Family life: Christopher Vaughn, 37, with his wife Kimberly and children (left to right) Cassandra, 11, Blake, eight, and Abigayle, 12. The nit picking of the family is BEYOND! Had he known this he would have taken her off the medication right away. And so far no actual evidence that might show innocence, just story after story of all the stuff they did outside (???) When investigators arrived at the scene, they noticed blood stains on the strap of the seatbelt. Public Welcome. Around 5:20 a.m. on June 14, 2007, a man driving to work along the frontage road of Interstate 55 south of Joliet, Illinois encountered Christopher Vaughn, 32, limping away from the Ford Expedition he had been driving. He told a nurse, You should call my wife. He is at Menard Correctional Center, one of the most violent prisons in Illinois. He genuinely appeared unaware that his family had been killed. During my investigation, I found a June 2003 American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology article entitled Back-Spatter Patterns: Hands Hold the Clues for the Forensic Reconstruction of the Sequence of Events that showed an illustration of the same orientation of a self-inflicted gunshot wound: Blood spatter is mostly expected on the back of the thumb that is used for pulling the trigger . Another incriminating fact was Chris visit to a strip club near OHare Airport two nights before his family was killed. The family all dressed in water park attire because thats where they believed they were going. Vaughn is being held in Pinckneyville Correctional Center, records show. But there is more than just stress involved here. But despite Mills' claims, Lenard contended "the evidence will show Mr. Vaughn did not pull the trigger in the vehicle that day his family passed away.". "48. Christopher Vaughn was convicted nine years ago for the murder of his wife and three kids, who were found shot to death inside the family's SUV, parked near Channahon in 2007. It's believed the killings began around 12:45 p.m., but they weren't discovered for nearly 12 hours. "You couldn't believe it.". He told investigators he had been too busy to read the magazine. That would be significant, he said. Just after 5 a.m., his wife asked him to pull off the highway . Five years later, Chris was convicted of murdering his family and is now serving four life sentences. On Saturday, Vaughn was arrested in St. Charles and His jacket had holes in it that suggested it was bunched around the gun when fired. ", After the sentencing, Kimberly's family hugged and shook hands with investigators. He was arrested as he was about to attend their funerals. After pulling over, the motorist phoned 911, and the man was rushed to hospital. The fact it was either him or his wife that was the shooter. TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Are you involved in a story making headlines? Only a driver trying to surprise passengers would have to pull over, how could she fire multiple shots into three kids without him trying to stop her? Beloved wife of Christopher Vaughn; beloved mother of Abigayle, Cassandra and Blake; beloved daughter of Del and Susan Phillips Feb. 28, 2023. Nothing could be done. Kim fired at me. CAUTION, CRIME SCENE PHOTOS! . Before the death penalty went away, I was bringing in an expert to help explain this. Try to get any leverage doing that, every mom knows you have to square up to do anything difficut from the passenger seat, they were mortgaged to the eyeballs, he was going to strip joints spending thousands, he was telling people he didnt have a wife or family, he was planning on going to live in the woods somewhere and was looking for a female companion to go with him, why would she have to have him pull over to shoot? If they wanted to appear more balanced, they could have edited out parts that favor Chris and put down the wife's family but they didn't. He traveled all over the U.S and Mexico downloading computer hard drives and mobile devices for some of the largest law firms, Navigant clients. Season 1 explored a different case. The Illinois State Police declined this month to refer questions to the FBI about the case of Christopher Vaughn, the Oswego man convicted of the murders of his wife and three children who has become the subject of a high-profile exoneration effort. After murdering his entire family . It was his blood that bled onto her buckled seat belt. 2007 the Vaughn family- Christopher, his wife Kimberly and their three children . Courtesy Melville Vaughan When the FBI took up the case, in 1923, agents badly bungled the probe. And after Vaughn was taken to the hospital with minor gunshot wounds to his wrist and leg, Mills said, Vaughn expressed more concern for his special jacket and the possibility that emergency workers "were ruining his cowboy boots" than for his dead wife and children. He claims he had been patching things up with her after he had confessed to cheating on her and was trying to be a better family man. The Oswego family was reportedly taking a day trip to a water park in Springfield when Christopher Vaughn left Interstate 55 and drove onto a frontage road when his wife became ill. The States Case She said the results will be aired during the weekly podcasts 11th episode. He allegedly got into the family SUV, where his wife and children were waiting, after getting harmed. This report was sent to the lead detective several days before he took the grand jury witness stand. He allegedly killed his family so he could live by himself in the Canadian wilderness. "No, thank you," he told Judge Daniel Rozak in a soft voice. He allegedly murdered his family so he could move to a . The three children were each shot once in the head and once in the torso. Despite widespread speculation in news reports and the surrounding community, investigators insist it wasn't a drug hit. I recommended that we appoint an expert in psychiatry to evaluate the statements Chris made to police. The Oswego man, now 38, murdered his family in 2007 after pulling their SUV off Interstate 55 onto