A tragic incident unfolded in New Orleans when a man allegedly drove his vehicle into his girlfriend following a heated argument, causing her to crash through a wall and resulting in her death, as per police reports and local news sources. The man, identified as 31-year-old Anthony Cooper, is now facing charges of second-degree murder. The victim, 21-year-old Anastasia Rayborn, was reportedly struck by Cooper’s Ford Edge SUV after she exited the vehicle and engaged in a verbal altercation with him, as per court documents cited by local news outlets.
The court documents further detail that Cooper is alleged to have accelerated his vehicle at a high speed, hitting Rayborn and propelling her through the wall of a nearby house. The couple, who shared a two-year-old child, had a relationship marked by strife, according to family members. Rayborn’s sister, Skye Guillory, expressed her disapproval of Cooper in an interview with a local news station.
The relationship between Rayborn and Cooper began when she was only 17 and he was 27. Guillory revealed that the couple had been living a transient lifestyle recently, often staying with friends or family. She also shared a disturbing detail about the vehicle involved in the fatal incident. “He (Cooper) got her a car that he never let her drive and ultimately he killed her with it,” Guillory told the news station.
Guillory also disclosed that she had given her sister a “safe word” due to growing concerns about the volatile nature of her relationship with Cooper. “I got her out of that situation more than once,” she said, expressing her anger and grief over the tragic incident.
Initially, the incident was classified as a car accident, but it was later reclassified as a homicide after further investigation. Cooper was arrested at the scene by New Orleans police. Rayborn, who leaves behind a toddler, was remembered by her sister as a “beautiful angel.”