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

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This whole scenario is not passing the smell test. Great point about gun residue Curves. I was also thinking how his background would help him cover up a crime IF he did it. And it looks suspicious that he pulled a SP, setting up a romantic weekend to look like the perfect husband, similar to SP leaving lovey dovey messages on Laci's answering machine. Why not just run off to Mexico and leave the kids alone. Gotta sob here, too sad.

My next question is, was she unstable? Were things crumbling and she couldn't bear to see her children suffer? Make him suffer instead? Lots of unanswered questions.

JMHO
 
Even if the residue issue could be covered up, I can't imagine that HIS bullet wound could be staged to seem that she shot him when he really shot himself.

From what I've read - he was coming back around to get into the driver's seat when he says she shot him from her passenger-sde side...I can't think of a way he could shoot himself in such a manner that would replicate this.
 
I don't think we're going to hear about the 'results' of this investigation overnight. IMHO, because of the amount of forensics involved, plus the additonal info needed, the background info (ie their life and financials, etc), it's going to be a couple of weeks before the results are in. Even then it could be merky, imo.

It seems simple as whatever happened that night, it happened within a 60 second period, imho. Once the 'shooting' began, it had to have taken place quickly, or someone else would have been able to get away, just like the husband managed to.

I stick by my 'gut instinct' in that I don't think it was the wife. I believe this was a premeditated act on behalf of the husband. I could be wrong and IF proven such, I'll be the first to admit it. But,.............I don't think so.

What makes me believe that? The husband took waayyy too long to report the incident. IF it had happened as he said, he would have either tried to save the kids, unless he's a complete COWARD (which I feel he is because I believe he killed his defenseless family) and he would have summoned help hours earlier than he did.

IF he did it, imho, he took that time to stage the scene to make his WIFE look like the perp. He may even succeed at that endeavor too. About the only evidence, within the vehicle that could be looked at under a microscope is the gun residue and the tragectory of the bulletts.

If done in a certain way, it COULD look as if the wife is the one who discharged all the bulletts. Say she was sitting there with her window down and the husband comes up behind her, kills her first, leans over her, shoots the kids, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,.............all of the shots would appear to come from the wife's sitting position. Then all he'd need to do is use her dead hand to fire off the shot that struck him in the thigh. IF the LE handling the case misses anything, it COULD look as if she did it.

The study of the gun residue is merky at best. I've been reading up on it and if LE didn't handle this with the utmost of care, this case will end with the wife coming in as the guilty party. I pray that while LE is looking into the gun residue on the wife's hands and clothing, they also take into account the # of times the gun was fired, do SEVERAL test runs with a technician, and see just HOW MUCH RESIDUE is on the tech's hands after dispensing the gun that many times. THAT might be a detail not taken into consideration, should the husband turn out to be the perp.

But.....................fwiw, and IF it was the husband who did this, he may not have done all of his homework, and let's hope that's the case here. You see, if it happened as he said, he would have been sitting in the driver's seat as she shot at him, or he was rolling out of the car to get away from her. Well, the gun residue doesn't just appear on the perp and their clothing, it also appears splattered out in the direction of the shot as well; which would mean gun residue coming towards the driver's side, maybe on the door, the driver's seat, and the steering wheel as well as the steering column, must be present and coming from the proper direction.

There's also the sticky little thing called finger prints. Not just prints on the handle of the gun, but the bulletts, the casings, the trigger. Because of the multiple of shots fired, I'm assuming this HAD to have been an automatic, which, IF I'm not mistaken, takes a mechanism that you pull back to begin firing. Face it, if her prints or palm print aren't on that and there are NO prints on it, the gun was 'wiped.'

I still say IF the husband did this, he had plenty of time to wash himself off and change his clothes. IF he changed his clothes, I hope LE checked his luggage and IF nothing found there, they have search dogs go into that area and LOOK for his clothes he MAY have been wearing when the crime occurred.

Like they say, 'the devil is in the details.'

JMHO
fran
 
It keeps sticking in my mind that the drivers door was open and the back passenger door was open. He may have gotten out, went around and come up from behind, open the door to where the kids were and shoot everyone from there. Or the rear passenger door may have been opened by someone checking on the welfare of the family after the shooting.
 
