Man Charged in Deaths of Wife, 3 Kids
Pastor Dale Morgan
Man Charged in Deaths of Wife, 3 Kids*
Sunday June 24, 2007 1:31 AM
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) - Just hours before a man was to attend a memorial
service for his wife and three young children, authorities arrested him
at a Missouri funeral home on charges of gunning down his family in
their sport utility vehicle.
Police initially said Christopher Vaughn, 32, was not a suspect in the
killings that were discovered June 14 after Vaughn flagged down a
motorist on a service road in Channahon, about 40 miles southwest of
Chicago.
Vaughn, who works as a computer forensic adviser, had been shot in the
thigh. His wife, Kimberly, 34, was shot once, while each their children
- Abigayle, 12; Cassandra, 11; and Blake, 8 - were shot twice. His
handgun was found at the scene, authorities said.
Prosecutor James Glasgow, who declined to discuss possible motives, said
Vaughn with charged with two murder counts per victim. One set of counts
alleges he shot with intent to kill and the other alleges he shot
knowing that it was likely to cause death or great bodily harm.
Before he was arrested, Vaughn had voluntarily met with investigators
three times to answer questions.
Authorities would not say what evidence tipped the balance enough to
allow them to seek an arrest warrant from a judge late Friday. The
charges were built from numerous interviews, forensic evidence, computer
files and phone records, authorities said.
Glasgow said he has 120 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty.
``We are hopeful that with the issuance of these charges that Kimberly
Vaughn and her three beautiful children can truly rest in peace,'' said
Glasgow. ``Everyone who came in contact with this case was moved by what
they saw.''
Word of Vaughn's arrest circulated among the mourners as the service,
hundreds of miles away at New Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Charles,
Mo., drew to a close.
``We should not be here today, but the events of this past week have
been thrust upon us, events which are indescribable and unspeakable,''
said the Rev. Christopher James.
The church was a special place for Kimberly Vaughn and the children; she
attended since its 1994 inception and it was the place the kids were
later baptized. Kimberly Vaughn's parents still attend the church.
The service included no caskets. Kimberly Vaughn and her children had
been quietly buried in a nearby cemetery to avoid media attention.
Photographs showing the kids at play or their mother's days playing
volleyball filled four poster boards at the church. Only one of the
roughly 100 pictures - a small snapshot of the family - showed
Christopher Vaughn.
The Vaughns, who once lived in Missouri, moved from Washington state to
the Chicago area about a year ago. They lived briefly in Aurora before
relocating to a spacious home in Oswego.
Glasgow said he hoped Vaughn would be extradited from Missouri to
Illinois soon. He said Vaughn indicated he intended to fight extradition.
Phone messages seeking comment were left Saturday at the offices of
Christopher Vaughn's attorney in Missouri. Vaughn was being held without
bond at St. Charles County Detention Center, authorities said.