Funding his defense reverted back to Will County. It was a lonely life for Kimberly. He looked back over his shoulder at his family before being led from the courtroom after the sentencing. J.B. Pritzker. 'You've been here all day. I had the exact same feelings about the podcast. 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 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. After seeing these colorized vintage crime scene photos, take a look at colorized photos that bring century-old New York to life. At some of the scenes where the Rhoden family was killed, investigators did find . Victims Kimberly Vaughn, 34 Abigayle Vaughn, 12 Cassandra Vaughn, 11 Blake Vaughn, 8 News Archive: Vaughn Family murders Christopher Vaughn's defense centers on role of wife's medications Vaughn trial set for closing argument Prosecutor in Vaughn Case: "Give Them Justice" Christopher Vaughn guilty of killing family Husband, Father Convicted in 2007 Roadside Murder Case Christopher He then decided to adjust a loose luggage rack on top of the SUV at which time he reportedly said he was shot. The screening of his police interview video has been the most dramatic part of the second week of testimony at Vaughn's trial in Joliet, according to the Chicago Tribune. Her father is expected to take the witness stand Tuesday. 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. At one point, Sergeant Gary Lawson asks Vaughn what he thought the person who had killed his family deserved. Instead, the trip turned into a bloody scene with Vaughn's wife and children all dying after being shot, leaving Vaughn as the sole survivor. He was in pants, tshirt AND long sleeve flannel shirt. Christopher sustained minor injuries to his wrist and leg while the other four sustained fatal gunshot . He said he wanted the family to be taken care of financially. If you hadn't started this thread, I would have. The Murdaugh family. He allegedly killed his family so he could live by himself in the Canadian wilderness. . She set up a total financial package, but when she suggested insuring the lives of his children, Chris declined. No longer alive, Chris.'. We asked the doctor who prescribed the Topamax about his patients email to her husband. 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. whose wife and three children were found fatally shot in the The Vaughn family murders in Illinois in 2007 have long divided those interested in the crimes. One symptom of experiencing a traumatic event is the freeze-response. His statement to police I froze is exactly what may have happened. Weiss said the life sentences were a proper end for a man who killed those closest to him so he could live out his wilderness fantasy. 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? Other side effects: acting aggressive, being angry or violent and acting on dangerous impulses.. Friday Raffle $66,230 and Fish Fry Special, NL VFW Top List Karaoke With Cheryl in the Bar Friday. Posted on December 5, 2021. His wife passed a certification course and practiced shooting at a Seattle range. My blood pressure explodes every week when another whiny, victim bashing, full of spin, low on facts episode is released. So far, I have not found much Reddit discussion on it. The CSI said he was persuaded by the physical evidence that this was a murder-suicide committed by the wife. Ahhhhh. NL VFW Friday Fish Fry. ', 'They're gone,' Vaughn answers, his head bowed. He pulled the Expedition over, got out under the guise of checking a cargo compartment on the roof of the SUV, grabbed his wife through the open passenger window, stuck a pistol under her chin and blew her brains out, Mills said. In 2004, Chris purchased a 9mm Taurus and joined the Washington Association of Legal Investigators (WALI). There were chat messages recovered from his computer to a guy in Canada revealing he was contemplating strapping on a back pack and leaving civilization and his family to disappear into Alaskas Yukon. And in Stone, Vaughn has enlisted the same attorney who represents Marni Yang, the woman convicted of killing the pregnant girlfriend of former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle another case being challenged. This report was sent to the lead detective several days before he took the grand jury witness stand. 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? Later, under pressure, Vaughn is asked to guess what happened. 'I could warm them up for you if you want. DNA testing later invalidated a misinterpretation of blood stain evidence, which the State used to establish probable cause to arrest Chris. I really couldnt believe what I was hearing. It would make me feel better if you'd at least eat some fries,' says Lawson. Christopher Vaughn, 32, is charged with eight counts of murder Its drivers-side window was broken. Its worth mentioning that when Christopher was interviewed by police they suggested that he had been stressed out, which caused him to shoot and kill his family.
