Two St. Landry men have been convicted of murder in connection with the 2022 slaying of a Melville man.
After eight days of testimony, the jury took about two hours to find Jaden Ardoin, 21, of Krotz Springs and Jaimon Mason, 23, of Port Barre guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Wade Vaughn-Smith, 20, and the attempted murder of his brother, James Preston Vaughn, 22.
Around 7:30pm on February 15, 2022, the 911 calls came in describing several gunshots and a truck ablaze after it struck a tree near a cemetery on La. 105 between Krotz Springs and Melville. The jury found both defendants guilty of shooting at the truck; the evidence established that a .556 bullet struck the deceased, who was driving the truck.
Firearm experts also testified that a 9mm SAR handgun found in Mason’s possession was the source of a 9mm casing found at the scene of the shooting, similar to a 9mm bullet fragment found in the tailgate of the victims’ truck.
Both Ardoin and Mason face a mandatory life in prison without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence for the First-Degree Murder conviction, and ten to fifty years in prison for the Attempted Murder conviction. Sentencing is set for August 7th.
Assistant District Attorney Kylie Leblanc was lead prosecutor for the state. Alisa Gothreaux also assisted in the prosecution.
District Attorney Chad Pitre thanked St. Landry Sheriff’s Deputies for their investigation in bringing justice for the family of Vaughn-Smith.
To read out story about the shooting, click here.
