Man accused of murder facing charges for spitting on corrections officer

RACINE -- Iryin Vaughn, the man accused in the death of his child's mother and promoting an Amber Alert when he fled to Illinois with the two-year-old girl, is facing two more charges after allegedly spitting at a corrections officer inside the Racine County Jail.

A criminal complaint charges Vaughn with assault by prisoners (repeater) and disorderly conduct (repeater).

The complaint says a corrections officer removed some newspapers from Vaughn's cell, when Vaughn "shouted in an aggressive tone - 'don't touch my papers.'" Then, the complaint says Vaughn "forcibly expelled saliva," hitting the corrections officer in his back. Afterwards, Vaughn was allegedly shouting "open my cell," in a threatening manner.

Vaughn is accused of murdering his child’s mother and prompting an Amber Alert. Vaughn pleaded not guilty to several charges including first-degree intentional homicide, causing mental harm to a child and bail jumping. This case is headed for trial.

Prosecutors say Vaughn stabbed his girlfriend, Gwynevere Wright, 25 times in the apartment they shared. They say he then took off with their two-year-old daughter. That prompted an Amber Alert. The girl was found unharmed in Illinois.

The criminal complaint in the case lists a number of previous charges filed against Vaughn, including four counts of domestic violence, one count of aggravated assault, one count of retail theft, and one count of resisting a peace officer.

The complaint says officers responded to a residence in the 900 block of Racine Street just after 11:00 p.m. February 7th for a report of an assault that had taken place. Officers found Wright in a bedroom, lying face-up in bed, covered in blood, unresponsive and without a pulse. Wright was pronounced dead at the scene.

Wright’s 12-year-old son, had been present during the incident.

Officers reported Wright had over 25 stab wounds consistent with someone being attacked with a knife to her back, neck and head. The complaint says Wright had small cuts on her hands, which an investigator recognized as defensive wounds someone would receive while attempting to fight off an attacker wielding a knife.

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