Christopher Vaughn

Christopher Vaughn is an American man convicted of the murder of his wife, Kimberly, and the couple's three children on June 14, 2007. All five members of the family were shot in their SUV while on the way to a Springfield, IL waterpark. Christopher sustained minor injuries to his wrist and leg while the other four sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Prosecutors alleged that he shot his family to death in wooded area in Channahon, IL. Vaughn maintains his innocence and claims that Kimberly shot her family before committing suicide. Wrongful Conviction advocacy group Investigating Innocence is investigating the case.

History

Christopher Vaughn, his wife Kimberly, and their three children moved to Illinois from the Seattle area approximately two years prior to the fatal shooting. Christopher had started a licensed private detective agency in Washington called Stone Bridge Security that specialized in cybercrime. Kimberly began working on a degree in Criminal Justice with plans to join the business as a private investigator. The Vaughns decided to close the business when Christopher was offered a job at Navigant Consulting's computer forensics group, and the family moved to Oswego, IL in 2005. The couple had three children: Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8. Kimberly, then 34, was a stay-at-home mother at the time of her death.

Shooting

In the early morning hours of June 14, 2007, the family left their home in Oswego to drive to a waterpark in Springfield, IL. Around 5:20am, a motorist near Joliet, IL noticed Christopher Vaughn limping away from his vehicle. He had two bullet wounds: one on his left wrist, and one on his left leg. When asked if he was injured in a crash, he replied, “No, I think my wife shot me”. Kimberly and the children were still inside the vehicle, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. His children had each been shot twice and his wife was slumped over the center console with a single contact gunshot wound under her chin. A 9mm handgun belonging to Christopher Vaughn was found on the floor at her feet.

The prosecution argued that his version of events did not match the forensic evidence found within the vehicle. They argued that Vaughn killed his family because he was frustrated with his wife and wanted to live off-the-grid in the Canadian wilderness. In the months preceding the murders, he had corresponded with an individual who lived in Ottawa about camping and living in the woods. He also took a trip to the Yukon Territories in May 2007. Vaughn allegedly asked him to help him fake his own death so that Kimberly could collect the insurance. Vaughn also visited strip clubs on a number of occasions, and spent approximately $4,780 during two visits on June 6 and June 12. Prosecutors called two exotic dancers to the stand to testify about their conversations with Vaughn. According to one, he visited her club four or five times and stated that he wanted to leave his wife and move to Canada to live in the woods. Another testified that Vaughn told her he was single and did not have any children.

During his trial, a forensic pathologist testified that Kimberly Vaughn was taking two medications known to cause increased risk of suicidal thoughts and side effects including confusion or agitation. This was central to Vaughn's case that Kimberly was distraught over problems in their marriage and killed their children, shot and wounded her husband and then killed herself.

He was convicted and sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.

The defense has also noted that aspects of the state's forensic case were disproven. For example, the state asserted on the probable cause affidavit that Christopher unbuckled his wife's seatbelt after he shot her. A large bloodstain was found at the point where the latch came together. The state believed that Kimberly's wound was the source of this blood, however DNA testing revealed that it was Christopher's blood. A transfer stain on Kimberly's right thumb indicates that she unbuckled the seatbelt after Christopher was shot.

Media

Bill Clutter, co-founder of the Illinois Innocence Project and founder of the national wrongful conviction advocacy organization Investigating Innocence, worked on the Christopher Vaughn case and was featured on a 12-part iHeartRadio podcast about it, called Murder in Illinois.

Dr. Phil did an episode on the Christopher Vaughn case on October 11, 2021. The guests were Christopher Vaughn's parents.