Ronald Wayne Vaughn Jr. was convicted of killing his landlord’s son, Gary Somerset, with a sawed-off shotgun in 2017. The state Court of Appeals recently ruled that Vaughn is entitled to a new trial because the presiding judge failed to instruct jurors about a possible self-defense argument. According to the court’s opinion, Vaughn was on the porch of the trailer he was renting when Somerset yelled “Let’s end this” and rushed at him, prompting the shooting. Vaughn was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but the conviction was vacated due to the lack of instruction on self-defense.
Vaughn used a Winchester .410 caliber shotgun with a sawed-off barrel, which is a felony due to its potential concealability and destructiveness. In addition to the murder charge, Vaughn was also convicted of possessing this illegal weapon. North Carolina’s “stand-your-ground” law says that a person is justified in using force when they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death or bodily harm. However, this cannot be invoked if the person was committing a felony at the time. Following a state Supreme Court ruling after Vaughn’s trial, it was determined that the jury should have been instructed on the stand-your-ground provision.
The timeline of events leading up to the shooting of Gary Somerset includes a heated argument between Vaughn, Somerset, and Somerset’s mother. Somerset had been temporarily living in the trailer with Vaughn, but tensions rose when Vaughn was asked to leave by Somerset’s mother. Vaughn attempted to call 911 but was unsuccessful, leading him to tell Somerset and his mother they needed to leave instead. The Court of Appeals found that the evidence could have supported a jury determination that Vaughn’s use of deadly force was justified, and there was no causal nexus between the disqualifying felony and his actions.
The prosecutor erroneously told jurors that the stand-your-ground provision did not apply in this case, which was deemed incorrect by the appeals panel. Judge Allegra Collins wrote in the prevailing opinion that the trial judge should have instructed the jury on the stand-your-ground provision, given the circumstances of the case. The Court of Appeals ultimately found no error in Vaughn’s conviction for possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction, resulting in a prison sentence of nearly 2 1/2 years. The judges ordered that Vaughn be resentenced with consideration for his pre-trial confinement credits.
In light of the new ruling, Ronald Wayne Vaughn Jr. will be entitled to a new trial to determine his fate regarding the shooting death of Gary Somerset. The Court of Appeals determined that the lack of instruction on the stand-your-ground provision was a critical error in the original trial, leading to the conviction being vacated. The case will now return to court for a retrial, where Vaughn’s self-defense argument will likely play a significant role in the proceedings. Ultimately, the fate of Vaughn and the interpretation of North Carolina’s self-defense laws will be revisited in this upcoming trial.
