1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: Murder in Illinois is a production of iHeartRadio. On September 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: twenty first, twenty twelve, a Will County jury consisting of 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: eight men and four women deliberated for less than fifty 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: minutes before convicting Christopher Vaughan of killing his wife and 5 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: three children in the family's suv in two thousand and 6 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: seven in a bid to start a new life in 7 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: the Canadian wilderness. Over the course of five weeks, jury 8 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: foreman Dan Lachet and his fellow jurors heard from nearly 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: ninety witnesses and saw more than seven hundred exhibits. Afterwards, 10 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: Lachet expressed his interest in writing a book on the 11 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: case and told press there was no doubt in the 12 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: juror's minds of Vaughn's guilt, and they never even considered 13 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: the defense argument that Vaughn's wife committed the murders. He 14 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: also referenced Vaughn's flat demeanor, saying, quote, if you watched 15 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: him throughout the trial like we did, I think you'd 16 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: come to the same conclusion as we did. In this episode, 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: we'll break down the circumstantial and forensic evidence that possibly 18 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: led to a conviction based on what could be emotional 19 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: and confirmation bias. I'm Lauren brad Pacheco, and this is 20 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: murder in Illinois. Let's start with two words. You've almost 21 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: heard more in this podcast than Christopher or Vaughn. Tunnel vision. 22 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: In legal terms, it's defined as a tendency fueled by 23 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: bias and pressure that leads actors in the criminal justices 24 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: to single mindedly focus on a suspect and build a 25 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: case for conviction while ignoring evidence that points away from guilt. 26 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: Bill Clutter believes it was in play throughout the case 27 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: against Vaughn. 28 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 2: This really is a text book case of tunnel vision 29 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 2: and confirmatory bias. Because each fact that they would discover 30 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 2: and learn about Chris his secret life of going to 31 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 2: script clubs, Aha, you know, just reinforces you did it 32 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:33,399 Speaker 2: because he already started with that assumption. 33 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: Clutter characterizes the combination of tunnel vision and confirmation bias 34 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: as something Vaughn referenced in their first jail house meeting, 35 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: a perfect storm. 36 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 2: Every time they would find a new bad fact for 37 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 2: Chris that you're spending thousands of dollars on script clubs. 38 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 2: You went to the gun range the day before. You've 39 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 2: got this fantasy of hiking into the Yukon and never 40 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 2: coming back and leaving your family. I mean, these are 41 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 2: all bad facts in terms of painting character. So it 42 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 2: was almost a piling on effect that every time they 43 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,799 Speaker 2: would discover some fact like that, it just reinforced their 44 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 2: belief that he did it without really conducting the type 45 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: of objective investigation that the crime scene investigator Bob Deal 46 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 2: was urging them to do. Followed the evidence, followed the 47 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,519 Speaker 2: CSI rather than your gut instincts. 48 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: You've also heard Bob Deel's name a bunch. The former 49 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: Illinois State Police crime investigator played a role in both 50 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: high profile cases that unfolded in the Will County Courthouse 51 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: in twenty twelve. So even as he was trying to 52 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: raise flags in the handling of Vaughn's case, Deal was 53 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: being maligned for his handling of the Drew Peterson case. Deal, 54 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: along with others, had initially ruled out foul play in 55 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: the bathtub drowning of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio. In 56 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: pursuing their case against Peterson. Prosecutors laid blame for that 57 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: ruling on the former Illinois State Police crime investigator, which 58 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: also made it easy to discredit Deal's thoughts on the 59 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: Bond case unfolding across the hall. Here's clutter. 