an isolated frontage road near Channahon on the way to what he said was a surprise trip to a Springfield water park. Despite this chain of events, Chris's family believe he's innocent. Transported to the hospital, Chris Vaughn believed his family was still alive. The bag was still sitting on the table untouched about an hour later. When Vaughn's family was killed, he lost his three young children and his wife, making him the sole survivor. No Cover, Public Welcome 21+, 35th Annual Arts, Crafts and Food Festival, Mark Skorusa Loan Originator powered by Rocket Mortgage NMLS #2347622, Turano Bread Truck Engulfed In Flames On I-55, Video Of Surrendering Man Killed By Will Co. Sniper Won't Be Released, Taste Of Joliet: Tyler Hubbard, Mitchell Tenpenny For Country Night, Multiple Bomb Threat For Joliet's Hollywood Casino, Angry Gunman Confronts Homeowner On Ingalls: Cops. Hargon, 45 . But at one point in the tape, a weary and disheveled Vaughn is seen saying: 'I couldnt have done this; she couldnt have done this.'. Clutter has previously written that a transfer blood stain on Kimberlys right thumb all comes together to prove it was the wife who unbuckled her own seatbelt, after her husband had been shot., That was my working theory at the time, Clutter said Thursday. The Murdaugh family. And Vaughn certainly did not betray his feelings or emotions as prosecutors repeatedly projected ghastly images of Vaughn's wife, Kimberly, 34, and children Blake, 8, Cassandra, 11, and Abigayle, 12 on a large, flat-screen television. Christopher Vaughn wanted to live in perfect freedom in the Canadian wilderness, prosecutors said, but instead he will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Will County judge sentenced him to four consecutive life terms Tuesday for the murders of Vaughn's wife and three children. deaths. Because he drove her to visit friends?! Susan Phillips, right, mother of Kimberly Vaughn, and Kimberly's twin sister, Jennifer Ledbetter, spoke at Christopher Vaughn's sentencing Tuesday at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. There is a swipe mark on the latch, which corresponds with the transfer stain on his wifes right thumb. Charles, Mo. It was a sickening feeling, as the architect of our defense experts and strategy, watching the case swirling around the toilet bowl. Theres also a low key misogynistic vibe throughout their entire monologue. For the first few months, I had assumed this would be a sentencing case. When he was questioned by detectives in the following days, Vaughn told them conflicting versions of how the shooting happened, Mills said, and video of the various interrogations will be shown to the jury. Ugh, just had to turn it off mid way through episode 2. I felt like I needed some balance or to just clean my palate. When I was around the back of the truck, heading back towards my door, it sounded like the inside of the truck was exploding. Christopher Vaughn is an American man convicted of the murder of his wife, Kimberly, and the couple's three children in June 14, 2007. . It didnt make sense that a guy, like Chris, an expert computer forensic investigator, would leave damaging evidence on his computer if he were contemplating killing his family. Chris handgun was found on the floor near his wifes feet. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Chriss 9mm Taurus handgun was found on the floorboard near her feet. !Go listen to Episode 17 of Court Junkie for a more fact/evidence based account. Prosecutors said that in the 14 hours he spent there, Vaughn stuck to the story that he had only a vague recollection of what happened in the SUV. Christopher only sustained minor wounds to his wrist and leg, compared to the other four who all suffered fatal bullet wounds. At first blush, it looked like Chris was guilty. During a case review with investigators and the crime lab, the States Attorney stated that a womans hand would be unable to squeeze the trigger of the 9mm Taurus. Its the Vaughn family who are judgy AF about people reading & being educated. There were two holes in his jacket. See for yourself in the gallery of colorized vintage crime scene photos -- whether New York or elsewhere, whether gangland or other -- above. While his family wore summer clothes befitting an excursion to a Springfield waterpark, Vaughn donned cowboy boots, blue jeans, a T-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt over it, and a fleece jacket he purchased on a secret trip to the Yukon, said Assistant State's Attorney Deborah Mills. None of this makes any logical sense. But Thursday, Waukegan defense attorney Jed Stone told the Sun-Times he recently signed on as lead counsel for Vaughn and has been looking down a number of avenues, all of which lead to actual innocence. Stone and another longtime investigator on the case, Bill Clutter, said they will start by seeking clemency for Vaughn this year from Gov. Zach LaVine finished with a game-high 41 points, DeMar DeRozan added 21 and Patrick Beverley had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Judge Clifton Newman agreed on . When they latched the seat belt, the large bloodstain was located right at the point where the latch came together. 10:18 GMT 29 Aug 2012 But on the day in June 2007 that his entire family was gunned down in a Ford Expedition, he did have on relatively strange attire. I tried to explain it awaymaybe they are really young?maybe they couldn't figure out a better way to begin the podcast?Maybe I have to fold all this laundry and I have nothing else to listen to , so I am just going to let it go? Flipboard. Christopher Vaughn was convicted of killing his wife and three young children after their bodies were found in the family's SUV just off I-55 in Channahon. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. There is zero evidence pointing to any other scenario. 