I recommended that we appoint an expert in psychiatry to evaluate the statements Chris made to police. Plans changed when Chris landed a job with Chicago-based Navigant. That would be significant, he said. Public Welcome. Susan Phillips, right, mother of Kimberly Vaughn, and Kimberly's twin sister, Jennifer Ledbetter, spoke at Christopher Vaughn's sentencing Tuesday at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. 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. She set up a total financial package, but when she suggested insuring the lives of his children, Chris declined. There is zero evidence pointing to any other scenario. His defense team argued that Kimberly had killed the children and then herself. Analysis of the bloodstain patterns on her left hand provides more compelling evidence that her death was indeed, a suicide. He allegedly murdered his family so he could move to a . The two detectives leave Vaughn in the interview room for hours between discussions, alternating between courteous questioning and intense interrogation. His insurance agent told me she had suggested they take out a life insurance policy as part of sound financial planning. (The McDonald case is probably also fresh in my mind because I recently listened to three part series on the case from The Prosecutors.). 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. "There isn't a punishment that fits this crime," State's Attorney James Glasgow said. It was like my mind shut off . On Monday, Vaughn was wearing a tan jacket and white collared shirt. Your son murdered them and you are talking smack about their daughter, no way I would have allowed them to be there. I couldnt buckle the belt. 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. He had re-secured the strap on the topper, got back into the vehicle, noticed that his leg was bleeding, but had no memory of being shot. After seeing these colorized vintage crime scene photos, take a look at colorized photos that bring century-old New York to life. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The first entrance hole was the front right pocket; the second an exit hole near the back bottom left side of the jacket. Vaughn at first insists his wife, Kimberly, could not have been responsible, as he had initially claimed. Other side effects: acting aggressive, being angry or violent and acting on dangerous impulses.. Then, the surviving husband and father revealed that he had been getting threats. Kimberly planned to get her degree in criminal justice and join him as a PI. A potential family annihilator unhappy in his marriage that seems 100% guilty just based on the fact he is the biggest threat to the attacker, but is not killed. Chris handgun was found on the floor near his wifes feet. The 51/2 week trial included testimony from two former strippers whom Vaughn plied with cash and an FBI expert who translated 140 pages of runic writings that Vaughn, who had an interest in druidism, had scribbled in a notebook while in jail awaiting trial. I felt like I needed some balance or to just clean my palate. He said her big change in personality was of concern to him. His children, 12-year-old Abigayle . Cassandra was shot in the middle of her forehead and in her chest. its sad to me that before her death Kim was telling other people about her husbands good traits and she was looking into marriage counseling. According to a study that used high speed photography to document veterinarians shooting cattle at close range, there were several occasions when no back spatter was observed. Emma Reynolds He recommended we retain ballistics expert Lucien Haag. Crime Scene Reconstruction and Blood Stain Pattern Analysis: The Case of Christopher Vaughn By Bill Clutter Director of Investigations, "Investigating Innocence" The Scene of the Crime Around 5:20 a.m. on June 14, 2007, a man driving to work along the frontage road of Interstate 55 south of Joliet, Illinois encountered Christopher Vaughn, 32, limping His wife, Kimberly, 34, was in the front passenger seat, slumped over the center console with a single contact gunshot wound under her chin. Her eyes later flashed in anger and she seemed to look at Christopher Vaughn as she spoke of "the betrayal by a man we welcomed into our lives and loved as family.". Kimberly Vaughn, 34, who had recently completed an online degree in criminal justice, was killed first, prosecutors said. Caption: WICS. the forensics and all circumstantial evidence, including Chris own words and online conversations point to one scenario, hes a family annihilator . He said Thursday he wants to find out when Vaughns memory returned. Just because you feel inferior academically doesnt mean someone is else is forcing that superiority on you. .I froze and I looked down and my leg was bleeding. To have that memory in his mind of what happened next would be too painful to bear. 