60 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 2: Let me say something about Bob Deal and his defense, 61 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 2: because this also runs along that same argument, because when 62 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 2: Chris is being tried, it's simultaneous to the Drew Peterson case. 63 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 2: And Bob Deal wasn't the only one that assumed that 64 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 2: Peterson's wife drowned in this bathtub. It was also the 65 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 2: medical examiner that determines cause of death. So it's not 66 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 2: like they can point to one case where he got 67 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 2: it wrong and therefore disregard everything you say about this 68 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 2: other case. 69 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: In his initial crime scene report, Bob Deal listed Kimberly 70 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: Vaughan as suspect number one and Chris Vaughn as suspect 71 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: number two. In his deposition, Deal contends his removal from 72 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: the Vaughn investigation was because his processing of the crime 73 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: scene did not dismiss the possibility that Kim Vaughn may 74 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: have in fact killed her children, shot Chris, and then 75 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: committed suicide. Because Deal's opinion was at odds with the 76 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: Illinois State Police and the Will County State's Attorney, Deale 77 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: believes he was removed from anything to do with the case. 78 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: In fact, he was asked to never process another crime 79 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: scene in will County. Deal felt investigators retrofitted the evidence 80 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: to fit their theory that Vaughan was standing outside the 81 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 1: passenger door when he shot his wife and kids, a 82 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: theory that Sergeant Gary Lawson came up with the day 83 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: of the tragedy. In his deposition, Deal says he told 84 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 1: Sergeant Lawson that based on the crime scene evidence, that 85 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: was quote friggin' impossible. Back to Bill Clutter, how did 86 00:05:54,880 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: the jury react to Deal's allegation of tunnel vision an 87 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: immediate bias against Vaughn, Well. 88 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 2: They didn't get to hear that evidence. The judge wouldn't 89 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 2: allow a Deal to testify to the judge denied it. 90 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 2: The judge wouldn't allow him to testify about the call 91 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 2: he received from Ken Kopis, who was the commander of 92 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 2: the investigation unit of the only state police, that they 93 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 2: felt that the husband did it, and wouldn't allow Deal 94 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: to testify about his participation in the major case review 95 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 2: that included the entire investigative team, including the state's attorney 96 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 2: James Glascow, where Glascow offered his opinion that Kim was 97 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 2: an angel. There's no way she could have done this, 98 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: and Deal told him that the crime scene evidence can't 99 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 2: eliminate her as having done this. In fact, much of 100 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 2: the forensic evidence supports that she did, and they weren't 101 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 2: willing to listen to the objective, basically, the science based evidence. 102 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: It struck me when I was rereading Deal's deposition that 103 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: he claims that Sergeant Gary Lawson came up with the 104 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: theory of Vaughn standing outside the passenger window with the gun, 105 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: killing Kim and then the kids the same day as 106 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: the murders. 107 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 2: That's right, and Deal had him demonstrate his theory with 108 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 2: an unloaded gun, and then he went about demonstrating to 109 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 2: Lawson why the bullet trajectory evidence didn't support that theory. 110 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 2: And you know that's significant. 111 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: Looking back now. Was there an unwillingness to examine the 112 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: evidence objectively? And how does the prosecution's case against Christopher 113 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: Vaughn hold up. Let's start with Vaughn's time and money 114 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: spent its strip clubs, the first of multiple damning revelations 115 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: that would make headlines after the murders. Here again is 116 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: Bill Clutter. 117 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 2: It's a tactic of the prosecutor. The goal is to 118 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 2: get the jury to hate the defendant, and there's a 119 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 2: lot of ways they do this. In this case, they 120 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 2: did it over the fact that he had visited Scores 121 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 2: strip club on two occasions dropped I think almost five 122 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 2: thousand dollars over the course of two nights. That was 123 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 2: a character assassination. And you know, there's millions of people 124 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 2: go to strip clubs. They don't go home and kill 125 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 2: their wife and kids. 126 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: During the trial, the prosecution leaned heavily on morality, portraying 127 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: Vaughn's visits to strip clubs in the weeks before the 128 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: murders as incriminating. Was the money spent on strippers anything 129 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: more than circumstantial? And was it utilized as character assassination 130 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: to sway a jury without hard evidence. Being unfamiliar with 131 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: the field, I turned to an expert on the sub Chase, Kelly. 132 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 3: I have been stripping for thirteen years and working. 133 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 4: In strip clubs since two thousand and one. 134 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 3: I am pretty well versed in. 135 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 5: The strip club world. 