Attempted murder, kidnapping trial begins for accused gunman
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JACKSON, Tenn. — A man accused of abducting a man and shooting him five times saw his first day of trial Wednesday on charges including attempted murder. Harold Vaughn, 20, faces counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery in a November 2014 case. He is the first of three defendants to be tried. Vaughn along with Justin Martin, 19, and Bethany Long, 20, face the same three charges. Vaughn is charged with shooting Christopher Tomkins, of Memphis, five times and leaving him for dead. Law enforcement officials have said the incident started at Love’s Travel Stop along Interstate 40 in east Madison County and ended at a location along Betty Manley Road in west Madison County. During testimony, Tomkins pointed out Vaughn numerous times when asked who shot him. “The gun was straight in my face, probably six inches from my face at that time,” Tomkins recalled. Long, who prosecutors say was Vaughn’s girlfriend at the time, along with Martin, testified against him. “He was like ‘man, go over and get him out the car,'” said Martin when questioned about orders from Vaughn. The trial resumes on Thursday.
