GUILTY IL - Kimberly Vaughn, 34, & 3 children slain, Channahon Twp, 14 June 2007

[Rino]

There's something very odd here.

I'm with those who are very curious about Mr. Vaughn.

Right. From the link: Vaughn said that when he got back into the SUV, his wife began firing a handgun. He was shot in the leg, and he fled, he reportedly told investigators. When he returned, his wife and children had all been shot.

He fled?!?!

His wife shoots him and he runs, then he would be shot in the back - no? His wife shoots him and he runs, leaving his kids in the car with a trigger happy woman, I have my doubts. His wife shoots him and he does nothing to stop her?..makes no sense to me at all. He has to be lying.

 

[southcitymom]

Just read the link, and I don't know what to say. She shot him first and he fled? Where did he go? Couldn't he have overpowered her when she had the gun? What was going on in the hours before the 911 call was placed? This is just so crazy.

According to him, they were on a family trip to a water park. Police say stuff in the car supports that story. They pulled over so that he could get out of the car and secure some stuff on the top that seemed to be coming loose.

He did this. When he returned to the car, she shot him. He was wounded and ran away into the woods. I guess he then heard the other shots and when he returned, everyone was dead. The kids had been shot in the back seat multiple times and his wife had a signle gunshot to the head. The gun was still there.

A passerby then found the husband at the scene wounded and called police.

I would think evidence at the scene will be able to support or contradict his story.

 

[southcitymom]

Right. From the link: Vaughn said that when he got back into the SUV, his wife began firing a handgun. He was shot in the leg, and he fled, he reportedly told investigators. When he returned, his wife and children had all been shot.

He fled?!?!

His wife shoots him and he runs, then he would be shot in the back - no? His wife shoots him and he runs, leaving his kids in the car with a trigger happy woman, I have my doubts. His wife shoots him and he does nothing to stop her?..makes no sense to me at all. He has to be lying.

If this had happened to me, I would have fled. Wounded, hurting, confused, panicked, I would have run.

It would not cross my mind that my spouse would then kill my kids. If I had any conscious thought at all after being suddenly shot, it would have been - "I need to keep myself alive so I can get somewhere and call police."

Maybe he is lying, but I don't think his story sounds outlandish at this point in the investigation. Forensics will tell more.

 

[Dena]

If this had happened to me, I would have fled. Wounded, hurting, confused, panicked, I would have run.

It would not cross my mind that my spouse would then kill my kids. If I had any conscious thought at all after being suddenly shot, it would have been - "I need to keep myself alive so I can get somewhere and call police."

Maybe he is lying, but I don't think his story sounds outlandish at this point in the investigation. Forensics will tell more.

Definitely. He doesn't know if she's just trying to kill him, not aware her plan is to take out the whole family.
My original thought was that she shot the kids first, not him, if that were the case, yes, he should have stopped her. I am going both ways on this one, we'll have to see how it unfolds.

 

[southcitymom]

Definitely. He doesn't know if she's just trying to kill him, not aware her plan is to take out the whole family.
My original thought was that she shot the kids first, not him, if that were the case, yes, he should have stopped her. I am going both ways on this one, we'll have to see how it unfolds.

Seems like she was trying to get rid of him - the biggest threat to carrying out her plans - first. When he ran away, she was able to do just that.

If it turns out the wife did this, I believe we will hear about mental illness coupled with some sort of precipitating event (affair, imminent divorce, abuse, state of mania) that caused her to, for lack of a better phrase, stop believing in the dream or her family. There may also be a religious component.

Where did she get the gun? Are they "gun" people or did she have to plan and buy one?

 

[hollyjokers]

So Mr. Vaughn had to pull over in a remote area (in the wee hours of the morning) to tie down luggage (for a day trip) on his roof rack, & his wife, who just happens to be packing heat, chooses that moment to go on a killing spree? The poor guy takes a bullet in the thigh & runs away, leaving his armed wife w/three defenseless kids. Talk about bad luck, he had to wait for a passing motorist to get help because he was parked too close to a cell tower to get service...Is this the alibi?

Why didn't he just say he was golfishing?

Is Springfield that far away from Oswego that they would need to leave pre-dawn to go to a waterpark? Most amusement parks don't open much before 10 or 11 that I know of.

