Guilty! Christopher Vaughn Convicted of Killing His Wife and Three Children
A Will County jury needed less than an hour to find the Oswego man guilty of murdering his family so he could pursue his dream of living in the Canadian wilderness
Photos
A Will County jury needed less than an hour to declare Christopher Vaughn guilty of murdering his wife and three children in a desperate effort to free himself of his obligations for a new life in the Canadian wilderness.
Vaughn, dressed in his daily court attire of cowboy boots, sports coat and white shirt, showed no emotion when the verdict was read or as he was led from the courtroom. Members of Kimberly Vaughn's family were emotional, several crying in response to the ruling.
The jury's decision means members believed that Vaughn intentionally put a gun below the chin of his wife Kimberly, 34, and shot her in the head before turning the weapon on Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8, shooting each child in the head and torso. The mass execution was carried out in the pre-dawn hours of June 14, 2007, on a gravel driveway off an desolate Interstate 55 frontage road in rural Channahon.
Vaughn, 37, of Oswego, sustained superficial gunshot wounds to his left thigh and wrist, which prosecutors maintained were self-inflicted to bolster his story that his wife had shot him.
Defense attorneys presented a vigorous defense for Vaughn, making the case that it was Kimberly Vaughn who was the true killer, faking an illness in order to get her husband to pull off on the quiet road so she could carry out her murder-suicide plan.
Her aim, the attorneys said, was to shoot her husband and children before turning the gun on herself. Her motivation: despondency over a crumbling marriage and unfaithful spouse and suicidal tendencies brought on by medication she was taking for migraine headaches.
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e w
5:21 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I hope that he ges death because that is what he did to his family
Clutche
5:53 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
no death penalty in Illinois
chris
5:24 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I hope he has a long lasting relationship with a few aggressive inmates death is to easy for this complete waste of Human life .
Carrie Scholtes
6:36 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Yes!!! Thank you jury!
Darrin
10:42 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
You're welcome. It was an easy decision!!
Darrin
10:47 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Actually, you should thank the Proscecution. They made it very simple for us.
Wellington Mot
7:32 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
This guy's defense lawyer is also a complete scumbag for the kind of arguments he made in open court. You would never want to blaim an attorney for vigorously defending his client, but this guy made the choice to throw his client's wife under the bus in the most disgusting ways. Their are limits to what a good defense lawyer will do to get a client aquitted, surrendering their decency should be one of them. This was a horrific crime.
Kristine Neumann
11:16 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I have to disagree with you. His lawyer was only doing his job. Many lawyers have done the same thing. I'm sure if it were you, you would want your lawyer to do everything to defend you.
Wellington Mot
7:45 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Vaughn said he always wanted to fend for himself in the wilds. Well, he will soon be sent to one of our nations finest prisons where he will be "released" into a new kind of wilderness called the 'general population'. Some of this wilderness' inhabitants don't take kindly to child-killers. It would be just if he suffers many agonizing experiences in prison and for many years. May his old age be plaqued by the ghostly images of his victims faces; with their shock and horror.
Leslie Green
8:48 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I doubt he will be plagued by any ghostly images-you'd have to have a conscience, some decency and compassion to be bothered. He clearly has none of these. I can't think of anything that could match the terror his wife and children must have suffered as punishment for this man-oh wait...of course I could, but such things would probably be illegal.
Kristine Neumann
11:14 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Does anyone know if any of his family were in court? I never heard one word about his family. I know his wife's family was there.
Darrin
11:35 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Chris's mom, dad and I believe sister-in-law where there everyday. His two brothers where there off and on throughout.
Holly Monte
7:41 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Thank you Will County jurors, and thanks Patch writers for your excellent coverage of the case.
Holly Monte
7:46 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Thank you Will County jurors, and thanks Patch writers for your excellent coverage of the case. So happy that justice was served for Kim, Abby, Sandy & Blake, and all who loved them.
Flora Dora
1:07 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012
Amen to that. Holly. Darrin, you and the other jurors did a good job but it must have been very disturbing to see the photos and hear the evidence and to look on that terrible man's face day after day. Kudos to all of you.
BossBlueJay
3:41 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
I got a few buddies up there, Ima send them a kite. One for Drew too ! I have no sympathy for men who hurt women and children. They deserve whatever the hell happens to them.