Justice delayed: Mom waits almost 4 years for trial of man accused of killing her son
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- How long is too long for an accused murderer to stand trial? The mother of one murder victim has been waiting for almost four years.
Liz Vaughn-Henderson fills her days supporting other grieving parents and advocating for victims. It helps her pass the time as she waits for the man accused of murdering her son to stand trial.
"It's just hard. It's just hard in the middle of something that's already hard," explained Vaughn-Henderson.
Jehlan Vaughn, 20, was shot to death in March 2016. He was a talented dancer with a bright future. Jonathan Green, 24, was arrested that May after being charged with murder. The ABC13 headline after the arrest read, "Mom hopes for swift justice."
"How long ago was that?" asked Vaughn-Henderson. "And here we are. Still waiting. Not swift at all."
Almost four years later, there has been no trial. Instead, court filings show a series of re-sets, some because of Hurricane Harvey, which closed the courts for months. But there have been four continuances requested by the defense and granted. Trial scheduled for Jan. 27 was pushed back to April.
"It literally is just like restart, re-set. Literally, they re-set me every time, they do that and I need someone to realize that," she said.
"The state has been prepared to go forward on this case for the last four settings," the District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "The case has been delayed by the defense over our objections. We will continue to seek justice for Jehlan Vaughn and his family."
Green's appointed defense attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
"I'm not mad at one person. I'm mad at the system. It's a systemic problem. It is. I'm not interested in finger-pointing. I just want it resolved."
