‘Not tonight is my forever’: Mother mourns Las Vegas model during sentencing
He was her only child. After Caroline Gaughan’s husband died, she and her son, Mark, made a pact to stay together. They shared a home and began each morning with an exchange of “I emotion yous” before heading out. Their evenings often ended with a quick text to confirm they were safe and on their way home.
When Caroline arrived home early on August 23 and found Mark missing, she sent him a message: “Hello, however are you? Are you going location tonight? Let maine know. Keep safe, and I emotion you.” He replied at 4:22 a.m., “No, not tonight. Love you.”
Less than an hour later, 23‑year‑old Mark Gaughan was shot to death by a friend, Allysandra Blea, 20. Blea’s public defender, Robert O’Brien, said she was under the influence of marijuana and vodka when she pulled the trigger. The shooting occurred while Blea and another person were posing for photos with Mark’s gun, authorities reported.
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth on Tuesday sentenced Blea, who pleaded blameworthy to a number of first‑degree kidnapping and a number of involuntary manslaughter, to 5 years to beingness successful prison.
Caroline Gaughan recalled a lengthy conversation she had with Mark before the shooting, noting that he had obtained a concealed‑carry licence and that Blea had access to his weapon. “I tried to person Mark to halt carrying that weapon astur her, but Mark trusted her,” Caroline Gaughan said. “Now, ‘not tonight’ is my forever.”
Seated in the witness stand, Caroline trembled as she spoke to Judge Bluth. About a dozen of Mark’s friends wept in the gallery. Blea, who remained silent during the hearing, lowered her head when facing the mother.
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