136 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 3: I also coach entertainos for a living, so I pretty 137 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 3: much have spoken to somebody in every club in the 138 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 3: country and some internationally as well. 139 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: So from your experience in terms of working with your clients, 140 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: your regulars, what percentage of men and I know this 141 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:40,319 Speaker 1: isn't a scientific answer, but in your opinion, what percentage 142 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: of guys who come in are married? 143 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 4: Let's say it's probably around sixty five to seventy five percent. 144 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 4: This is a married man sport. 145 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: While she's not involved in the Bond case, Chase is 146 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: an authority on the types of clubs he visited. Because 147 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: Vaughn had gone to strip clubs and he'd spent five grand, 148 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: they made this sleep that he wasn't a family man. 149 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 4: That somebody would suggest that because somebody is going to 150 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 4: a strip club that they don't love their family. That's 151 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 4: crazy to me, crazy, and I have been working in 152 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:18,679 Speaker 4: these clubs for twenty years. 153 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: The prosecution and press focused on the thousands of dollars 154 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 1: and time Bond spent at clubs as indicative of his 155 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: level of betrayal. To quote the prosecution, he's not serious 156 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: about working on his marriage. If he was, he would 157 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: be in bed next to Kimberly. Here are Chase Kelly's thoughts. 158 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 4: I think if a man wanted to cheat, he would 159 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,079 Speaker 4: do it for free or cheaper. If a man wants 160 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 4: to sleep with somebody else, he's going to go and 161 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 4: do that. If you want to preserve your marriage, you 162 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 4: don't want to cheat. 163 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 2: You go to a strip club. 164 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 4: There's no cheating because there's no release, there's no physical 165 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 4: contact on that level. It's somebody to listen to you, 166 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 4: talk to you, somebody who make you laugh, a break 167 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 4: from your life. You know how many great husbands and 168 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 4: amazing fathers I've met that has spent five thousand dollars 169 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 4: on me with not a question. 170 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 3: To be asked about a five thousand. 171 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 4: Dollars is a normal amount of spending a club. Some 172 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 4: people might say, oh my gosh, that's crazy. That's a 173 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 4: crazy amount of money. But somebody spends five thousand dollars 174 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 4: in my club every night. 175 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: How does that bill get wrung up? 176 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 4: That's two hours, five thousand dollars, two hours in a 177 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 4: private room. 178 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,079 Speaker 1: Again, that money wouldn't be buying what many have assumed. 179 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: Contact is not allowed. 180 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 4: The lapdance is what twenty thirty forty dollars depending on 181 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 4: where you are, that you're just getting the boobs in 182 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 4: the face right when you start spending that bigger money. Generally, 183 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 4: what we see is that the clients become less sexual 184 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 4: and more pockative, comfortable, relaxed. They can melt into the 185 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 4: chair and you can ask them questions, and that's how 186 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,319 Speaker 4: you keep a guy m VIP for two hours. 187 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: So the two women that Vaughn met in clubs, a 188 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: woman named Maya and a woman named Crystal. I've had 189 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,559 Speaker 1: a lot of trouble tracking them down because of the 190 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:18,079 Speaker 1: nature of the crime, but they testified and they both 191 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: said he was an absolute gentleman and that he just 192 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:23,079 Speaker 1: wanted to talk. 193 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 4: Don't see why they would have any reason to lie 194 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 4: about that. It's very, very common for a guy to 195 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 4: go into a club and just have a laugh and 196 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 4: leave it behind for a minute, although many people do 197 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,440 Speaker 4: use clubs as therapy because of the amount of anonymity 198 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 4: that they are granted. 199 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: Anonymity played into the case against Vaughn with the strippers 200 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: as well as Willett. Vaughn's wilderness pen pal Chris did 201 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: not share that he was married or had children, but 202 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: that too can be viewed through a different lens. Back 203 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: to Chase, do you think that it's odd that he 204 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: told one of the women that he wasn't married and 205 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: he didn't have kids. No, in what sense. 