US Man Kills Girlfriend in Heated Argument: Police

An SUV driver in New Orleans, Anthony Cooper, 31, faces second-degree murder charges for fatally striking 21-year-old Anastasia Rayborn with his Ford Edge SUV during a heated argument, sending her crashing through a wall, as per a New York Post report. Court documents indicate Cooper accelerated "at a high rate of speed," hitting Rayborn and propelling her through a house wall.

Rayborn and Cooper's relationship, which began when she was 17 and he was 27, was marked by conflict, according to family members. They share a 2-year-old child. Rayborn's sister, Skye Guillory, expressed disapproval of Cooper, mentioning a car he gave Rayborn but never allowed her to drive, ultimately leading to her demise. Guillory intervened in the relationship multiple times, offering Rayborn a "safe word" as a lifeline. "I'm livid. That's how I feel," she said.

Initially labeled as a car crash, the incident was later reclassified as a homicide by New Orleans police. Cooper was arrested promptly after the incident, which occurred around 11:05 a.m. on Marais Street. According to investigators, the Ford SUV struck Rayborn and then a building, resulting in her death.