By Sara Bharrat

A 65-year-old security guard was discovered lying in a pool of blood with a piece of wood abandoned by his side and marks of violence to his head early yesterday morning at his Alexander Street and North Road workplace.

Kenneth Vaughn

Kenneth Vaughn of D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown reported for work at the Le Premier Academy at about 7.45pm on Saturday. Less than twelve hours later he was discovered, lying in his blood with a piece of wood by his side and the pockets of his trousers torn out.

Police in a release yesterday afternoon said they are investigating the murder of the security guard.  At about 6 am yesterday, police reported, the man’s body was found in the compound of the Le Premier Academy. Vaughn’s body is currently at the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Thierry Bangouegne, owner of Le Premier Aca-demy, told Stabroek News yesterday that Vaughn reported to work at approximately 7.45 pm on Saturday. Bangougene said he left the man there and later drove past the location at about 11pm.

“I would normally make surprise visits to the school compound at any hours of the night,” Bangouegne said, “but Saturday night I didn’t stop it… I drove past in a car on Alexander Street but I couldn’t have seen the spot where he [Vaughn] was found.”

The security guard had only started working at the location last Monday, the owner reported, and given the fact that the pockets of Vaughn’s trousers were ripped out he believes the man might have been robbed.

Lloyd Williams, who says he and the deceased were friends for over three decades, said Vaughn usually had two cellular phones on him and both were missing. Williams further reported that shortly before his death Vaughn had been involved in a dispute with “some people” for his land.

“De matter was in court,” Williams told Stabroek News, “and some time last week he [Vaughn] and the man had a `lil talking and the man run up he [Vaughn’s] steps with a cutlass… a report was made at the police station.”

Police did not indicate whether anyone was taken into custody.

Williams, shocked at the brutal death of his friend, said he learnt about what had happened some time around 6 am yesterday. The man said he immediately rushed to the Alexander Street and North Road location where his friend’s body was still lying in “a big big pool ah blood”. The piece of wood, Williams said, was beside Vaughn’s lifeless form. The body, he reported, was removed by the funeral parlour at about 7.30 am.

Vaughn lived alone at his D’Urban Street home.

His death comes a day after another elderly guard was murdered. The body of 71-year-old Cecil Hamilton was found in the Soesdyke NDC compound on Saturday morning. His hands and feet had been bound with cloth and his mouth stuffed with newspapers. The office of the NDC was found ransacked.