206 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 4: It's a fantasy world, right, So he gets to, you know, 207 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,720 Speaker 4: dissociate from his wife for a little bit and get 208 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 4: to be somebody else. When I go into the club, 209 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 4: I change my name, I change my voice, I changed 210 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 4: my hair, I change the way that I walk, I 211 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 4: change the way that I smile. It's a fantasy. Some 212 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 4: people need it as escapism and some people need it 213 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 4: as a space of acceptance. Right, So both are valid. 214 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 6: So we create a place. 215 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 4: It's harmless fun. We are performers, and honestly, I think 216 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,959 Speaker 4: if more wives knew how we conducted our business, they 217 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 4: say thank you to us instead of quilifying us so much. 218 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 6: I really do agree or not. 219 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,679 Speaker 1: This does offer a perspective the places what was circumstantial 220 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,559 Speaker 1: evidence in another life. Another focus of the prosecution was 221 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,959 Speaker 1: the Wilderness Forum Vaughn joined. There is a specific quote 222 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: from Henry David Throw that Vaughn posted. If you are 223 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,720 Speaker 1: ready to leave father and mother and brother and sister 224 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 1: and wife and child and friends, if you never see 225 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,840 Speaker 1: them again. If you have paid your debts and made 226 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: your will and settled your affairs and are a freeman, 227 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: then you are ready for a walk. This was presented 228 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: as evidence Vaughn was ready for that walk but held 229 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: back by his family. In addition to the forum posts 230 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: and emails to Steve Willett, focus was placed on a 231 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: storage locker that Vaughn had rented and filled with camping equipment. 232 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: The locker wasn't registered to Chris's home address, but rather 233 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: a private PO box, and the alternate contact was Larry Vaughn, 234 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: not his wife. To the prosecution, this was more evidence 235 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: of murderous intent. Here's reporter Erica Wurst's recollections. 236 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 7: Fantasizing that was and I described before is maniacal. He 237 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 7: was of set the storage unit like not in the 238 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 7: fact that he didn't store any of it in his 239 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 7: empty basement while you're clearly hiding something. That whole thing, 240 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 7: I mean, if you're looking for motivation. In his emails, 241 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 7: he was sending to his little homeboy talking about wanting 242 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 7: to leave all of his obligations and take the walk, 243 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 7: and he had to tie things up at home first. 244 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 7: And you could look at all that both ways though, 245 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 7: if he wants him to have the money, or it 246 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 7: could just be like I'm going to tie things up 247 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 7: at home first. You gotta look at it all. 248 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: But if one's decided someone is a murderer, everything they 249 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: do can seem like a sinister act. That is confirmation bias. 250 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: So let's suppose just for a minute that the storage 251 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: locker full of equipment wasn't for Chris to run off 252 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: into the wilderness. Then why did he have it? I 253 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: wanted to know what Chris's parents thought. Can you guys 254 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: explain to me your understanding of why Chris had that 255 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 1: storage facility? 256 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 8: We are going to try to go to Canada, Pierre 257 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 8: and I and Chris and his family, and he was 258 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 8: starting to accumulate the stuff the family and he was 259 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 8: going to need, and we were starting to talk about it, 260 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 8: and we weren't going to do it until the following August, 261 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 8: sometime after between when the black flies start and cold 262 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 8: weather in. 263 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 6: We hadn't really. 264 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 9: Penpointed it, but he figured he'd just start getting things 265 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 9: together so that. 266 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 8: When we said, okay, this is what we're going to do, 267 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 8: he would have it. 268 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: Okay, did he have that storage facility before they moved 269 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: into the house. Is it something they had when they 270 00:16:57,960 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: were in the apartment. 271 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 9: I don't know when he got it, actually, but he 272 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 9: did tell us that he was starting to put stuff 273 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 9: in the storage facility units so that I would get 274 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 9: mixed in with the basement full of stuff. 