Death Of A Family
Christopher Vaughn: Stop The Madness!
Illinois
This is a story of a family wiped out by a blaze of bullets.
The prosecution says that Christopher Vaughn killed his family out of greed. He had a 1 million dollar life insurance policy on his wife, Kimberly.
On June 14, 2007, Kimberly Vaughn and her three children, Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8, were shot dead in their family's SUV on an interstate 55 frontage road in Channahon Illinois. All of the children had been shot twice.
Chris and Kimberly had been planning a week-end get-a-way for their 13th anniversary, but when questioned, Vaughn said that the family got up early to go to a water park in Springfield, Illinois.
It is unclear why the Vaughns, who lived in Oswego and had no apparent ties to the capital city, would have chosen to visit a water park in Springfield. Oswego is about a three-hour drive.
Vaughn told police that his wife was feeling ill so he pulled off onto the frontage road, between large trees, near a cell tower. He got out to adjust the luggage rack on top of the vehicle and moments later noticed his leg was bleeding. He told his wife he was going to get help, flagged down a truck and asked the driver to call 911" Police reported that there was a cell phone in the SUV.
It was reported that Vaughn said there had been a drive by shooting. Then he said he had told his wife he was having an affair, and she shot him, the kids and then herself.
On June 23, 2007, the day of the funerals, a funeral home staff member ushered Vaughn into a room, telling him there was something wrong with a piece of jewelry on his wife's body. Two detectives were waiting for him, according to a friend of Vaughn's in-laws."
He was taken into custody just 2 hours before the funerals.
A rumor has been going around that Vaughn may have emulated a "Law and Order" episode that ran on May 8th of 2007.
Police reviewed the episode which has TV cops trying to determine why a mom shot her kids to death in their home, wounded her husband, then shot herself. The NBC show takes a dramatic twist and ends with the husband being arrested for the murders of his wife and children.
Police investigating the deaths of the Vaughns have looked at a copy of the episode, law enforcement sources said, while downplaying any connection between the TV show and the Will County deaths.
The trial date has not been set.
Resources and detailed reading...
The best source of in depth information is...
http://www.acandyrose.com/vaughn_history_timeline.htm
http://cbs2chicago.com/westsuburbanbureau/christopher.vaughn.motive.2.616358.html
http://www.truecrimeweblog.com/2007/06/vaughn-family-oswego-il-what-happened.html
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2007/12/30/news/648etop5.txt
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/23/national/main2970794.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_2970794
http://truecrimemagazine.com/articles/473 No longer available
http://truecrimemagazine.com/articles/486 No longer available
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