The letter said Vaughn trusted investigators to get to the truth. In some cases, the observation of back spatter on the hand that held the gun will provide unmistakable evidence of suicide. It was only after police showed him the photos of his dead family that he began to refer to them in the past tense. I thought to drive the truck. He was leading a dual life. I am new to Reddit. 'They're gone. Lenard objected to the death scene photos being left on the television screen for long periods of time. first-degree murder in the deaths. That was really off putting. Was disappointed to hear the spin as well. 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. Jurors didn't buy the theory, returning guilty verdicts in September after deliberating for just 45 minutes. 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 podcast is currently on the second episode and has shown the case from the view of Chris Vaughn's supporters. His wife, Kimberly, 34, was in the front passenger seat, slumped over the center console with a single contact gunshot wound under her chin. I couldnt drive the truck. Here is a look at some of the evidence and motives law enforcement have explored during the course of their investigation. He also acknowledged that the new theory undermines one hed previously held. 'I just don't know I think I panicked or something.'. Its unlikely that Vaughns recollection of the murders from 2007 was useful. Whats become of Christopher Vaughn? You have entered an incorrect email address! Nothing could be done. Kimberly Ellen Vaughn, 34, and her three children, Abigayle Elizabeth Vaughn, 12; Cassandra Ellen Vaughn, 11; and Blake Philip Vaughn, 8; all of Oswego, were found shot to death in an SUV in far southwest suburban Channahon Township. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Vaughns family did not respond to a message seeking comment. Convicted of murder after a two-day trial in May 1945, Hall was sentenced to death. On Thursdays episode of Murder in Illinois, a letter purportedly written by Vaughn is read, in which he admits he lied about not remembering how Kimberly shot my kids then killed herself., I pulled over and got out to give her a minute, the letter said. In 2007, Chris Vaughn was arrested during a funeral for his wife and three children. During his second inspection of the vehicle, Haag attached a laser to the end of the dowel rod and was able, with the tip of his finger, to demonstrate that the shot that struck Cassandra had been fired from the passenger seat, Kimberly was seated. A piece of his flesh was recovered around the margins of the exit hole of the back of the jacket. 'Mandalorian' star Pedro Pascal, creators on new Grogu revelations and 'Last of Us' comparisons, Saved by the bell: Contestant ordered to keep mask on, in historic 'Masked Singer' first, Chris Pine admits 'it does look' like Harry Styles spit on him but this is what actually happened, Rebel Wilson 'collapsed' after Ramona Agruma proposal: 'I was so overwhelmed', Amy Grant recalls being 'so scared' to return to touring following serious bike accident. Prosecutors said Vaughn shoved his Taurus handgun under Kimberlys chin from outside the SUV and shot her, then reached over her to shoot his children. It was only after I read the transcripts and watched the 20 hours of video interrogation by police that I realized Chris might be innocent. Transported to the hospital, Chris Vaughn believed his family was still alive. By 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. When the mom says one of the daughters was a lot like Kim except she was warm and loving it made me irate. the Murderpedia project stay alive. . 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. As he went to check the carrier on the roof, Vaughn said, he felt pain in his leg and noticed he was bleeding as he got back in the car. 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. "Our hearts ache with the knowledge that they were priceless to everyone but the one man who should have loved them more than his own life," she said of her four slain family members. I havent formed an opinion yet, but was looking to see what you guys think. 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. Police had given him every opportunity to blame his wife, but he responded, There was no way she could have hurt the kids. They said, he had to make it look like he didnt do this, so he then got back into the SUV and shot himself in the left wrist and thigh before dropping the gun between Kimberlys feet, unbuckling her seat belt and walking away. I have read some of the flood of news articles following the Chris Vaughn trial. After she enrolled in her online class, Kimberly began to experience migraine headaches that her doctor attributed to stress. "He's monotone. charged with eight counts of. The interpretation of blood stains on Kimberlys lap and upper legs indicate she was leaning over the gun when it was fired, which further supports a suicide. Kimberly Vaughn, 34, who had recently completed an online degree in criminal justice, was killed first, prosecutors said. He then decided to adjust a loose luggage rack on top of the SUV at which time he reportedly said he was shot. The ISP CSI described how the phenomenon of tunnel vision infected the Vaughn case. Steve Weiss, the Channahon police officer who found the four slain family members, telling him "my prayers will be with you.". At one point, Sergeant Gary Lawson asks Vaughn what he thought the person who had killed his family deserved. 