275 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: There's a photo of Vaughn wearing a cowboy hat standing 276 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 1: outside that storage facility. There's snow on the ground, and 277 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 1: it's not a selfie. He appears to be holding his 278 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: cell phone and or his BlackBerry in his hand. 279 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 10: And we don't even know where this picture came from. 280 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 8: Somebody had taken but. 281 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 10: We don't know who. 282 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: They didn't know who Larry Vaughn was either. When I 283 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: emailed Chris for clarification about the storage facility, he referenced 284 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 1: that picture without prompting quote. The storage facility was rented 285 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 1: after we moved into the house. We did have extra 286 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: storage space in the apartment, but that was moved into 287 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: the basement at the house. The plan was to sort 288 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: through the basement, get rid of stuff, and place the 289 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,640 Speaker 1: remainder in the new facility, which was smaller. Needless to say, 290 00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: it was a task that was easy to put off 291 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: to next month, so I had not gotten around to it. 292 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 1: Kim had been at the facility with me. There's a 293 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: picture on the website she'd taken of me in front 294 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:12,920 Speaker 1: of the Orange Doors. Unquote, Vaughan explained the po box 295 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 1: belonged to the company he'd started in Washington Stonebridge because 296 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:18,920 Speaker 1: he thought he could write it off as a business expense, 297 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: and that Larry was a name he made up on 298 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: the spot when the worker at the facility insisted he 299 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:28,640 Speaker 1: provide an alternate contact, not living in the same residence. 300 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: If all that's true, the storage facility wasn't a secret stockpile, 301 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,959 Speaker 1: but a mixture of things from previous and future camping trips. 302 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: Keep in mind, Chris definitely came from a family with 303 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: an unusual passion for extreme outdoor activities. Here's Pierre. 304 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 11: That's one thing Chris wanted to do is show his kids, 305 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,439 Speaker 11: you know, how well they have it by taking him 306 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 11: out in the wilderness and having them experience the wilderness 307 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:04,879 Speaker 11: life versus everything served to you, my inconveniency, a lot 308 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,440 Speaker 11: of modern conveniences. 309 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,240 Speaker 1: They made a big deal of the storage unit in 310 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: the trial. Did the defense ever explain it the way 311 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:14,399 Speaker 1: you guys just explained it to me? 312 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 11: No, there was all one side of the defense never 313 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 11: defended it at all. 314 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:21,400 Speaker 10: As far as I could. 315 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: Recollect, I have obtained both the pobox contract and the 316 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: receipt from the storage facility. The Oswego PO box is 317 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 1: in fact clearly attributed to Stonebridge and was used for 318 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: mail forwarded from Bond's Washington consulting firm. In addition, it 319 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: was specified to receive items addressed to both Christopher and 320 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: Kemberley vonn and the contract is dated December twenty ninth, 321 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:52,359 Speaker 1: two thousand and five, coinciding with the family's move to Illinois. 322 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: The storage facility receipt is marked with the address of 323 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: that PEO box in our emails. Here's how Chris characterized 324 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 1: his communication with Willett and the Wilderness website quote, Hiking 325 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: and camping was a hobby I truly enjoyed. In Washington, 326 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: the kids and I spent a lot of time hiking 327 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:19,199 Speaker 1: the nearby trails. We loved our outdoor adventures. I had 328 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 1: hiking trail books for western Washington. The kids and I 329 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: spent nearly as much time selecting and planning trips together 330 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 1: as we actually did. 331 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 6: Hiking. 332 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 1: Camping in Washington was regulated to the backyard, but we 333 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time in the tent or the 334 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 1: treehouse we built out back. Kim occasionally came hiking, but 335 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: never joined us camping in Illinois. The kids were more 336 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,640 Speaker 1: occupied with school and their own activities, so hadn't got 337 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: back to hiking yet. Plus it was Illinois. I continued 338 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 1: to take time here and there to get outside, still 339 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,439 Speaker 1: very much interested. My trips grew in scope, but I 340 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:54,440 Speaker 1: was never serious about wilderness survival. That was online boasting 341 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: among other enthusiasts. I liked I could take a trip 342 00:20:57,480 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: to the woods and then return to my comfortable life 343 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: with modern conveniences. If Vaughn's desire was to escape those 344 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: modern conveniences and his marriage, he also seemed to be 345 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: making contradictory efforts to salvage it. During Vaughn's initial interrogation, 346 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: he was asked multiple questions about his relationship with Kim 347 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: Chris never spoke disparagingly about her, and in fact spoke 348 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: actively about their future plans. He also mentioned attempts to 349 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: reconcile things with his wife. You've heard this exchange during 350 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: the police questioning before, but it bears repeating. 