CALDWELL, Idaho (Court TV) — Attorneys for a man accused of murdering a 5-year-old neighbor are pushing for charges against him to be dismissed, saying there is little to no evidence that connects their client to the crime.
Stacey Wondra appears in court for his preliminary hearing on March 3, 2026. (Court TV)
Michael Vaughan was 5 years old when he disappeared from his home on July 27, 2021. Stacey Wondra, 33, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the case. Wondra has claimed, in a number of interviews with police, that he was merely a witness to Michael’s abduction and killing — the real guilty parties, he says, are his wife and two people who were staying at the couple’s home at the time.
Wondra’s attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that the evidence against their client is insufficient to sustain a conviction. In interviews with investigators, Wondra described what happened to the child, “including bringing Michael into their home, taping him up with duct tape, putting him into a duffel bag for transport, and placing the duffel bag into the back of their GMC truck, in order to transport Michael,” the motion says. After returning to the bag the next day, and finding the child dead, Wondra said his wife and the two friends dug a hole in the yard and buried the child…