PORTLAND, Ore. - Parrish Bennette, the teen who was arrested in connection with the death of a 14-year-old girl, was indicted Friday on charges of murder with a firearm and manslaughter with a firearm.
The charges reveal a little more about why investigators believe the girl, Yashanee Vaughn, is dead, even though her body has not been found. A three-day search of the Rocky Butte area by police turned up nothing, as did searches conducted by those in the community.
Bennette, 16, was initially charged with murder but the charges were later dropped to manslaughter. Now the teenager is facing a murder charge again. The grand jury ordered him held without bail.
Several witnesses testified before the grand jury, including Bennette's father and Vaughn's mother. Bennette was later arraigned Friday afternoon in juvenile court in Portland.
Following Bennette's arraignment, Vaughn's mother, Shaquita Louis, the girl's aunt and others gathered outside to talk to the media. Louis was visibly worn down by all that has been happening but she reiterated how badly she wants her daughter found. At times she found it hard to speak. Despite Bennette's arrest and investigators saying they believe Yashanee is dead, her family said they have not completely given up hope that perhaps there is some small chance that she is alive.
Still, it's difficult to ignore everything that has happened in the past few weeks. Earlier in the day on Friday, we talked to Yashanee's great-aunt, Marsha Hayes. She told us she believes Bennette called someone after what happened, but did not call for help, that he instead called someone to help cover up the alleged crime.
"Parrish could not, I mean could not, have moved her body by himself," Hayes said. "He doesn't have a car. He weighs five pounds more than she does. He had to have called someone (to) help him. And who is that person? And where is 'Shanee at?"
"I have nightmares of her being just tossed away like garbage and just being out (there) somewhere and we can't bring her home and lay her to rest properly," Hayes added.
She also had a specific message she wanted to relay to Bennette - "Can you just tell us where she is? If we have a body or not, you're still charged with murder," she said. "You're still going to do 25 years. Can we have her back now? Bottom line."
Videos
Watch KATU's coverage of the events that transpired on Friday, April 8, 2011:
Shaquita Louis, Yashanee Vaughn's mother, was interviewed by CNN's Headline News on Friday. You can watch the interview below:
Yashanee's family held a news conference late Friday afternoon following Bennette's arraignment. Yashanee's mother is in the blue. You can watch the raw video below:
Flier Distribution and Prayer Vigil
Reward
Yashanee Vaughn Search Fund at US Bank
The Yashanee Vaughn Search fund was established to help with search efforts not traditionally covered by law enforcement; it’s there to help offset cost of printing flyer, posters, buttons, and other costs that the family cannot absorb in order to stay active searching for Yashanee. This fund, if Yashanee is found deceased, will be a memorial fund.
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