I keep thinking about this case trying to figure the "whys" and the "hows". Has it been proven yet as to what time they left home? I know I have read a neighbor saw thier SUV in the driveway at 3 a.m. and it was also reported that someone in Channahon heard gunshots at 10 p.m. and I have also read 2:30 a.m. So we really have no solid facts just media reports with timelines that aren't matching. I have gone as far as to wonder if they were in fact shot in Channahon or somewhere else then he drove the van to that area...until the timelines make sense to me I am really on the fence on this. When all the test results comeback from forensics and the ME I think it will be much clearer as to what really happened in that vehicle. Also we don't know if the family had mentioned thier plans to the friends they had over to dinner or if the mother had mentioned thier plans to her sister? I haven't seen it mentioned one way or the other. Or have I missed something??? What a sad story, I feel for both families, I can't even imagine how confused and hurt they must feel at this time.
 
Where the SUV was Found

This is an aerial shot of the cell tower where the SUV was parked.
You can change the view to get a better idea of the nearby houses, roads, etc.
His story is very suspect, imo.
 
To me, the big question to ask him is: what were you doing between the time your family was murdered and the time you were found?

Another would be when was this trip to the waterpark planned. Kimberly spoke to her sister at 8:55pm & she did not mention anything about it. Her mother who knew about the weekend getaway did not know, nor did the Camp Invention staff (Cassandra was named Camper of the Day on Wednesday).

So reminiscent of a certain solo fishing trip...:waitasec:
 
Another would be when was this trip to the waterpark planned. Kimberly spoke to her sister at 8:55pm & she did not mention anything about it. Her mother who knew about the weekend getaway did not know, nor did the Camp Invention staff (Cassandra was named Camper of the Day on Wednesday).

So reminiscent of a certain solo fishing trip...:waitasec:


Could have been "spontaneous" , did they frequent water parks? Maybe they already hit the Dells (water park capital) and other local water parks so they decided on visiting the one in Springfield. Did they take spontaneous short trips? Questions my moms SO brought up when we were discussing this...... he's a very long since retired Chief of Police from Sandwich IL.
 
Thinking that a second honeymoon on the weekend that included Fathers Day was maybe sort of not a nice gesture for the dad. Most likely the couple would have been back sometime on Fathers Day, but. Hmmm.

Wonder what day their wedding anniversary fell on, OR would have fallen on?

We must have a public record sleuth reading that can dig that up maybe, huh?

.
 
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/431507,2_1_AU17_SLAYINGS_S2.article

Experts say Vaughn slayings don't fit profile

June 17, 2007
By ANDRE SALLES Staff Writer

Two national experts on mothers who kill their children say the case of Kimberly Vaughn of Oswego does not fit the usual profile.

Cheryl Meyer, an associate professor at Wright State University's School of Professional Psychology in Dayton, Ohio, and Michelle Oberman, a professor of law at Santa Clara University in California (and formerly of Chicago's DePaul University), co-authored the book Mothers Who Kill Their Children in 2001. Together, they have researched thousands of cases of filicide -- parents killing their children -- and they are often contacted for their expertise.

And when asked separately, each had similar questions about the early Thursday incident, in which Vaughn and her three children were found dead in the family's SUV, parked off the side of the road near Interstate 55. The children -- Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8 -- were shot multiple times, while Vaughn herself was shot once in the head, police said.

..............................snip................................

Meyer said that stories of a mother's troubled life will usually surface immediately after a tragedy of this sort -- and that has not happened yet in the Vaughn case. Neighbors and friends describe the Vaughns as "a great family." The couple planned to visit Missouri this weekend to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary.

These inconsistencies led Meyer to express her doubts -- she said that the story does not fit "99 percent of the cases I've seen."

"I've seen thousands of these," she said. "Once you start reading, they start quickly looking alike. I can tell within three sentences which category they fit into. This just doesn't fit anything."


more at link.........
 
In response to the above news article where this story doesn't fit,.........I AGREE!!

It doesn't fit a woman who's unhappy. She'd just gotten a DEGREE! for crying out loud. Why would she kill her entire family?!

