Middletown woman sentenced to life in prison for murder

Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell announced recently that Bonnie Marie Vaughan, 59, of Middletown, was sentenced to life in prison by Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Peeler.

On May 4, Vaughan pleaded guilty to murder, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.

On the evening of Sept. 19, 2022, Vaughan shot her husband multiple times inside the garage of their residence, resulting in his death.

The next day, Sept. 20, Vaughan solicited her co-defendant, John Havens, to come over and dismember the body. That evening, based on information received by the Middletown Police Department, officers responded to the residence and discovered the victim’s dismembered body inside of a trash can in the garage.

Havens has pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse for his role in dismembering the body.

Fornshell commended Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Kevin Hardman and Steve Knippen, Victim Witness Coordinator Erika Bourelle and Legal Assistants Jaclyn Zaczek and Jodi Jarvis for their work on the case.