Edited to add misterallgood answered my question about the distance - looks like a little over 3 hour drive.

 

[hollyjokers]

If they were going to Knight's Action park, the 'action' park opens at 9am, the waterpark opens at 10am, so I guess they could leave that early so they could have breakfast before entering the parks.

 

[MagicRose99]

If this had happened to me, I would have fled. Wounded, hurting, confused, panicked, I would have run.

It would not cross my mind that my spouse would then kill my kids. If I had any conscious thought at all after being suddenly shot, it would have been - "I need to keep myself alive so I can get somewhere and call police."

Maybe he is lying, but I don't think his story sounds outlandish at this point in the investigation. Forensics will tell more.

I agree with you here. The evidence will tell LE more... they're not just going to take the hubby's word on this.

 

[southcitymom]

I agree with you here. The evidence will tell LE more... they're not just going to take the hubby's word on this.

Exactly. And based on the story he has told, there are lots of facts that can be foresically verified. LE has described him as very helpful.

 

[Dena]

Seems like she was trying to get rid of him - the biggest threat to carrying out her plans - first. When he ran away, she was able to do just that.

If it turns out the wife did this, I believe we will hear about mental illness coupled with some sort of precipitating event (affair, imminent divorce, abuse, state of mania) that caused her to, for lack of a better phrase, stop believing in the dream or her family. There may also be a religious component.

Where did she get the gun? Are they "gun" people or did she have to plan and buy one?

On the radio this morning (don't know if it's been written, I haven't read too much today) they said she lost her job and they were having financial troubles.

 

[southcitymom]

On the radio this morning (don't know if it's been written, I haven't read too much today) they said she lost her job and they were having financial troubles.

I had not read that. That can be extraordinarily stressful. Money woes are soul-numbing, though, of course - you shouldn't murder your family over them.

I often read about financial hard times in cases like this - though I will say that, more often than not, it is the husband that takes the family out in the name of no longer being able to provide what he perceives to be sufficiently for the family.

There is a certain personality type that experiences money woes as an insurmountable failure.

Those sweet children - probably excited as they could be about summer break and spending the day at the waterpark....what did they notice in the days, hours, minutes leading up to the taking of their lives by a parent and what could have been running through their young minds at the very end?....heartbreaking.

 

[crash676]

So Mr. Vaughn had to pull over in a remote area (in the wee hours of the morning) to tie down luggage (for a day trip)

The area they pulled over makes no sense whatsoever. Let me say first of all that I live on Bluff Road and there is nothing there. Barely any lights or activity period. However one exit before at Rt 6 there are 2/ 24 hour gas stations and plenty of lights and activity because of truck traffic. The distance is less than two miles so it makes no sense whatsoever. Is it possible that this was a murder-suicide pact gone wrong. Meaning hubby and wife agreed about what would take place and he chickened out and ran and she then killed herself in grief.. Just a possibility..

 

[Dena]

OR - Assuming husband is being truthful - it is possible that she asked him to pull him over and check the luggage, seeing it as an opportunity.

BTW, No I don't think the husband is being truthful, just speculating. I think the angle of the gunshot to his leg will be very telling.

 

[southcitymom]

So Mr. Vaughn had to pull over in a remote area (in the wee hours of the morning) to tie down luggage (for a day trip)

The area they pulled over makes no sense whatsoever. Let me say first of all that I live on Bluff Road and there is nothing there. Barely any lights or activity period. However one exit before at Rt 6 there are 2/ 24 hour gas stations and plenty of lights and activity because of truck traffic. The distance is less than two miles so it makes no sense whatsoever. Is it possible that this was a murder-suicide pact gone wrong. Meaning hubby and wife agreed about what would take place and he chickened out and ran and she then killed herself in grief.. Just a possibility..

That's an interesting thgouht - the murder/suicide pact...

The choice of location where they pulled over make sense if the issue with the stuff on their car became apparant to them only after they passed the exit with plenty of stuff.

That has happened to my family on trips before - especially if the area is kind of rural. We'll pass the big bust exit and then we'll need to pull over for some reason - to secure the bikes which start to wiggle or whatever - after we've passed the easy place to do that.

If she shot her husband, I feel he must have some idea why...or some sense of her behaving strangely in the time leading up to this. Unless she just had a total psychotic break.....