351 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,199 Speaker 5: Let's take there on a honeymoon this weekend. We're going 352 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 5: to go back to Herman where we had our first honeymoon. 353 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 5: Two things all over again. 354 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 12: Who's going to launch kids. 355 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 5: My mom and her sister heaven out on Friday, So yeah, 356 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 5: they're coming to the house to watch the kids for 357 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,880 Speaker 5: the weekend. Believe Kim and I, it was a surprise. 358 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 5: I didn't want her to have to worry about any 359 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 5: details or anything like that. So I set up and 360 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 5: I told her parents. I told my parents to kind 361 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 5: of coordinate the details. 362 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,200 Speaker 13: But uh, I was gonna take her cause. 363 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:20,159 Speaker 12: So your mom and your sister, No, my mom and 364 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 12: my aunt her sister. Yeah, we're gonna come up Friday. 365 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,680 Speaker 12: When were they supposed to show up around dune or 366 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,359 Speaker 12: so maybe something? And and Kim had no idea they 367 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 12: were coming. 368 00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 5: I was gonna tell her later today. 369 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 12: What if she would have said, I going ain't gonna happen. 370 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 5: I don't know why she would have said that, Like 371 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 5: this is it was gonna be good. 372 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 12: Do you think one the weekend of sex with your 373 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 12: wife is gonna make her forget that you've been having 374 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 12: sex with all these other women? 375 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 5: You think it wasn't all these other world cup it's 376 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,360 Speaker 5: just one time of Mexico and it was a start. 377 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: Well, we do know Vaughn did make those herman reservation 378 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 1: and plans. Kim apparently had found out about something because 379 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: she had put in for time off from her pool job. 380 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: That was used against Vaughn, but others knew and could 381 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: have tipped her off as to the surprise. The marriage 382 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: and the last minute nature of the water park trip 383 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: also came up in Vaughn's initial questioning over the. 384 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 5: Last couple of months, I've been trying to work to 385 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 5: make things better than that was what the honeymoon was 386 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 5: all about. And you know, I'd looked into Emmy. She'd 387 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 5: mentioned spend more time with kids. Were off for summer break, 388 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,440 Speaker 5: and I thought, well, we're gone on Friday, We're not 389 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 5: going to be back until Sunday, and the next weekend 390 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 5: her parents are coming up, and then a couple of 391 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 5: weeks after that, the kids are going to be in 392 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 5: Saint Louis for. 393 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 12: A couple of weeks. 394 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 5: So we didn't we don't have any like the five 395 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 5: less family time. So I said, fine, you know, let's let's. 396 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:01,640 Speaker 12: Go to a water park. 397 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 5: And you know, one of the things that had come 398 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 5: up is one of the water parks that we passed 399 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 5: in Springfield when we met her parents there, and you know, 400 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 5: and I said, Dad, and She's like. 401 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: Fine, you know, want's do that, but we're last minute 402 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,959 Speaker 1: trips unusual for Vaughn and his family. I asked a 403 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 1: former neighbor from Illinois named Barbara. Did the family do 404 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: strange things like take last minute trips when you knew 405 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: them in the apartment. 406 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,120 Speaker 6: Yeah, they took trips quite a bit because they had 407 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 6: this it was like a luggage wreck on the top 408 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 6: of their car, and they would take it off and 409 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 6: put it back on. Yeah, they would go to water 410 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 6: parks and on different trips. 411 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was kind of flagged as you know, this 412 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,760 Speaker 1: last minute trip. But then speaking to to other family members, 413 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 1: they did quirky trips all the time. Last minute. 414 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,400 Speaker 6: Yeah they were. That's not the first trip that I've 415 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 6: seen them go on. They've gone on quite a few 416 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 6: because I remember because of the longa trip. So no, 417 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 6: that wouldn't have been like, you know, just one trip 418 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 6: that they chose that was last minute. They went often 419 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 6: to you know, different places. 