still of Skyy Mims from the surveillance footage
The Prime Suspect
After hearing about the murder, a man named Charles Branson came forward. He had been the man who had interacted with the suspect after DK was killed.
Charles had entered the store to purchase a soda and chips. It’s believed that he was in the store while the murder was taking place. Charles was even seen on camera passing by the back employee door.
Charles said he interacted with the woman at the front of the store when he was trying to purchase his items. He said the woman spoke in an obviously fake Middle Eastern accent, and told him they weren’t open for business.
One of the forensic technicians had unlocked the phone that had been found in the store. The phone led them to their suspect, a woman named Skyy Mims. They were able to compare Skyy’s photos to the surveillance footage.
Skyy had no prior criminal history, and had moved to Dalton to attempt to get into the music and hip hop business.
The police released a photo of Skyy to the media. The police wanted people to know that Skyy was a very dangerous person.
The Arrest
On Tuesday, March 11, 2 days after the murder, a tip came into the police. The tip placed Skyy about 30-45 minutes away from Dalton. The U.S. Marshals were contacted to assist to bring Skyy into custody.
At the home where Skyy was believed to have been staying, the police located the green Kia Sol in the driveway. A person matching Skyy’s description had actually stolen the car.
The U.S. Marshals approached the home. After calling out to the occupants of the home and there being no answer, they entered the home. Skyy eventually walked out of a bedroom upstairs completely naked. She wanted the police to believe she was armed, so that they would shoot her. A sheet was used to cover her, and she was arrested.
On the way to the police station, Skyy slipped out of her cuffs. The police had to pull over, and it was clear she was very uncooperative. Skyy continued to ask the detective driving the car what would happen if she attacked him. Skyy also said she would rather die.
The Evidence
The lottery tickets that Skyy had stolen were found in the upstairs bedroom of the home. The murder weapon, gun, and gloves were found in the Kia Sol.
Skyy was asked about the Kia Sol, but she wasn’t much help during the interview. She giggled, and said she wasn’t going to answer any more questions without a lawyer. After the detectives left the room, Skyy looked right into the camera, and said “fuck you.”
Skyy was charged with murder. DK’s blood was found on the gloves that Skyy had worn. Skyy’s DNA was found inside the gloves. DK and Skyy’s blood was both found on the knife.
On May 29, 2014, Skyy was indicted for malice murder, 4 counts of felony murder, 2 counts of aggravated assault, armed robbery, burglary, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony and theft by bringing stolen property into the state. She pled not guilty.
It’s believed that Skyy had become so obsessed with wanting to win the lottery. A few days before the murder, Skyy had purchased a lottery ticket in hopes of winning the prize of $500 per week for the rest of her life. She also wanted to become a rapper and probably didn’t want to work.
On April 11, 2015, Skyy was found guilty of all charges. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. She was reportedly waving and smiling at cameras during the trial, and showed no remorse.
Skyy at trial
FINAL THOUGHTS
Skyy’s defense claimed she was mentally ill. Either she does have mental health issues, or she was putting on quite the show to seem crazy. Her mental health issues doesn’t mean she had any right to kill DK. DK wanted a better life for himself, and was working hard to get that better life. It was clear that he was loved by everyone he encountered, and he’s sad that he had to die in such a horrific way.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/dahyabhai-kalidas-chaudhari-murder-where-is-skyy-mims-now/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/3-chilling-details-dahyabhai-kalidas-chaudhari-s-murder
http://chattanoogaradiotv.com/general/the-trial-is-over-lets-remember-the-victim/