 

[Rino]

If this had happened to me, I would have fled. Wounded, hurting, confused, panicked, I would have run.

It would not cross my mind that my spouse would then kill my kids. If I had any conscious thought at all after being suddenly shot, it would have been - "I need to keep myself alive so I can get somewhere and call police."

Maybe he is lying, but I don't think his story sounds outlandish at this point in the investigation. Forensics will tell more.

Well, we will have to wait and see what the investigation uncovers..

But let me ask this then. If as you say it would not cross you're mind that your spouse, who is willing to kill you, would not kill your kids - why are you not shot at more, why are you alive?

 

[southcitymom]

OR - Assuming husband is being truthful - it is possible that she asked him to pull him over and check the luggage, seeing it as an opportunity.

BTW, No I don't think the husband is being truthful, just speculating. I think the angle of the gunshot to his leg will be very telling.

That's something I thought of as well.

Yes - the angle of the wound to his leg AND her headshot and gunpowder residue on her hand will be telling.

Also, where the gun came from if they weren't people who kept guns around regularly.

I do believe the husband at this stage of the game, but reserve the right to change my mind as more is discovered!

ETA: in many other cases where a family winds up slaughtered and an adult comes away wounded (Routier, that man in Boston that shot his pregnant wife, etc...), the survivor claims an intruder/outsider did it and they can ride that party line for a long time. The husband in this case isn't saying that at all. For some reason, this leads me to believe he is telling the truth)

 

[hollyjokers]

Wonder if there is a considerable life insurance policy. How much do clubhouse attendants make annually? Does not sound like a life-altering change to lose a job like that especially if she just got a degree in criminal justice, she would have probably been ready to move on anyway.

I know he's innocent until proven guilty. It IS plausible that things could have happened exactly the way he says but it just sounds like we've been down this dark deserted road before.

 

[crash676]

That's an interesting thgouht - the murder/suicide pact...

The choice of location where they pulled over make sense if the issue with the stuff on their car became apparant to them only after they passed the exit with plenty of stuff.

That has happened to my family on trips before - especially if the area is kind of rural. We'll pass the big bust exit and then we'll need to pull over for some reason - to secure the bikes which start to wiggle or whatever - after we've passed the easy place to do that

Yes this makes sense but you do not get off the exit (that by the way is good half mile long) and then take the frontage road about a 1/2 to a mile and then pull over in the area of a cell tower in pitch darkness literally pitch dark there are no lights there except on the main road which is Bluff Road. One frontaqge road is easily accesible the other wher they were found is tricky to get to and you would have to know where you were going. This is not a very busy area so it makes no sense whatsover to end up where they were to fix luggage. As teenagers we used this area to park and makeout if that helps describe this area.

 

[Camper]

Insightful posts - posters!

Is it possible at that the children may have been asleep when they were shot. The people who lived in the area heard shots about 10PM? Didn't the link coverage say they left in the WEE hours of the morning? Help me out, I am a tad confused, wasn't it said that the waterpark was 3 hours away - HAD they already been to the waterpark and might have been headed to grandmas??? HELP ME!

Is is possible the wife could have been drugged with a drink and was not conscious when shot?

Wonder just how many shots were heard by the neighbors?

A woman has no real way to 'hide' or keep a gun out of sight, other than in her purse, WHERE was her purse 'AT' the crime scene?

Another incredible senseless case of murder.


I have a daughter NOW, divorced two years ago, that is in a troublesome situation with her X. He is very very smart, and has this type of behavior in him, I am scared spitless, for her safety. HE is a loose canon, but the type who would pre figure out a way to do a dirty deed without getting HIS hands dirty.

.

 

[Camper]

Wonder if there is a considerable life insurance policy. How much do clubhouse attendants make annually? Does not sound like a life-altering change to lose a job like that especially if she just got a degree in criminal justice, she would have probably been ready to move on anyway.

I know he's innocent until proven guilty. It IS plausible that things could have happened exactly the way he says but it just sounds like we've been down this dark deserted road before.

--->>>Well HE had transferred from WA, so I would think that his paycheck was stable. I cannot think that the wifes job would have added that much to the coffers.

The news is very quiet on this case this morning, TV cable is covering everything but the kitchen sink. Husband is not being held, wonder IF there is another gun at his house, IF IF that is where he is?

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