Charles Canton shooting: Tehje Vaughan denied bail in first instance on manslaughter by negligence charge

By Aaron Humes: 24-year-old Tehje Vaughan of Belize City faces a two-month wait behind bars for bail on a charge of manslaughter by negligence unless she can apply sooner to the High Court following her arraignment on Monday.

Vaughan is accused of negligently but not intentionally, causing the death of co-worker Charles Canton, 27, on Friday, April 28, by shooting him from the back seat of his vehicle while loading a magazine.

Vaughan appeared before Chief Magistrate Jayani Wegodapola with attorney Leeroy Banner, who sought bail for his client. But the Chief Magistrate declined in the first instance, citing the ongoing investigation and the co-worker relationship between the primary witness and the accused.

The court prosecutor had argued for no bail, citing the possibility of the accused hindering the investigation by potentially tampering with the chief witness and cited the case of Jasmine Hartin as precedent and the use of a firearm causing loss of life.

For the defense, Banner cited that manslaughter by negligence was not listed under Section 16 (b) of the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act, as one of those crimes for which bail could not be granted. Additionally, he cited Vaughan’s employment, being a university student, and other ties to Belize which distinguish her case from that of Canadian Hartin.

Pending a successful application to the High Court, Vaughan’s next appearance will be on July 3.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

© 2023, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.