'An eye for an eye.'. Approved by the FDA to treat epilepsy and seizures, Topamax has an off label use for the treatment of migraine headaches. Most of their commentary was so unnecessary. OBTAINING PUBLIC RECORDS The Peoples Right To Know. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. seen Friday leaving a funeral home after the visitation in St. And so far no actual evidence that might show innocence, just story after story of all the stuff they did outside (???) Then, later, he adds: 'She shot me, she shot the kids.'. Were ready for anything that occurs, Glasgow said. I can breathe again. family's sports utility vehicle June 14, in Channahon, Ill., is Meanwhile, the man whose office oversaw the prosecution said Vaughn would go free when hell freezes over.. Christopher Vaughn is accused of murdering his wife and three kids in 2007. . There was no struggle for the weapon. On Tuesday's episode of Dr. Phil, "Murder in the Suburbs: Inside the SUV," see a reenactment of the crime scene based on Vaughn's claims in a letter he wrote that he says show he didn't murder his family. What the actual?! 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. Plus, hear from the former Assistant State's Attorney who believes Chris is right where he belongs. Initially, it was believed that he had unbuckled his wifes seat belt after he shot her. Murder of the wife and children in the suburbs, Kimberly. Your son murdered them and you are talking smack about their daughter, no way I would have allowed them to be there. She doesnt talk much, he jumps up to help, the hadnt started dinner, she helped her mother make dinner, you showed up without notice and got mad you were not welcomed? On the way, Kimberly started to feel sick, so he got off I-55 around Channahon and took the quiet frontage road. Alex Murdaugh called 911 on June 7, 2021, to report he found his wife Margaret, 52, and son Paul, 22, shot dead outside their Islandton home about an hour from Hilton Head Island, the South . On Thursday, she told the Sun-Times that rifts in the family contributed heavily to the public perception of Vaughns guilt.. The jury had been considering the case for barely about an hour when they found him guilty. The bullet deflected off the watch and went out the drivers side window evidence that was consistent with the CSIs interpretation. Kim fired at me. The bullet passed within a fraction of an inch over his penis and scrotum, entered the top of his left leg and exited through the side seam of his jeans. Family Annihilation: The Vaughn Family Murders. Spatter on left hand, thats blowback from the angle, IMO. The long-dormant Vaughn case has resurfaced through an iHeart Radio podcast, Murder in Illinois. An episode on Thursday offered a new theory of what happened in the Vaughn familys SUV while it was parked in a secluded area along a frontage road near Interstate 55 and Bluff Road. . 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. "I don't think he felt what we feel when he held our (grand)children," said Phillips, who said he had hoped to hear some explanation or apology from Vaughn on Tuesday. It was then re-dated to reflect that it was finalized a day after the lead detective gave his factually inaccurate grand jury testimony. 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. 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. the forensics and all circumstantial evidence, including Chris own words and online conversations point to one scenario, hes a family annihilator . It was a lonely life for Kimberly. Another incriminating fact was Chris visit to a strip club near OHare Airport two nights before his family was killed. NL VFW Friday Fish Fry. Kimberly planned to get her degree in criminal justice and join him as a PI. 15:45 GMT 29 Aug 2012. His family, Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8, were found dead, seated together in the rear passenger seat, each shot twice. Joliet Drug Dealer Arrested On Briggs Street: Police, Walgreens Pharmacist Attacked After Man Visits Wrong Store: JPD. he did it and heres what proved it: he had an article about hw to make a murder look like suicide, claimed he didnt read it but somehow followed some of the suggestions listed in the article. Though Vaughn claimed not to remember details of the shooting, he contended that he pulled the Expedition off the highway when Kimberly said she was feeling sick. Have the Vaughns considered that the reason their