Chris Vaughn in Court as Murder Trial Approaches

The Oswego man charged with murdering his wife and three children as they sat helpless in the family's minivan appeared in for a brief Monday morning hearing as his trial rapidly approaches.

Christopher Vaughn, who has sat in for more than five years, will finally go to trial Aug. 13.

On Monday, Judge Daniel Rozak presided as prosecutors and defense attorney George Lenard hashed out a subpoena return and evidentiary matters. Rozak also granted Lenard a contact visit with Vaughn and set another pretrial hearing for July 16.

Vaughn, 37, has been locked up since June 2007 on charges he murdered his wife and children.

Vaughn, his wife Kimberly, 34, and children Blake, 8, Cassandra, 11, and Abigayle, 12 were heading from their Oswego home to a Springfield waterpark when he pulled off Interstate 55 and stopped on the frontage road outside Channahon.

Christopher Vaughn then gunned down his wife and children as they sat in the family's minivan, according to police and prosecutors.

But Vaughn told detectives it was actually his wife who shot down their children, put a bullet in his leg as he fled for his life, then turned the pistol on herself and committed suicide.

Christopher Vaughn reportedly explained to detectives that he had confessed to his wife about an extramarital dalliance and that was what led to the unhinged Kimberly Vaughn's killing spree.

Vaughn also told investigators that the medication his wife was taking for migraine headaches contributed to her becoming both homicidal and suicidal, officials said.