420 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: In addition to being an aunt of Alexa, the friend 421 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 1: of Abigail we met in a previous episode, Barbara was 422 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,400 Speaker 1: close to Kim and offers insight into her personality and mothering. 423 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,680 Speaker 6: I felt she was pretty adjusted and then I ended 424 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:46,360 Speaker 6: up finding out she was in school online getting her 425 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 6: criminal justice degree, and she had a lot, a lot 426 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 6: of irons in the fire with her kids, which she 427 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,919 Speaker 6: always put her kids first everything. She would be in 428 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 6: the classroom, going to drop them off, going to pick 429 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 6: them up, just always there for them. Whatever activities they 430 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 6: were involved in, she was there. 431 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: So she seemed like super mom. 432 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 6: Yes, I called her the mother of all mothers. And 433 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 6: the reason why I called her that is because Kim 434 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 6: never raised her voice. She was always so calm, and 435 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 6: I started asking her questions like you don't ever get 436 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,399 Speaker 6: angry and raise your voice, because I've never seen a 437 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 6: raise your voice at her kids. And it just shocked 438 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,000 Speaker 6: me because at some point some mom says, don't do 439 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 6: that or what are you doing? But Kim was always 440 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 6: just calm with her voice, and she always told her 441 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 6: kids use your words all the time. I heard that 442 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:50,359 Speaker 6: from her. Her husband was out of town a lot. 443 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:55,960 Speaker 6: I met him once, but I spent, you know, some 444 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 6: time with Kim and the kids. 445 00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:00,080 Speaker 1: I know that you only met him once, But do 446 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:02,640 Speaker 1: you remember any impressions of Chris. 447 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,679 Speaker 6: Yes, Chris was a really nice guy. He was very kind, 448 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,359 Speaker 6: But I don't know why the hairs on my neck 449 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 6: stood up when I met him. I can't even explain it. 450 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 6: I can't. He was a nice guy. He wasn't rude 451 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 6: or mean or anything like that. But I don't know 452 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 6: what I was sensing. And I just said hello and 453 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 6: I left. 454 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: And this is how many people who knew Kim felt 455 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 1: that Chris was quiet, sort of offbeat, and that Kim 456 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: was just a vibrant, wonderful mother. All these years later, 457 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 1: Barbara remains upset and confused as to what actually happened 458 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: that day. 459 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 6: It was unbelievable. I cried so hard. I given one. 460 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:54,440 Speaker 6: I think about it now, it makes me sad. Oh, 461 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 6: they were such good kids. Kim was such a good mother, 462 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:02,879 Speaker 6: you know, lady was the mother of all mothers. She 463 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,360 Speaker 6: was so good to her kids. What in the world happened? 464 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:13,919 Speaker 6: What happened? And I'm like, whatever they were saying on 465 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 6: the news was not making sense. When the stories came 466 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 6: out that Chris said that she shot the kids and 467 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 6: then shot him, and I'm like, no, no, no, no, Kim, 468 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 6: the Kim I know would never do that. Kim, the 469 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 6: Kim I know would have put her body on her 470 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:41,160 Speaker 6: kids and covered her kids up. So in my. 471 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 14: Mind, I thought he would have had to shoot her first, 472 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 14: because she would have She would have protected her kids 473 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 14: like she was a mama bear. She was the mother 474 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 14: of all mothers. Kim would have laid her body over 475 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:03,480 Speaker 14: those kids, I'm telling you right now, Oh God, she 476 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 14: would have covered them, canceled. She would have thought with 477 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 14: all she had. 478 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 1: We'll revisit this later, But there was absolutely no sign 479 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: of struggle. Kim did not have defensive wounds, bruises, pulled hair, 480 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: nothing that suggests she was held in place while a 481 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 1: shot was placed with precision, just slightly away from the 482 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 1: soft area under her chin. And when her nails were scraped, 483 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: they did not contain Christopher Vaughn's DNA. You mentioned that 484 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 1: she had migraines. Can you just elaborate a little bit 485 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: upon that. How did you know and how much did 486 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: they impact her? 487 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 6: All I know is that she suffered from them quite 488 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 6: a bit. She would have headaches, and she talked about 489 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 6: him sometime. She was involved with so much. But I 490 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,920 Speaker 6: know that she had them, and that she still was 491 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 6: in school when the kids were gone online. She still 492 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 6: worked in their classroom quite a bit. 493 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: Did she ever talk to you about the medication she 494 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 1: was taking for her migraines and her anxiety. 