Man sentenced to 35 years for shooting, killing his wife in Mesa

PHOENIX - A man convicted of shooting and killing his wife in the East Valley has been sentenced to prison.

On July 13, 2021, police responded to a home near Southern Avenue and Ellsworth Road in Mesa after a man called 911 saying that he had shot his wife.

When officers got to the scene, they found a woman lying in the hallway with three gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said the shooting stemmed from an argument between Vaughn Wilson and his wife after she said she wanted a divorce.

Vaughn Wilson

"[Vaughn] shared that he killed his wife because he could not live with the thought of her being with someone else," the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Wilson, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder and 10 years for the assault. The sentences will be served consecutively.

"Far too often domestic violence victims are killed when they choose to break free from their abuser," Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. "Every act of seeking justice against an abuser is a powerful declaration that their actions will not go unchallenged and that they will be held accountable. My heart goes out to the victim’s loved ones who have endured so much over the past three years."