He was her only child.
After Caroline Gaughan’s husband died, she and her son, Mark, created a pact to stick together.
They lived together, regularly starting their mornings with an exchange of “I love yous” before heading out the door.
Their nights ended similarly, sometimes with one texting the other to make sure they were safe and heading home.
So when Caroline Gaughan arrived home in the early morning of August 23, and her son was not there, she texted him: “Hello, how are you? Are you going home tonight? Let me know. Keep safe, and I love you.”
He responded at 4:22 a.m. saying, “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 high on marijuana and drunk from vodka when she pulled the trigger.
The shooting happened while Blea and another friend were posing for photos with Mark Gaughan’s gun, authorities said.
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth on Tuesday sentenced Blea, who pleaded guilty to a count of first-degree kidnapping and a count of involuntary manslaughter, to five years to life in prison.
Caroline Gaughan said that before the shooting she had a long talk with her son, who had gotten his license to carry concealed, and Blea, who she said had access to his gun.
“I tried to convince Mark to stop carrying that gun around her, but Mark trusted her,” Caroline Gaughan said. “Now, ‘not tonight’ is my forever.
Caroline Gaughan sat at the witness stand, trembling as she spoke to Bluth. About a dozen of her son’s friends cried in the gallery.
Blea, who did not speak during the hearing, dropped her head while she faced the mother.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
