The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess releases the following information:
On Thursday, May 25, 2017, a 12-person Bay County jury found Robert Vaughan guilty of first degree murder and robbery for the brutal stabbing of 68 year old Patricia Pedraza of Panama City Beach. Assistant State Attorney Bob Sombathy proved to jurors that on February 10, 2016, Vaughan attacked Mrs. Pedraza in her home and killed her by stabbing her multiple times in her chest, neck, and back. Vaughan then stole money and prescription medication from the house. Mr. Pedraza came home from work that evening to find his wife laying on the floor lifeless and covered in blood. Vaughan left his EBT card beneath Mrs. Pedraza’s body which helped the Bay County Sheriff’s Office quickly identify Vaughan as a suspect. After the murder, Vaughan discarded his bloody shoes, washed his clothes, and went home and showered in an effort to destroy any physical evidence tying him to the crime. Lead investigator Stephen Jencks and Major Jimmy Stanford interviewed Vaughan after he was found at his job site. Vaughan admitted to attacking Mrs. Pedraza, and his information lead investigators to the murder weapon which was still in Vaughan’s car. The defense at trial centered around Vaughan’s claim that he was legally insane. Vaughan testified that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a 20 year old incident. He claimed that the 68 year old female victim turned into a man named “Patrick” and claimed he killed Patrick in self defense. Dr. Gregory Prichard testified for the state as an expert witness in the field of forensic psychology. Dr. Prichard testified that the defendant did not have PTSD, but instead suffered from chronic substance abuse and illustrated the many inconsistencies in Vaughan’s story. After the jury found Vaughan guilty as charged, Judge Michael Overstreet sentenced Vaughan to Life in prison. Bob Sombathy was assisted by his co-counsel Devin Collier and the Major Crimes Prosecution team of Stephanie Glidden, Shannon Mitchell and Dan Bates.
Please contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford at 850-819-6985 with any questions.