Prosecutors will continue playing portions of interviews with Vaughn today. The family all dressed in water park attire because thats where they believed they were going. The police questioned Vaughn in hospital. Flipboard. On Saturday, Vaughn was arrested in St. Charles and Kimberly planned to get her degree in criminal justice and join him as a PI. as if that means anything. Kimberly Phillips was born on December 12, 1972, to Del and Susan Phillips of Saint Charles, Missouri. I am new to Reddit. Angelo Ciaravino and Richard Zoller both have a way of getting their Mount Carmel teammates and the crowd fired up. Police had given him every opportunity to blame his wife, but he responded, There was no way she could have hurt the kids. . When Vaughn's family was killed, he lost his three young children and his wife, making him the sole survivor. The next night, Archie and his buddies went out in search of victim number one. UPDATED: 8/20/2011 - 4:46 p.m. CHICAGO (CBS) -- Jurors in Christopher Vaughn's family murder trial were shown graphic photos of the defendant's dead wife and three children, and prosecutors . That made it a little more personal for me, but I would have been thoroughly grossed out regardless. OBTAINING PUBLIC RECORDS The Peoples Right To Know. : Directed by Travis Wilkerson. No one owes them anything. Effort underway to free Christopher Vaughn 9 years after conviction for murdering wife, kids, Gunfire kills mom, 3 kids - Wounded dad says wife pulled the trigger, police say he is not a suspect at this time after bodies found in SUV, Article on staging crime found in accused killer Chris Vaughns home, Dream roadtrip ended in nightmare for Christopher Vaughns family, Joliet farmers wrangle cows thrown from semitrailer after crash on Interstate 80, 1 killed, 3 wounded in shootings Tuesday in Chicago, Cook County judge refused to speak with police investigating another judge, CPD shifting cops to more violent beats as summer approaches, Woman claims self-defense in murder of rapper Johnny May Cash, says he beat her, Lightfoot is out, Vallas and Johnson are in the April runoff, Chicago police officer dies after exchanging gunfire at close range with suspect in Gage Park, Analysis: How Lightfoot went from political rock star to rock bottom, Patrick Kane leaves Chicago with clear legacy: Blackhawks greatest player of all time, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in a fight she couldnt have won, Northwestern falls to Penn State in OT for third consecutive loss, Bulls nearly blow 21-point lead but survive against Pistons, Defensive whiz Richard Zoller, high-flying Angelo Ciaravino help Mount Carmel take down Hyde Park. Channahon Firefighter-Paramedic Ryan Jandura said he found a Harry Potter book and a stuffed animal by 12-year-old Abigayle's body. Pritzkers press secretary declined to comment. Have the Vaughns considered that the reason their in laws didn't want to visit them is because they are jerks? According to the prosecution, he reportedly killed his family in order to survive in the Canadian forest. I forgot, his co worker said they went out on a work trip, partied, came back to the hotel at 1AM and later Chris said he went back out, returned at 5AM and chris eluded to things getting wild during that time. He described to the police how he and his family left their home at around five in the morning to go to a water park in Springfield. Will the strippers get two episodes to tell their story? Had he known this he would have taken her off the medication right away. the Vaughn family's Oswego home. Shortly after Chris Vaughn was discovered limping down a highway with two gunshot wounds in the early morning hours of June 14, 2007, his wife and kids were found in their SUV shot to death. The magazine was collected as evidence and sent to the crime lab in an attempt to prove that Chris had read the article, and became an expert on crime scene staging. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune). ), and the state had ballistic evidence that appears convincing. Later, Ledbetter spoke with Sgt. I went down a Google rabbit hole in trying to figure out what case this guy had for his innocence, and it's a really tough one to figure. He said, Every time I would come up with something that the evidence would suggest or support or you would be able to at least follow the evidence to come to a logical conclusion, basically I was just given some other crazy way that this could have occurred or they would change their theory of what happened to try to match the evidence rather than letting the evidence dictate to you the events that occurred. I cannot believe his mom blames the other grandmother for subsequent pregnancies. 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. Who would more likely use his jacket to conceal a gun? While Vaughn might come off as cold-hearted or callous, Lenard asked jurors not use the accused quadruple-murderer's demeanoror eccentricitiesagainst him. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. But the father does not respond. His case seems to be that the ballistics did not 100% line up with the state's theory. I couldnt buckle the belt. The night before the killings, Vaughn also visited a shooting range, according to trial testimony. Pacheco, a former Dr. Oz producer, has said Kimberlys family declined her requests for comment. The contact wound under her chin was a classic sign of self-infliction. What the actual?! Murder in Illinois has taken heavy criticism for its generally negative portrayal of Kimberly and her family. Murder in Illinois is a true crime podcast that examines the 2007 case of Chris Vaughn who was arrested and convicted of the murders of his wife and three children. The defense experts we recruited for trial were flushed down the drain. . . It was like my mind shut off . On June 14, 2007, the Vaughn family from Oswego loaded up the family vehicle and headed for Springfield, IL to spend the day at Knight's Action Park. "You couldn't believe it.". November 27, 2012 / 10:33 AM / CBS Chicago. 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. Elizabeth, another sister, and Jennifer, Kimberlys twin, were both there. Hargon received life in prison in the third slaying. On Tuesday, Kimberly's identical twin sister, Jennifer Ledbetter, explained that she feared her looks and personality traits were a painful reminder for the rest of her family of Kimberly's absence and violent death. The first entrance hole was the front right pocket; the second an exit hole near the back bottom left side of the jacket. 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