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

[chicoliving]

About three weeks before Kimberly Vaughn and her three children were found shot to death in the family's SUV, the Oswego mother told a friend of a recent visit she and her husband made to a gun range for target shooting.

She'd later laugh about how inept she was -- her best shot was a fluke when she hit the bull's-eye with her eyes closed.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/433509,CST-NWS-chann19.article

 

[chicoliving]

~snip~

“They'd do a swabbing around the hand area where the gun powder goes and they can say if there's nothing on the hand, that person wasn’t holding the gun unless they were holding gloves,” Larsen said.

We couldn't see exactly what the investigators were doing Thursday morning. Larsen, who now heads his own forensic investigation firm, knows.

“You're setting up rods and strings from the victim to a point, he explained. “You'd actually be able to put rods with strings coming out or lasers coming out showing a point where they converge and that’s where your shooter would be sitting or standing.”

State police won’t reveal the status of their probe.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_169230258.html

 

[Camper]

Here is what I have found so far. Another article said how many phones were found.


Top NewsSave | E-mail | Print
Jun 15, 2007 10:13 pm US/Central

Report: Man Says Wife Fired Shots Killing Family
Neighbors, Family Say Christopher Vaughn Is Nowhere To Be Found
(CBS) CHANNAHON, Ill. Investigators have not told the public whom they suspect of shooting a mother and her three young children in Channahon yesterday morning.

They do say they have no grounds to charge anybody at this point, though that could change at any time. However, the only survivor of the killings was released from police custody Thursday morning and his location is unknown.

Thursday, the CBS 2 Investigators learned that cell phones were found in the SUV where Kimberly Vaughn and her three children were found.

Police are investigating why her husband, Christopher, apparently did not use a phone to call 911 for help. Instead, a passerby made the call when they found Vaughn wounded near the vehicle.

--->>>'they' found Vaughn wounded near the vehicle. But the quote also says 'a' passerby. When doing crime reporting it would be helpful IF words were crafted more carefully by the news media.
I am still wondering IF the caller was involved in the crime. Verbage used here say 'they' found etc.
More than one person in the calling car??? Bobbisangel, was there a link for this information?

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[Camper]

~snip~

“They'd do a swabbing around the hand area where the gun powder goes and they can say if there's nothing on the hand, that person wasn’t holding the gun unless they were holding gloves,” Larsen said.

We couldn't see exactly what the investigators were doing Thursday morning. Larsen, who now heads his own forensic investigation firm, knows.

“You're setting up rods and strings from the victim to a point, he explained. “You'd actually be able to put rods with strings coming out or lasers coming out showing a point where they converge and that’s where your shooter would be sitting or standing.”

State police won’t reveal the status of their probe.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_169230258.html

--->>>Thanks chicoliving for the two NEW links. Sounds to me like the rope is slowly tightening around the husbands neck.

I also suppose it could be possible that one of the near teenaged Vaughn children had a cell phone. Possible that all three children may have had cell phones.

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[Camper]

~snip~

“They'd do a swabbing around the hand area where the gun powder goes and they can say if there's nothing on the hand, that person wasn’t holding the gun unless they were holding gloves,” Larsen said.

We couldn't see exactly what the investigators were doing Thursday morning. Larsen, who now heads his own forensic investigation firm, knows.

“You're setting up rods and strings from the victim to a point, he explained. “You'd actually be able to put rods with strings coming out or lasers coming out showing a point where they converge and that’s where your shooter would be sitting or standing.”

State police won’t reveal the status of their probe.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_169230258.html

--->>>Here is a link that includes some super video coverage of the TV news on this, also the Stebic case, video on here.
The written story is the same as chicoliving, BUT this link has TV video of Larson explaining more things. http://cbs2chicago.com/westsuburbanbureau/local_story_169230258.html

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[t93]

My 11 year old has a cell phone, he earned it by making honor roll at report card time. We wanted to get it because his school bus got lost one time (new driver) and no one could get ahold of any of the passengers or driver. So it is very possible someone young has one.