in laws didn't want to visit them is because they are jerks? This evidence suggested he was seated as his wife was bleeding and he leaned back, pressing the jacket against the leather seat, making contact with the secondary spatter stains. He moved the family to Oswego, Illinois. Elizabeth, another sister, and Jennifer, Kimberly's twin, were both there. He then. Why not ask to be hypnotized so u can remember. charged with eight counts of Police and EMS were both called, and both arrived at the scene. Chris pleaded with police to get the video so he would know what happened to his family. The States forensic pathologist later disagreed with this conclusion and testified in deposition that the soot pattern fanning away from the entrance wound meant that this was loose contact with no force. 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. And on Tuesday, "Murder in the Suburbs: Inside the SUV," Clutter does a reenactment of the crime scene based on Vaughn's claims in a letter Vaughn wrote that he says show Vaughn didn't murder his family. A member of Kimberlys family declined to speak to the Sun-Times. The shots to the children in the back seat came from over the left shoulder of the front passenger seat, where Kimberly was found, records show. 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. Then, the surviving husband and father revealed that he had been getting threats. No one owes them anything. Kims sister paints a picture of a person who wanted to be a good mom, good wife, a good person. 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. There was no sexual contact, not even a lap dance. I cannot believe his mom blames the other grandmother for subsequent pregnancies. When the man asked if he had been in a motorcycle accident, or if he had been stabbed, he replied, No, I think my wife shot me. Husband and father Chris Vaughn was found limping away from his SUV along a highway with two non-fatal gunshot wounds during the early morning of June 14, 2007. . The bleeding man told the truck driver that he believed his wife had shot him. His children, 12-year-old Abigayle . 2007-02-15 Stephen Willott, was e-mail friend who planned to live in Canadian wilderness with Chris Vaughn 08/31/12 "Friend: Christopher Vaughn wanted simple life away from government, people" (CBS), Christopher Vaughn, Why not ask how they are, why are you not upset that you cant remember? So far, I have not found much Reddit discussion on it. They released Blackie. Also this past weekend on 07/25/21, the afternoon radio host (WGN Radio) was discussing the horrific "crime of the century" when Richard Speck brutally murdered 8 nurses in Chicago (07/14/1966). 'I'm really confused,' Vaughn says early in the interview with detectives. Vaughn's parents are asking for a new trial. Wtf would you blame the deceaseds mother! After getting back inside the car, he said, I looked over and thought I saw a gun, but I knew that was impossible why does Kim have a gun? Christopher sustained minor injuries to his wrist and leg while the other four sustained fatal gunshot . He noted that hes previously dismissed murder cases when he found he could no longer prove them. His blood is on her side of the car. 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. Before the death penalty went away, I was bringing in an expert to help explain this. Sit down dining, or available carryout, Year around. I just started listening to the podcast, "Murder in Illinois Who Killed the Vaughn Family?". 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. Her father is expected to take the witness stand Tuesday. He recommended we retain ballistics expert Lucien Haag. 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? Judge Clifton Newman agreed on . Kimberly Phillips was born on December 12, 1972, to Del and Susan Phillips of Saint Charles, Missouri. It was his blood that bled onto her buckled seat belt. Then, with clinical "precision," he put two bullets each in Abigayle, Cassandra and Blake, in that order, she said. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help 1. It was a sickening feeling, as the architect of our defense experts and strategy, watching the case swirling around the toilet bowl. To keep creating Police then used trickery to illicit a confession. Its the Vaughn family who are judgy AF about people reading & being educated. Ok. To this day he maintains no memory of what occurred on the day of the murders. His case seems to be that the ballistics did not 100% line up with the state's theory. But he always seemed unemotional. So the mind blocks it out. Chris parents Gail and Pierre sit down with Dr. Phil for their first-ever live television appearance and discuss why they believe their son is innocent. Cassandra "Sandi", 11, an animal lover who was trying to persuade her mom to let her start a dog-walking business, was killed next. ), and the state had ballistic evidence that appears convincing. 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