Christopher Vaughn (second from left) sits with his family in his Oswego home before they were murdered in 2007. Forensic evidence emerges throughout the podcast series. 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? Kims sister paints a picture of a person who wanted to be a good mom, good wife, a good person. I couldnt buckle the belt. There is a swipe mark on the latch, which corresponds with the transfer stain on his wifes right thumb. He allegedly shoved his handgun under Kimberly's chin and shot her, then turned the gun on his sleeping children, the last of whom apparently raised his arms in an attempt to fend off the fatal bullets. ', 'They're gone,' Vaughn answers, his head bowed. The Illinois State Police followed up by issuing subpoenas to her physicians requesting her medical records that may indicate suicidal or homicidal thoughts or impulses, or relating to Kimberlys prescriptions for and utilization of the drugs referred to as Topamax, Avapro, and Nortriptyline. She was taking Avapro for high blood pressure. Sadly, it took place on what should have been an exciting day at a local waterpark for the family. Be forewarned that some of the. In August of 2012, five years after his arrest before his family's funeral in June 2007, Christopher Vaughn's murder trail began. This could be due to my lack of search skills. The Vaughn family murders in Illinois in 2007 have long divided those interested in the crimes. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. In the early morning hours of June 14, 2007, a man in Will County, Illinois, waved down a pick-up truck on a frontage road near I-55. 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. 15:45 GMT 29 Aug 2012. first-degree murder in the 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. That was really off putting. I got to the road to get help.. I have no problem delving into the evidence if theres something substantial pointing to a wrongful conviction, but the vitriol and complete lack of decency I kept hearing just became too much to take. I've got nothing to go back to.'. (CBS), Christopher Vaughn, Hargon received life in prison in the third slaying. Chris Vaughn and his family are driving to a water park when their lives are tragically ended in a roadside shooting. Christopher Vaughn is accused of murdering his wife and three kids in 2007. . I recommended that we appoint an expert in psychiatry to evaluate the statements Chris made to police. "All this tragedy, because one person just could not walk away. as if that means anything. Police had given him every opportunity to blame his wife, but he responded, There was no way she could have hurt the kids. 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. His jacket had holes in it that suggested it was bunched around the gun when fired. I am not sure how you get past this fact. Lol, Gave up early on as the host seemed to be going seriously Sarah Koenig on Mr Vaughn, Im not going to take anyone seriously if they hit me with the very silly he didnt have a killers eyes crap. At one point in the intensive questioning, he crumples up a picture of his eight-year-old son, Blake, and throws it into the corner of the room. 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. When the mom says one of the daughters was a lot like Kim except she was warm and loving it made me irate. That stripped away resources to defend Vaughn. Its unlikely that Vaughns recollection of the murders from 2007 was useful. He spent over $4,000 on one stripper during two visits a week apart. The police questioned Vaughn in hospital. In the one of the photos shown by the prosecution Monday, Kimberly was sprawled dead in the Expedition's passenger seat, bleeding out of her head, nose and mouth, and from a hole under her chin. Later, under pressure, Vaughn is asked to guess what happened. Jurors found Vaughn guilty of the June 14, 2007, murders of his wife Kimberly, 34, and their children: 12-year-old Abigayle, 11-year-old Cassandra, and 8-year-old Blake. . She gets mad when I dont call her.. Clutter, founder of Investigating Innocence, said a crime-scene reconstruction has shown Vaughn couldnt have unbuckled his wifes seat belt. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. He spends much of the gruelling 12-hour interview with his face in his hands or down on the table. Friday Raffle $66,230 and Fish Fry Special, NL VFW Top List Karaoke With Cheryl in the Bar Friday. While prosecutors flashed grisly photos of his wife and three young children slumped dead and bleeding in the family SUV, Christopher Vaughn sat expressionless, calmly jotting notes. Beloved wife of Christopher Vaughn; beloved mother of Abigayle, Cassandra and Blake; beloved daughter of Del and Susan Phillips He said he wanted the family to be taken care of financially. Vaughn was convicted of killing (from left) Blake, 8; Cassandra, 11, Kimberly, 34, and Abigayle, 12. After killing his family, she said, Vaughn intentionally grazed his wrist with a bullet and shot himself in the leg, Mills said then "planted the gun between" Kimberly's feet. Prosecutors said that in the 14 hours he spent there, Vaughn stuck to the story that he had only a vague recollection of what happened in the SUV. 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. At first blush, it looked like Chris was guilty. Had he known this he would have taken her off the medication right away. He did this so he could later claim Kimberly shot him and the three children before turning the gun on herself, and that he was lucky enough to be the only one to leave the SUV with his life, Mills said. 2007 the Vaughn family- Christopher, his wife Kimberly and their three children . When he was questioned by detectives in the following days, Vaughn told them conflicting versions of how the shooting happened, Mills said, and video of the various interrogations will be shown to the jury. She worked on an assignment the day before her death and communicated with others that she would be working on it more the day she died. Autopsy photos of her left thumb show patterns of passive drops of blood in the location where it would be expected, if she had pulled the trigger. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 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. Who would more likely use his jacket to conceal a gun? Traces of his flesh and blood, and denim and polyester fibers consistent with the jacket and jeans were found on the bullet. At another point, Vaughn pushes away a bag of food from McDonalds that detectives have brought him. . Prosecutors said blood evidence suggested Vaughn was moving over Kimberlys body after her death, and none of it pointed to a struggle. NL VFW Friday Fish Fry. 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. I have read some of the flood of news articles following the Chris Vaughn trial. Neighbor kids not being allowed in the house? "She's happy on the outside, but you'll see, ladies and gentleman, she was troubled on the inside," Lenard said. He moved the family to Oswego, Illinois. He told investigators he had been too busy to read the magazine. Analysis of the bloodstain patterns on her left hand provides more compelling evidence that her death was indeed, a suicide. Chris handgun was found on the floor near his wifes feet. 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. Jeremy Webster is accused of fatally shooting 13-year-old Vaughn Bigelow on June 14, 2018. She had no idea. I was brought on to the case by a St. Louis criminal defense attorney with whom I had worked before. Very little back spatter would occur with the bullet entering the soft underside of the chin. My hand shook badly. I fell back out the door preparing to make another attempt. Hall was sentenced to death by electrocution in May 1945 and executed on January 4, 1946. yesmagazine.org. Brad Pitt and Daughter Shiloh Share the Same Passions: They Have an Unbreakable Bond, What Caused Jackie Reeds Death? I was appointed as the fact investigator in 2007 after prosecutors declared their intent to seek the death penalty. He genuinely appeared unaware that his family had been killed. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. When investigators arrived at the scene, they noticed blood stains on the strap of the seatbelt. His family sounds narcissistic AF. 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. Gone was the Capital Litigation Trust Fund, a $20 million statewide fund created as one of the reforms to level the playing field by providing funding for defense experts, investigators, and experienced criminal defense attorneys. 113K views 10 years ago Three years ago, the murder of one man's family stunned a small Illinois town. Murder of the wife and children in the suburbs, Kimberly. Emma Reynolds In some cases, the observation of back spatter on the hand that held the gun will provide unmistakable evidence of suicide. '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. The defense experts we recruited for trial were flushed down the drain. Other side effects: acting aggressive, being angry or violent and acting on dangerous impulses.. . TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Are you involved in a story making headlines? But Chris specialty was computer forensics. Police and EMS were both called, and both arrived at the scene. Most likely from when he placed the gun at her feet. The massacre. The DSM-IV gave an example that a person may suffer this condition if they are the sole survivor and witness their entire family die in an automobile crash. The contact wound under her chin was a classic sign of self-infliction. 'Whatever they did, they deserve back,' said Vaughn. She was right handed. Christopher Vaughn, of Oswego, Illinois, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife and three children on June 14, 2007. At one point, Sergeant Gary Lawson asks Vaughn what he thought the person who had killed his family deserved. The Vaughn family moved from Washington state to the Chicago area about a year ago, bringing their two dogs with them, according to the May 27 article. Even more compelling evidence supporting a murder-suicide came over a year after Chris was arrested when the Food and Drug Administration recommended a black box warning for a risk of suicidal behavior for the medicine Kimberly was taking to treat her stress-induced migraine headaches. deaths. We proved beyond a reasonable doubt that [Vaughn] shot his children in the head and chest at point-blank range after putting a gun under the chin of his wife and pulling the trigger, Will County States Attorney James Glasgow told the Sun-Times. A piece of his flesh was recovered around the margins of the exit hole of the back of the jacket. The podcasts host, Lauren Bright Pacheco, said the theory offered in Thursdays episode, its ninth, has already been tested in a crime-scene reconstruction July 15 in Kentucky. He was calm and did not display any signs of panic. One bullet pierced his left wrist, while another went through his left leg. Will County States Attorney James Glasgow. Christopher Vaughn wanted to live in perfect freedom in the Canadian wilderness, prosecutors said, but instead he will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Will County judge sentenced him to four consecutive life terms Tuesday for the murders of Vaughn's wife and three children. She was one of Susans three daughters with Del, an attorney. J.B. Pritzker. Alex Murdaugh, 53, calls 911 and reports he found his wife Margaret, 52, and son Paul, then 22, shot dead outside of their home in Islandton, a small community about an hour north of Hilton Head. By analyzing the blood evidence on the wifes right thumb, it all comes together to prove it was the wife who unbuckled her own seatbelt, after her husband had been shot. "When you first opened the door, it looked like they all should be sleeping," he said. Dead. Theyre real people.' According to the prosecution, he reportedly killed his family in order to survive in the Canadian forest. Earnest was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death. On Monday, Vaughn was wearing a tan jacket and white collared shirt. 