Brunswick man pleads guilty in brutal stabbing murder of his girlfriend in 2022

An Oak Island man was found guilty in connection with the death of his girlfriend in 2022.

Kevin Vaughan pleaded guilty Monday in Brunswick County Superior Court to first-degree murder in the death of Tina Carlton, according to a press release from Ashley D. Strangman, assistant to Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David.

Supreme Court Judge Jason C. Disbrow sentenced Vaughan to 16 to 20 years in prison.

According to the press release, officers with the Oak Island Police Department found Carlton dead in her home in the early morning hours of October 1, 2022, after receiving a 911 call from a woman who told police that Vaughan had called her and told her he had killed Carlton, his girlfriend.

Previous reporting: Autopsy shows Oak Island murder victim suffered multiple stab wounds

When police arrived at Carlton's house, they found Vaughan covered in blood outside next to his truck.

Inside, Carlton had been stabbed multiple times with a broken liquor bottle and her throat had been slit.

During his investigation, Detective Thomas O'Brien of the Oak Island Police Department determined that Vaughan and Carlton had been drinking at a bar on September 30, 2022 and got into an altercation so violent that police were called.

According to the press release, Carlton's boyfriend then drove her home, where Vaughan later killed her.

Carlton's mother, sister and three daughters spoke at Vaughan's sentencing hearing, where Vaughan addressed Carlton's family and apologized for her killing.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Oak Island, NC man pleads guilty to murder of girlfriend