Slaying Trial Set for Ex-Crime Fighter
A Feb. 9 trial date has been set for a former member of the Vista crime commission who is accused of killing her brother. The date was set after plea bargain negotiations deadlocked.
Evanna Cavanaugh, 47, is charged with fatally shooting her brother during an argument at their mother’s Leucadia home.
Vista Superior Court Judge Herbert Hoffman said Monday he delayed the trial until February so he will have a chance to recover from minor surgery.
During plea bargain negotiations, the prosecution demanded that Cavanaugh plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, a crime that carries a sentence of 3 to 11 years in prison.
Defense attorneys say Cavanaugh was acting in self-defense when she shot Charles Phegley, 44. They insisted that, at worst, Cavanaugh committed involuntary manslaughter, which carries a two- to four-year sentence.
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