Inset: Alvin Waugh (Vernon Police Dept.). Background: The Motel 6 where Waugh allegedly killed the owner over a pool pass dispute (WTIC).
A 35-year-old man in Connecticut accused of killing a motel manager over the price of a $10 pool pass will be going to trial this month.
Alvin Waugh will face charges of murder, risk of injury to a child, and carrying a handgun without a permit in the fatal shooting of Zeshan Chaudhry nearly five years ago.
Records from Tolland County District Court show that Waugh”s jury trial is currently slated to begin on Jan. 21. He has remained in custody since his arrest and is currently being held on $2 million bond.
Waugh and his girlfriend had been guests at the Motel 6 on Hartford Turnpike in Vernon, Connecticut, for about a month prior to the fatal shooting, which took place next to the establishment’s outdoor pool just before 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 27, 2021, local Fox affiliate WTIC reported.
According to the report, Chaudhry, who also owned the motel, approached Waugh, his girlfriend, and another individual while they were hanging out near the pool on the 90-degree summer day and demanded that they pay $10 for a pass. Waugh’s girlfriend reportedly responded by offering to pay Chaudhry $5 for the pass, but refused to provide the full amount.
“Mr. Chaudhry did not take the money,” Sgt. Robert Marra told local newspaper The Hartford Courant. “There was a verbal argument that ensued after that.”
The girlfriend then walked into the hallway of the motel and Chaudhry followed her and continued the argument, the Courant reported. The two argued until the girlfriend went back outside to join Waugh and the other individual.
During the altercation, Chaudhry questioned whether Waugh and his girlfriend had previously paid only $5 for the pool pass and demanded he identify which employee gave them the deal “so he could fire them,” the Courant reported, citing a probable cause affidavit.
The altercation reportedly ended with Chaudhry kicking the couple out of the motel and telling the front desk to lock them out of their room. That decision “set Waugh off,” police wrote in the affidavit. He allegedly responded by quickly returning to the room and getting a homemade handgun. Police said he had previously made comments about using the weapon to go to “war.”
Waugh went back to the pool area and continued arguing with Chaudhry for about a minute before reportedly pulling the gun from his pocket and firing several shots into the victim. He then apparently fled the scene on foot. The entire ordeal was allegedly captured by one of the motel’s security cameras.
“It sounds like the victim began to antagonize him,” Marra reportedly said. “I don’t know if he knew that he had a gun.”
Police and medical personnel responded to the scene and attempted lifesaving measures before transporting Chaudhry to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Waugh was taken into custody a short while after the shooting.