10. "She's happy on the outside, but you'll see, ladies and gentleman, she was troubled on the inside," Lenard said. However, the case AGAINST the guy seems pretty damn strong. Even more compelling evidence supporting a murder-suicide came over a year after Chris was arrested when the Food and Drug Administration recommended a black box warning for a risk of suicidal behavior for the medicine Kimberly was taking to treat her stress-induced migraine headaches. When he got back inside the car, he saw that his leg was bleeding, so he got out again and proceeded to walk up the road to get help. Researchers reopened the Michael Francke Murder in . Abigayle had been shot near the right eye and in her right lower chest. There was a life insurance policy on his wife worth a million dollars, but if Chris was motivated by money, why would he leave a job that paid him $200,000 a year to hike into the wilderness to live off nature? first-degree murder in the deaths. The podcasts host, Lauren Bright Pacheco, said the theory offered in Thursdays episode, its ninth, has already been tested in a crime-scene reconstruction July 15 in Kentucky. "There isn't a punishment that fits this crime," State's Attorney James Glasgow said. One bullet pierced his left wrist, while another went through his left leg. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune). I am interested in reading up on the case. It was Christopher Vaughn, 32-year-old cyber crime and computer security investigator. 'An eye for an eye.'. Christopher Vaughn is accused of murdering his wife and three kids in 2007. . He then decided to adjust a loose luggage rack on top of the SUV at which time he reportedly said he was shot. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. To this day he maintains no memory of what occurred on the day of the murders. He was calm and did not display any signs of panic. I was hoping to find some website with a list of all the reasons Chris Vaughn is guilty like the pro/con websites you find for more popular cases like the West Memphis Three. In the one of the photos shown by the prosecution Monday, Kimberly was sprawled dead in the Expedition's passenger seat, bleeding out of her head, nose and mouth, and from a hole under her chin. He chatted that he was testing out the fantasy of going off the grid for good. The new medication guide advised patients to inform their doctor right away if they experienced anxiety while taking the medication. He recommended we retain ballistics expert Lucien Haag. He brutally murdered them in June 2007 The sergeant tells . The contact wound under her chin was a classic sign of self-infliction. There's circumstantial evidence that he was unhappy and wanted to leave his family, his story is sketchy as hell (he knew what happened at first, and then he had amnesia? I have no problem delving into the evidence if theres something substantial pointing to a wrongful conviction, but the vitriol and complete lack of decency I kept hearing just became too much to take. : Directed by Travis Wilkerson. The CSI said he was persuaded by the physical evidence that this was a murder-suicide committed by the wife. His defense team argued that Kimberly had killed the children and then herself. Most of their commentary was so unnecessary. The Oswego family was reportedly taking a day trip to a water park in Springfield when Christopher Vaughn left Interstate 55 and drove onto a frontage road when his wife became ill. 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While prosecutors flashed grisly photos of his wife and three young children slumped dead and bleeding in the family SUV, Christopher Vaughn sat expressionless, calmly jotting notes. His . She had sex with her bf, why dont they have equal responsibility in the pregnancy? The defense experts we recruited for trial were flushed down the drain. Transfer stains occur when an object, like a thumb, comes into contact with a bloody object. It was a lonely life for Kimberly. I can breathe again. Joliet Drug Dealer Arrested On Briggs Street: Police, Walgreens Pharmacist Attacked After Man Visits Wrong Store: JPD. need your help for this. Though he had been an early member of Vaughns defense team when Vaughn initially faced the death penalty, Clutter said he was discharged when the death penalty was abolished and has mostly worked pro bono on the case. Charles, Mo. 1. There was no bruising around the margins of the skin. Watch with discovery+ 5. When they extended the passenger seatbelt there was a heavy concentration of blood that had soaked through the fabric of the belt which had been concealed within the frame of the vehicle. He also said there is no question [Vaughn] was wearing that jacket when he was shot contradicting the theory that Vaughn had wrapped the gun in the jacket. The manual said a person would remember everything up until the trauma producing event, but would have no memory of the events that produced the trauma. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. His family, Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8, were found dead, seated together in the rear passenger seat, each shot twice. Most likely from when he placed the gun at her feet. On the case for four years, Chriss defense team, now preparing for trial, was yanked from the game. lastly, its SO weird that his parents say things like accident they left all the odd terminology regarding the murders struck me as super weird. The case is currently putting me in mind of the Jeffrey MacDonald case. "When you first opened the door, it looked like they all should be sleeping," he said. He said that when he was told at the hospital he had been shot, he was incredulous because there was no one else around and his wife didn't own a gun. She had no idea. 07-CF-1308 Prepared by Bill Clutter, Private Investigator GSR AND BLOOD ON BOTH HANDS CONSISTENT WITH SUICIDE At 9:00 a.m. 6/14/07 CSI Robert Deel administers Gunshot Residue Analysis on the Doesnt make him some kind of hero. Earnest was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death. Mr. Vaughn is quirky. Taking the medication right away team, now preparing for trial were flushed down the drain near his feet. 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