Robert "Bobby" Vaughn (born c. 1975[1][2]) is an American surfer and co-founder of the Von Dutch clothing company.[1][3] He was acquitted of first-degree murder of his friend Mark Rivas in February 2005 on the grounds of justifiable homicide.[2][4]
Early life
He grew up surfing in Santa Cruz, California, and later in Hawaii.[2] He was involved in some manner in a fatal shooting at his high school.[4]
Von Dutch
Art collector Ed Boswell bought the rights to the Von Dutch name from Kenny Howard's daughters after Howard died in 1992.[4] He met Mike Cassel, a former drug dealer turned clothing company entrepreneur.[4] They and Vaughn, an associate of Cassel's, co-founded Von Dutch, at first hoping to start the next hot denim line.[4] However, Boswell and Cassel did not get along, and Cassel ended up driving Boswell out of the business.[4] Then Danish investor Tonny Sorensen was brought in to provide much-needed financing.[4] Vaughn began feeling marginalized when Sorensen was made Chief Executive Officer and installed his own people in the sales and marketing departments.[4] Sorensen eventually bought Vaughn's share of the company and fired him.[4]
Murder charge
In February 2005, Vaughn claimed that his friend Mark Rivas, recently released from prison, attacked him with a broken bottle. Vaughn shot and killed Rivas. He was charged with first-degree murder, but was acquitted by a jury.[1]
Later life
He was later sentenced to five years probation for carrying an unregistered gun.[1]
In April 2009, Vaughn opened a high-end surf shop in Queens called FTW.[1]
Documentaries
He is the subject of the 2010 short documentary Facing the Waves.[5] He is also one of the principal figures in the 2021 Hulu documentary series The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For.[3]
