Bonnie Vaughn, 59, is facing a murder charge for the killing of her husband Jeffrey Fellman. Authorities found his body dismembered in the garage of their Ohio home, according to records. John Havens, believed to be the 34-year-old boyfriend of Fellman’s daughter, reportedly assisted Vaughn with the gruesome crime.
On Wednesday (Sept. 28), Vaughn appeared in court. The Ohio woman allegedly shot her 55-year-old husband to death before having Havens mutilate his body. Authorities arrested Vaughn for the crime on Tuesday (Sept. 27). Havens turned himself in to Middletown Police. He was charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
In the hours leading up to Fellman’s death, he allegedly argued with his wife in the parking lot of a local bar in Ohio. Vaughn told detectives the verbal altercation resulted in him choking her. She added that the 55-year-old also threw a chair at her. According to Vaughn’s attorney, she shot him in self-defense and claimed he continued to come after her even after he’d been shot.
Middletown Police confirmed they responded to domestic incidents involving the couple before. During Wednesday’s court hearing, an officer testified that marks were visible on Vaughn’s body when police arrived on the scene, as reported by Ohio news station WLWT 5.
Authorities revealed Vaughn tried to avoid being arrested when police arrived at her Ohio residence. “When officers pulled into the lot, Ms. Vaughn did attempt to flee. Officers used their patrol vehicles and boxed her vehicle in. She was then taken into custody without further incident,” Middletown Police Major Eric Crank shared.
Michelle McRoberts, who lives across the street from the couple, spoke to the Ohio outlet WLWT 5 about Vaughn. She described her as “a little bit off.” The neighbor added, “You know, sometimes she didn’t always appear to have it all cognitively maybe together. But yeah, I mean, she was very nice. Bonnie was always very nice.”
Both Vaughn and Haven remain in custody. Their case has been sent to a grand jury. Vaughn’s bond was set at $1 million, while Havens is being held on $15,000 bond.