Advertise on podcast: Murder in Illinois

In the quiet pre-dawn hours of June 14th, 2007 the Vaughn family- Christopher, his wife Kimberly and their three children- set out for an impromptu trip to a waterpark. The family would never arrive.

Before Christopher Vaughn was known as a convicted killer, he was a son and a brother in the Vaughn family of Missouri, the eldest of Gail and Pierre Vaughn’s three boys. He would meet his wife- and become a father- while he was still a teenager. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a young couple Kimberly and Christopher struggle with financial insecurity, the pressures of parenting and the growing dysfunction between their two families. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gail receives an unfathomable call as news of the horrific family massacre dominates the media. Chris Vaughn is interrogated, while still in a hospital gown, within hours of the killings. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Christopher Vaughn prepares to bury his wife and three children, handcuffs are placed on his wrists. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Vaughn faces the death penalty, his initial defense team is faced with increasingly negative optics and overcoming significant gaps in Chris’s recollection of the killings. Four years into mounting a case for Vaughn’s innocence, their efforts are rendered useless. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August of 2012, five years after his arrest before his family’s funeral in June 2007, Christopher Vaughn’s murder trail began. The Will County State’s Attorney’s office originally sought the death penalty, which has since been abolished in Illinois. As a result, Vaughn’s original defense was dismantled and he headed to court represented by a public defender. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fourteen years after Christopher Vaughn was sentenced to four consecutive life terms for the murders of his wife and three children we revisit the evidence that led to his conviction. In this episode we’ll break down the circumstantial and forensic evidence that possibly led to a conviction based on what could be emotional and confirmation bias. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Written words have played a variety of roles throughout the history of this tragedy. They’ve been used to insinuate, accuse and incriminate but they also offer insight and revelations potentially resulting in new evidence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Vaughn possibly lands significant support when social justice activist and host of the Wrongful Convictions podcast, Jason Flom, agrees to look into his case. Bill Clutter also uncovers a troubling aspect to the timeline and testimony that secured Vaughn’s indictment in 2007. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Bright Pacheco finally meets Chris Vaughn in person before Bill Clutter mounts an ambitious crime scene reconstruction. Crime Scene Technician Katie Hartman strenuously tests the scenarios put forth by both the prosecution and defense before weighing in with her thoughts on what took place June 14th, 2007. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final episode of Murder in Illinois summarizes the case against Christopher Vaughn, the new evidence uncovered in the podcast, updates his legal status and revisits those involved for their final thoughts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.