Jerrylea Williams Vaughn, a 77-year-old woman from Wildwood, Florida, died on April 6, 2026, after a violent attack inside her longtime family home on County Road 116. Sources identified her as a native of Wildwood, a retired Sumter County School District teacher, a grandmother and great-grandmother, and a devoted member of Encounter Church, where she helped with the women's ministry and served wherever she was needed. People who knew her described her as warm, honest, giving, and deeply family-centered, someone who loved gardening, Daytona Beach sunrises, church, and time with her grandchildren.
The emergency began Monday night when Vaughn called 911 in fear for her life. According to reports citing the arrest affidavit, she told dispatchers that her son had stabbed her and was coming to kill her. Screaming could reportedly be heard during the call. Officers rushed to the residence, where they found her son, 51-year-old Derek DeWayne Vaughn, outside the home with his wife and two sons. Police said he was immediately detained at the scene.
Investigators said Jerrylea Vaughn had been stabbed and then shot in the head. Reports said Derek Vaughn allegedly told officers that after stabbing his mother and seeing that she had not died, “God” told him to get his father's gun and shoot her. He also allegedly acknowledged killing her while speaking with officers, including a reported remark about knowing he had killed his mother while complaining that a handcuff was uncomfortable. One report said he referred to his mother as “the devil” and allegedly stated that he had “killed the devil.”
Jerrylea Vaughn was taken to UF Health Spanish Plaines Hospital in The Villages, where she was pronounced dead at 9:41 p.m. The killing stunned Wildwood and Sumter County, especially because neighbors and relatives said Derek Vaughn, his wife, and his two sons had been living with her. Family members said the grandchildren witnessed the alleged attack, adding another layer of trauma to an already devastating loss.
Derek Vaughn was arrested and charged in connection with his mother's death. Reports described the charge as homicide, with additional reporting listing dangerous and depraved murder without premeditation and firing a weapon within an occupied dwelling. The case began with Wildwood police and was later handled by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. At his first court appearance, Derek Vaughn was appointed a public defender and ordered held without bond. The State Attorney's Office said shortly after the killing that it was too early to say whether the charges might be upgraded to capital murder or whether the death penalty could become a possibility.
Those who loved Jerrylea Vaughn remembered far more than the violence of her final moments. Pastor Derrick West of Encounter Church, who was also her cousin, described her as a “great woman” who attended church weekly, built people up, spoke the truth, and made sure family never left without a hug. Her obituary remembered her as a retired educator who spent her career helping students find the right classes and opportunities for their needs. In the story left behind by family, church members, and neighbors, she was a woman who opened her home, gave freely to others, and remained surrounded by the family she cherished until the night her life was taken.
