Two men convicted at trial this summer have been sentenced to prison in connection with a 2022 shooting death.
Jaden Ardoin, 21, and Jaimon Mason, 23, were convicted in June of the February 2022 slaying of Wade Vaughn-Smith, who was 20 years old when he was shot to death.
The jury convicted both men of first-degree murder and one count attempted first-degree murder. Each man received a sentence of life in prison without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence, plus 30 years.
Vaugh-Smith was in a vehicle that was ambushed and fired upon, and his brother, James, was in the vehicle as well, but survived. The shooting happened along La. 105 between Krotz Springs and Melville. After the shooting, the vehicle veered off the highway and hit a tree.
The life sentence the men received was for Vaugh-Smith's death; the 30 years, which will be served at the same time as the life sentence, was for the attempted murder of his brother.
