
“That hurt me so bad,” man opens f*re on his child's mother after she lied about the paternity of his other kids
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Vaughn Smith, a 35-year-old man from Michigan, cried in court on Friday as he learned his punishment. He was being sentenced for shooting his girlfriend during an argument in May 2024. The fight was about whether he was the father of one of their children.
Almost a year after the incident, Smith admitted in court that he was guilty of trying to murder his girlfriend and two other gun-related charges. Even though his girlfriend asked the judge to be easy on him, the final decision was up to the judge.
According to a local news report, Smith and his 34-year-old girlfriend had been fighting for several days before the shooting. The arguments ended when she told him he was not the father of one of their children.
On the night of May 23, 2024, Smith shot his girlfriend twice, hitting her in the head and leg. Her 16-year-old son then tackled Smith and stabbed him to protect his mother. A neighbor saw what happened and called the police.
While she was in the hospital, the girlfriend reportedly told the police that Smith had threatened to kill her. She eventually recovered from her injuries, and Smith was arrested and taken to jail.
On April 18, Smith pleaded guilty in court and cried as he said he was very sorry. He told the judge, Jon H. Hulsing, that he made a terrible mistake because he was deeply hurt when he found out his daughter wasn't his. He also mentioned other problems in their relationship that they hadn't dealt with. He said they both needed counseling.
Smith’s girlfriend also spoke in court, asking the judge to have mercy on Smith, saying he was trying to become a better person, father, and businessman.
Judge Hulsing said he believed Smith was truly sorry, which was important. However, because of the seriousness of the crime, the judge gave Smith a long prison sentence: almost 30 years, with a possibility of staying in prison for up to 75 years. The time Smith had already spent in jail will count towards his sentence.