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. His family sounds narcissistic AF. However, a DNA report from the ISP crime lab contradicted this theory. On November 9, 1971, 46-year-old accountant John List killed his entire family in their Westfield, NJ, mansion. Vaughn happened to use the same gun to practice shooting at a range the night before the killings, Mills mentioned. That's the way Christopher Vaughn is.". But not all entrance wounds produce back spatter. I am new to Reddit. It was a lonely life for Kimberly. Our crime scene expert Tom Bevel used a dowel rod to determine the bullet trajectory. Lenard objected to the death scene photos being left on the television screen for long periods of time. He allegedly killed his family so he could live by himself in the Canadian wilderness. But there is more than just stress involved here. He traveled all over the U.S and Mexico downloading computer hard drives and mobile devices for some of the largest law firms, Navigant clients. Vaughns family did not respond to a message seeking comment. Reviewing his statements, it was apparent that he had no memory of what happened to his family. There was no sexual contact, not even a lap dance. The . Cassandra "Sandi", 11, an animal lover who was trying to persuade her mom to let her start a dog-walking business, was killed next. After listening to family members semi deify him, I wanted to read the facts against the man. They released Blackie. But that's . Previously running for mayor and a beloved activist. Yes, most dont ovulate while breast feeding, but again, two adults making choices. After Earnest Lee Hargon killed his cousin and cousin's wife, he tightened a rope around the neck of the couple's 4-year-old son, tied a knot and walked away as the child died, prosecutors said . , Your post contains more evidence than the seven hours of this podcast so far. It was a sickening feeling, as the architect of our defense experts and strategy, watching the case swirling around the toilet bowl. 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. The mistake he made, they told him, was parking the vehicle under the cell phone tower. "There can't be a more fitting end for him than that. 'I'm really confused,' Vaughn says early in the interview with detectives. She had sex with her bf, why dont they have equal responsibility in the pregnancy? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Christopher Vaughn was convicted of killing his wife and three young children after their bodies were found in the family's SUV just off I-55 in Channahon. Chris parents, Gail and Pierre, and private investigator Bill Clutter, all claim Chris is innocent and Clutter claims he has evidence to prove it. He described to the police how he and his family left their home at around five in the morning to go to a water park in Springfield. 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 The ISP CSI described how the phenomenon of tunnel vision infected the Vaughn case. The tragic incident took place on what should have been an exciting day at a local waterpark for the . In addition to Jandura, two other firefighters, two Channahon police officers and Kimberly's mother, Susan Phillips, testified. Its unlikely that Vaughns recollection of the murders from 2007 was useful. She was one of Susans three daughters with Del, an attorney. Yeah, in the middle of episode 3 and boy, so far the narrative is the wife and mother in law were bitches and thats it. 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. Kimberly's father, Del Phillips, said the family never saw any sign that Christopher Vaughn was dangerous. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The States Attorney was also convinced that the barrel of the gun had been forcefully jammed underneath Kimberly Vaughns chin, based on his interpretation of what they called a snowman like soot impression on the bottom of Kimberlys chin. first-degree murder in the deaths. Most likely from when he placed the gun at her feet. 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. . The police questioned Vaughn in hospital. Courtesy Melville Vaughan When the FBI took up the case, in 1923, agents badly bungled the probe. and her employer said she took the job to be close to her kids, took them swimming the night before, not at all the depiction of the bad mom The in-laws were trying to portray. It was clear that there were key events that he was unable to remember. 'They're gone. But in Vaughns case, he said the evidence was overwhelming.. He also acknowledged that the new theory undermines one hed previously held. Prosecutors said blood evidence suggested Vaughn was moving over Kimberlys body after her death, and none of it pointed to a struggle. seen Friday leaving a funeral home after the visitation in St. 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? Back spatter is defined as a fine mist of blood that travels away from the entrance wound and creates a conical shaped pattern of blood stains usually measuring less than a millimeter in diameter. After murdering his entire family . It was around midnight when the parents of April Boss went looking for the 19 . 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. He brutally murdered them in June 2007 The sergeant tells . That stripped away resources to defend Vaughn. But despite Mills' claims, Lenard contended "the evidence will show Mr. Vaughn did not pull the trigger in the vehicle that day his family passed away.". The Vaughn family murders in Illinois in 2007 have long divided those interested in the crimes. 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 . Blake, 8, a kind-hearted boy who loved baseball and had an outsized vocabulary, was slain last, apparently after raising his arms in self-defense. The letter said Vaughn trusted investigators to get to the truth. 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? Vaughn is accused of gunning down his wife, Kimberly, and children, Abigayle or 'Abbi', 12, Cassandra or 'Sandi', 11, and Blake, in the family in SUV in June 2007. Ending 12-hour video interview, Vaughn crumpled up son's photo, Footage from video of intense 14-hour police interview, Crumples up photo of eight-year-old son and throws it into corner, Will not even say the names of his dead wife and three children. Dead. 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