 

[SewingDeb]

I find his career path to be odd. They met in St. Louis where they both grew up. Then, to "launch his business" they moved to Washington state. Then to Illinois. WTF? Why does someone in his line of work need to be anyplace in particular?

Sounds like he was just keeping her and the kids away from her family.:croc:

I found this:

Vaughn works for Navigant Consulting downtown on South Wacker Avenue, and as a side job, he owns Southbridge Investigations, studying computer forensics.

It was in a link above, but here's the link again:

http://www.nbc5.com/news/13524661/detail.html?rss=chi&psp=news

It sounds to me like he kept his day job while trying to start his own business. Navigant Consulting lists a lot of the same things he lists on his Southbridge Investigations site. Maybe the move was for the job with Navigant?

 

[SewingDeb]

Thanks for finding the article referencing cell phones being in the vehicle, Bobbi. If I were wounded and my whole family was dead, I would definitely try to use one of the cell phones to call for help.

 

[twinkiesmom]

<Unless he worked for Boeing or consulted with them, I can't make any sense of their leaving paradise to go to Illinois.>

Maybe because the midwest is a better place to raise a family?:razz:

 

[Camper]

My 11 year old has a cell phone, he earned it by making honor roll at report card time. We wanted to get it because his school bus got lost one time (new driver) and no one could get ahold of any of the passengers or driver. So it is very possible someone young has one.

--->>>Welcome t93, good job on your son and his cell phone. I have 17 grandchildren, so cell phones are in wide use. My 13 year old grandson, whose parents are divorced has had a cell phone for several years. Helpful so he can communicate with either parent BUT calling/text messaging is a popular activity. I am now wondering if any of the three children might have communicated with friends of any parental problems.

I find it also rather interestingly ODD that PERHAPS the father did not try to touch any of his family and get bloody in the process TO SEE IF ANY OF THEM WERE ALIVE. IF it was part of his plan to keep himself pristine to NOT touch anything.

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[Camper]

Thanks for finding the article referencing cell phones being in the vehicle, Bobbi. If I were wounded and my whole family was dead, I would definitely try to use one of the cell phones to call for help.

--->>>Well he would most likely have gotten bloody to find a cell phone that any of his children had, because because he would have gotten himself bloody in the process. I don't know how pristine his personal clothing or hands etc were.

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[close_enough]

About three weeks before Kimberly Vaughn and her three children were found shot to death in the family's SUV, the Oswego mother told a friend of a recent visit she and her husband made to a gun range for target shooting.

She'd later laugh about how inept she was -- her best shot was a fluke when she hit the bull's-eye with her eyes closed.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/433509,CST-NWS-chann19.article

hmmmm, so the husband could tell LE...**'oh yes, she knew how to use a gun; we'd been to a target range recently, officer'.... again, hmmmm

i wonder whose idea it was to have Kimberly learn how to shoot a gun?...the husband knew how..he was an avid hunter, so i read.....


** my wording

 

[close_enough]

Yes...he had enough time to do a lot of things.

he certainly did, IF the timeline is correct, as far as a person hearing gunshots a little before 10 pm, the night before.....

 

[crash676]

I live just downhill of where this happened! If you are not familiar with this area and you wanted to adjust a luggage rack, you probably would have gotten off at the exit before the one they did. The exit before is well lighted, it has a Mc Donalds & gas station on each side of exit & is well lit at all hours. On the other hand, the exit he got off at is a small, dark exit with no towns listed for this exit, it's just an exit # and hardly a place to get off with family at that hour. That is very puzzling about this whole thing.

Hey we must be neighbors.. I live in Chanahon as well... right off Bluff Road. And you are right no way in hell do you get off at Bluff and then go to the frontage road. Even if the luggage was ok by RT 6 and then went wrong after the exit you would get off at Bluff and pull over. I would say the Bluff exit is easily 1/2 mile to 3/4 off a mile long. This area is not an easily accesible or well lighted area. Most people would not frequent these frontage roads unless they knew where they were going.

 

[close_enough]

~snip~

&#8220;They'd do a swabbing around the hand area where the gun powder goes and they can say if there's nothing on the hand, that person wasn&#8217;t holding the gun unless they were holding gloves,&#8221; Larsen said.

