Lawrence “Larry” Vaughan, 54, was found dead on 7/23/21 after Deputies were called to the Anderson Apartments at about 3:15 p,m, on East Main Street in Rock Hill. When they arrived, deputies found retired Rock Hill police lieutenant Larry Vaughan dead in his apartment of an apparent assault. Less than 4 hours later, authorities arrested Robert Hawthorne, 27,of Chester, in connection with Vaughan’s death. Evan Robert Hawthorne, 27, has been charged with Vaughan’s murder and is in the York County Detention Center. Hawthorne is a former Chester County sheriff’s deputy. Lt. Vaughan retired in late 2020 after 30 years with the department over criminal investigations and served as a K9 Officer. Vaughan leaves behind two daughters.
Hawthorne was denied bail on 7/24/21 during a brief court hearing at the York County jail. Hawthorne was a deputy at the Chester County Sheriff’s Office in 2019 and was terminated in 2019 after he was arrested for DUI in Chester County while off-duty in a patrol car. A conviction for murder in South Carolina carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison in the S.C. Department of Corrections. On 12/13/22 the judge ordered Hawthorne to be released on a $250,000 bond.