07-CF-1308 Prepared by Bill Clutter, Private Investigator GSR AND BLOOD ON BOTH HANDS CONSISTENT WITH SUICIDE At 9:00 a.m. 6/14/07 CSI Robert Deel administers Gunshot Residue Analysis on the Kimberly Phillips was born on December 12, 1972, to Del and Susan Phillips of Saint Charles, Missouri. I thought to drive the truck. And if he married her, that was his choice. The psychiatrist said this nuance of detail would be difficult to fake. 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. 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. lastly, its SO weird that his parents say things like accident they left all the odd terminology regarding the murders struck me as super weird. Police then used trickery to illicit a confession. Another incriminating fact was Chris visit to a strip club near OHare Airport two nights before his family was killed. Meanwhile, the man whose office oversaw the prosecution said Vaughn would go free when hell freezes over.. He said Thursday he wants to find out when Vaughns memory returned. Police detectives found at the Vaughn home a copy of PI Magazine with a cover story called Crime Scene Staging and Alterations: The CSI Effect on Criminal Investigations. On Saturday, Vaughn was arrested in St. Charles and Then the doctor was asked what the significance would be taking both medications Nortriptyline and Topamax together. Interviewed by detectives, the only memory Chris had was that Kimberly wanted him to pull off the highway because she was feeling nauseous, a symptom of her stress-induced migraine headaches. Researchers reopened the Michael Francke Murder in . Thank you very much in advance. Season 1 explored a different case. After hearing the evidence that supported our defense theory, he recruited a defense attorney to assist pro bono. A prosecutor said that, if Vaughn had been wearing the jacket when the holes were made near the right front pocket and in the back, he might not be here today.. After she enrolled in her online class, Kimberly began to experience migraine headaches that her doctor attributed to stress. 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. 'They're gone. Chris pleaded with police to get the video so he would know what happened to his family. 'You've been here all day. 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. FORENSIC EVIDENCE OF MURDER-SUICIDE People v. Christopher Vaughn, Will County, IL No. 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. Patrick Quinn signed the bill abolishing the death penalty in Illinois on March 9, 2011. 'I just don't know I think I panicked or something.'. After visiting a new doctor who specialized in osteopathic medicine, Kim wrote that her new doctor told her, stopping the migraine medication will also help stop my anxiety . On November 9, 1971, 46-year-old accountant John List killed his entire family in their Westfield, NJ, mansion. Public Welcome. The new medication guide advised patients to inform their doctor right away if they experienced anxiety while taking the medication. A camera near the ceiling captures Vaughn fidgeting with the hospital gown he is wearing and sipping water from a blue paper cup as he calmly recalls awaking the children at 4am and telling them to get in the SUV for a surprise trip to a water park in Springfield. John List. He then. But what we see on the left thumb is seepage of blood from the wound, creating large patterns of passive blood drops. I couldnt drive the truck. Will the strippers get two episodes to tell their story? His . She was stabbed. The ISP crime scene investigator documented in his report that the bullet that struck Cassandra, seated in the middle between her two siblings, exited through the back of her seat and lodged in the rear cargo seat. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Charles, Mo. The Colorado father and oil worker was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Shanann, their unborn child, and their two children, Celeste and Bella, ages 4 and 3. So far, I have not found much Reddit discussion on it. The jury in Alex Murdaugh 's high-profile murder trial will visit the scene where his wife Maggie and son Paul were brutally gunned down in the summer of 2021. Kimberly Phillips was born on December 12, 1972, to Del and Susan Phillips of Saint Charles, Missouri. You killed them. She then turned the gun on herself and fired. He chatted that he was testing out the fantasy of going off the grid for good. He looked back over his shoulder at his family before being led from the courtroom after the sentencing. He also said there is no question [Vaughn] was wearing that jacket when he was shot contradicting the theory that Vaughn had wrapped the gun in the jacket. He also objectedwhile the jury was out of the courtroomto photos taken of Kimberly and the children when they were still alive being shown on the screen. . Vaughn's restraints made a clanking sound as he appeared to wipe his eye during the testimony, his only outward sign of emotion during the hearing. Accused Family Killer Christopher Vaughn Read Articles About Staging Crime Scenes: Prosecutors Updated: Monday, 27 Jun 2011, The documents show the Vaughn family s trip to Knight s Water Park in Springfield also was planned the night before the murders, reached after Vaughn s wife accused him of spending too little time with their kids. 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