STARKVILLE — An Oktibbeha County jury acquitted a Starkville man on Wednesday of a first-degree murder charge.
Johnny Harris, 65, claimed self defense in the June 19, 2020, stabbing death of Elbert Vaughn, 56, at the Roselawn Terrace apartment complex on South Montgomery Street. A circuit court jury deliberated less than an hour after the two day trial before delivering the verdict.
The two men, both residents of the apartment complex, got into an argument that escalated to violence, and Vaughn was stabbed four times. The victim was treated first at OCH Regional Medical Center, then at North Mississippi Medical Center, but died two months after the incident in hospice care.
“From the outset, (Harris) asserted that it was self defense,” Assistant District Attorney Marc Amos told The Dispatch. “We presented all of the facts and evidence to the jury, and the jury agreed with Harris that it was in fact self defense.”
Harris’ attorney, public defender Stephanie Mallette, declined to comment when reached by The Dispatch.
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