We couldn't see exactly what the investigators were doing Thursday morning. Larsen, who now heads his own forensic investigation firm, knows.

&#8220;You're setting up rods and strings from the victim to a point, he explained. &#8220;You'd actually be able to put rods with strings coming out or lasers coming out showing a point where they converge and that&#8217;s where your shooter would be sitting or standing.&#8221;
State police won&#8217;t reveal the status of their probe.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_169230258.html

yes, i've seen this on CSI Miami...(ok, i know it's not 'real', but it's still interesting)....they should be able to find out, without a doubt, where the shooter was...whether it be the wife, the husband, or some crazed stranger.....

oops, skip the "crazed stranger".....i forgot that the husband claims the wife 'went off' & shot all of them, including herself....i just don't buy it......hubby gets shot in the thigh...ooooookie dokie

 

[southcitymom]

yes, i've seen this on CSI Miami...(ok, i know it's not 'real', but it's still interesting)....they should be able to find out, without a doubt, where the shooter was...whether it be the wife, the husband, or some crazed stranger.....

oops, skip the "crazed stranger".....i forgot that the husband claims the wife 'went off' & shot all of them, including herself....i just don't buy it......hubby gets shot in the thigh...ooooookie dokie

Well - did the husband say "she shot me and then all the kids and herself" or did he say "she shot me, I ran away and when I came back, they were all dead" - the latter statement leaves room for a mysterious stranger....of course, that still doesn't make any sense!

None of it makes any sense! Why? Why? Why? If the husband did it, the motive must involve money or sex.

 

[close_enough]

Well - did the husband say "she shot me and then all the kids and herself" or did he say "she shot me, I ran away and when I came back, they were all dead" - the latter statement leaves room for a mysterious stranger....of course, that still doesn't make any sense!

None of it makes any sense! Why? Why? Why? If the husband did it, the motive must involve money or sex.

well, there's both versions i guess, as far as the media goes...?

Christopher Vaughn, 32, told police that his wife, Kimberly Vaughn, 34, shot their three children to death and then killed herself. He suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh and was treated and released at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/429357,2_1_AU14_SLAYINGS_S1.article

 

[Camper]

Wellllll, here is the BIG #1 QUESTION that LE most likely would have asked Mr. Vaughn, er should ask Mr. Vaughn:

1. Mr. Vaughn, WHY do you think your wife would want to shoot you?

The answer to THIS question would tell LE whether SHE did it or SHE did not do it.



Boy I would sure like to know what angle his thigh shot was inflicted?!?!?! IF IF she was that upset/angry/crazy etc. She would have shot him in the back as he got out of the car, Mary Winkler shot her husband in the back, hmmm.

Mr. Vaughns story is so half baked, I find it foolish and unbelievable.

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[chicoliving]

Wellllll, here is the BIG #1 QUESTION that LE most likely would have asked Mr. Vaughn, er should ask Mr. Vaughn:

1. Mr. Vaughn, WHY do you think your wife would want to shoot you?

The answer to THIS question would tell LE whether SHE did it or SHE did not do it.



Boy I would sure like to know what angle his thigh shot was inflicted?!?!?! IF IF she was that upset/angry/crazy etc. She would have shot him in the back as he got out of the car, Mary Winkler shot her husband in the back, hmmm.

Mr. Vaughns story is so half baked, I find it foolish and unbelievable.

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It's sure not passing the common sense test. He was the driver so why choose that desolate place to check your top load? and when you do your wife suddenly goes nuts and starts shooting the children and yourself? How convenient.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

It was my understanding from reading the articles that the grandmother and the aunt were coming to the Vaughns house to stay with the kids while the parents were off for the weekend.

You know, I wasn't/am not sure. I read it both ways. I know I read a couple articles and maybe this was early one where it said they were taking the kids to parents before going on anniv. trip and this did make sense to me - actually if they are going to Hermann having the parents drive up to care for the kids makes less sense. Maybe this will be made clear.