No way Jose!

IMHO, they may have been heavily in debt. I know that hasn't come out yet, but I'm tellin' ya, that's it. The husband probably was hiding it from the wife.

Their mortgage was with a subprime lender,(you don't have to verify your income), they got a FULL PRICE mortgage. They just got their new TAX BILL. She was attending Phoenix Online. Do you know how expensive that is?

The wife was outgoing, the husband was quiet. The husband was adoring and he also went out of town a lot. He operated his business out of his home.
It seems everyone knew her well, but he, being quiet, probably wasn't as well known by the neighbors.

Something is NOT right here, IMHO. I'm not worried though, LE will figure it out. I hope!

JMHO
fran
 
Don't know if this has been posted yet...so sad for the children that were thier friends :(

"Behind the home of the Oswego mother and her three children who were found shot to death Thursday morning, three neighborhood kids tried to drown the somber mood with squeals and giggles.
But in between games with the water hose on a sunny Friday morning, they paused to wonder why anyone would want to harm the nice children who played in the adjacent back yard."

More here: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/431501,2_1_AU17_SLAYINGS_S1.article
 
Maybe Daddy was on the "down low" so to speak. All the talk about having another woman..maybe it wasn't another woman, but a man?

I believe it is quite telling he didn't call his parents and they found out about their grandchildren's deaths via a reporter (Horrible!!). He would have called his mother as soon as possible, I would think. Most people experiencing such a loss or trauma don't hesitate to want their mother for comfort...unless they can't face their mother for some reason.

I can't believe LE doesn't have some knowledge of where this guy is now. Are they inept?! You don't allow a person that walked away from 4 murders almost unharmed to just 'take off' without tailing them in some way. I don't see the police thinking this guy is innocent...but they don't have enough right now to charge him. They need the forensics to back them up and should have that info soon. They better have kept tabs on him or their fallout is going to be rough!

This case is so disturbing. It is difficult for me to follow. Parents who kill their children are so out of my realm of understanding. It would never enter my mind to harm my children for ANY reason. How could they?! Didn't they see the unconditional love and adoration in the eyes of their child before slaughtering them? Are there people who are so evil, cold, and disconnected with reality they are just not human anymore?! I guess there are. Sorry..had to vent on this one. Makes me ill as a parent and a grandparent.
 
I don't see how he could cover his tracks...
If she shot that gun as many times as reported then their will be a lot of gun residue on her hands.

There is no way he could mimic that without holding her hand as he fired everyshot and I think that would leave some residue on him.

If the children were shot multiple times and the wife once in the head - how many rounds does a handgun contain, and if she were in the front seat she would have to physically twist around in the seat to start firing shots. I'm wondering were the windows rolled down on the vehicle? Is it possible that dad shot into the vehicle from the side? I just don't see how the mom could have twisted around like that without having kids trying like hell to get out of the vehicle after the first shots were fired.
 
I know what you mean about the gun residue Amraan and that is a very good point. Does anyone know if gun residue can be washed off easily or not?


Someone on Court tv was talking about the Phil Specter murder trial and said that the residue could be washed off.
 
Depends on the gun. I once had a 9mm with a 15 round magazine. I can't imagine most suburban housewives would be familiar with how to use a semi automatic. It was a bit intimidating for me and I grew up with guns. She would have to know how to unlock the safety and load a round into the chamber. Seems unlikely. That would take planning and the husband is trying to make it sound like she just snapped. It's a very unbelievable story and I'm so, so, sad looking at the pictures of those dear kids.
 
Depends on the gun. I once had a 9mm with a 15 round magazine. I can't imagine most suburban housewives would be familiar with how to use a semi automatic. It was a bit intimidating for me and I grew up with guns. She would have to know how to unlock the safety and load a round into the chamber. Seems unlikely. That would take planning and the husband is trying to make it sound like she just snapped. It's a very unbelievable story and I'm so, so, sad looking at the pictures of those dear kids.

She was also laying over towards the driver's seat from the aerial view. Wonder if she was left-handed or right-handed. Wouldn't that make a difference which way her body fell if she indeed shot herself?
 
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