A Brooklyn woman has been arraigned on an indictment which charges her with the murder of a 32-year-old pregnant woman, a crime that took place following what began as a minor traffic incident in Bedford-Stuyvesant. According to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, 28-year-old Chaquasia Pigford of Bedford-Stuyvesant, is accused of commandeering a stolen vehicle, subsequently hitting and dragging the victim nearly half a block, and then fleeing the scene.
The unfortunate series of events unfolded on May 24, when Pigford, driving the stolen red Chevrolet Trax, rear-ended a 2021 Toyota 4Runner. Following the collision, the victim, later identified as Tiffany Cifuni, got out to discuss the incident. It was then that Pigford allegedly chose to quickly accelerate her vehicle, striking Cifuni and causing fatal injuries that led to her death shortly after midnight at Kings County Hospital.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez described the act as a "shocking crime that claimed the life of an expectant mother." In a statement that was provided by the Brooklyn DA's Office, Gonzalez pledged, "We will now seek justice for the victim and her grieving family and will hold the defendant fully accountable for this heartbreaking loss." The severity of the incident has been underscored by the charges Pigford faces, which include second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and first-degree reckless endangerment, among others. During her arraignment before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dena Douglas, she was held without bail with an order to return to court on July 30.
Investigative efforts to apprehend Pigford involved analyzing multiple surveillance cameras and collecting eyewitness accounts, actions which eventually led to her arrest. The stolen Chevrolet Trax was reportedly registered to a man who had reported it stolen that same night. When Gonzalez addressed the charges, he said Pigford "is accused of stealing a car, using it to senselessly run down an innocent woman, then leaving her to die in the street." If convicted of the top count, she faces up to 25 years to life in prison, as per the Brooklyn DA's Office.
The case is currently in the hands of the Homicide Bureau Chief, Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Tara Kelly of the District Attorney's Trial Bureau, Grey Zone. Deputy Chief of the District Attorney's Street Safety Bureau, Assistant District Attorney Christopher Velez, is also supervising the prosecution.