495 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 6: No, we never talked about that. 496 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: But Kim did discuss issues associated with those medications with others. 497 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,880 Speaker 1: Here's Bill Clutter in. 498 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 2: Her own words on May twenty fourth of two thousand 499 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 2: and seven, and this is three weeks before this tragedy happened. 500 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 2: There was an email she had written to Chris after 501 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 2: she had visited an osteopath, and she reported to the 502 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:51,200 Speaker 2: osteopath that she was taking these migraine prescriptions and that 503 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 2: she was feeling anxiety. A high anxiety was the notation 504 00:30:55,640 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 2: in the medical records, and in her own words she says, 505 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 2: I told him that you had noticed and I had 506 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:08,160 Speaker 2: noticed a big personality change and an anxiety change, and 507 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 2: that I was feeling lethargic, tired all the time. And 508 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 2: of course, when you look at the medication guide that 509 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 2: came out a year later, when the FDA was wanting 510 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 2: to place a black box warning on Topomax warning suicidal 511 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 2: behavior and ideation anti epileptic drugs, including Topomax, increase the 512 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:36,040 Speaker 2: risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior and patients taking these 513 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 2: drugs for any indications. And it goes on to say, 514 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 2: patients treated with anti epileptic drugs for any indication should 515 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 2: be monitored for the emergence of worsening of depression, suicidal 516 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 2: thoughts or behavior, and or any unusual changes in mood 517 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:03,960 Speaker 2: or behavior. It described feeling agitated or restless, panic attacks, 518 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 2: trouble sleeping, new or worse, irritability, acting aggressive, being angry 519 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 2: or violent, acting on dangerous impulses, an extreme increase in anxiety, 520 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 2: and talking mania. 521 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: So her change in personality and her anxiety would have 522 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: gone hand in hand with an adverse reaction. 523 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 2: That's right. 524 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: Two days after the tragedy, police spoke with a sixth 525 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: grade locker buddy of Abigail Vaughan about an interaction he 526 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: had with his visibly upset friend on June seventh, a 527 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 1: week before the murders. His name is Jacob. He's now 528 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 1: in his twenties. Tell me about the conversation you two 529 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 1: had on the last day of school in two thousand 530 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 1: and seven and why that stuck out to you. 531 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 10: It stuck out to me because she was really upset. 532 00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:00,080 Speaker 10: She said that her mom was acting crazy, and that 533 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:03,800 Speaker 10: was basically the gist of that. It was one of 534 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 10: the first things that popped up in my head when 535 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 10: I first heard about the murders. 536 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,400 Speaker 1: What he told police, according to their report two days 537 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: after the tragedy, was that Abigail Vaughn said her mother 538 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: was quote hearing thoughts in her head unquote end quote. 539 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: Psycho Bill Clutter also spoke with him in two thousand 540 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:23,080 Speaker 1: and nine. 541 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 2: Well, I spoke to both of Jacob's parents before talking 542 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 2: to him because he was a minor, and they explained 543 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:36,520 Speaker 2: that Jacob had related this to them, and they felt 544 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,640 Speaker 2: it was important for the state police to know this, 545 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,280 Speaker 2: and that resulted in Jacob's. 546 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:46,680 Speaker 1: Interview because they believed that his story about the mother's 547 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: mental state might bear significance on the murders. Right, according 548 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:56,480 Speaker 1: to your notes, what did Abby tell Jacob. 549 00:33:56,480 --> 00:34:00,480 Speaker 2: That her mother was hearing thoughts in her head. She 550 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 2: would be talking to herself and nobody was there. And 551 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 2: then she mentioned that her mother was sleep talking. And 552 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 2: all of this paints a picture of some sort of 553 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 2: mental instability that's happening with Kimberly Vaughn. 554 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:38,959 Speaker 1: During the trial, forensic pathologist doctor Larry Bloom testified that 555 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 1: at the time of her death, Kimberly Vaughn was taking 556 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 1: two medications known to cause increased risk of suicidal thoughts 557 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 1: and side effects including confusion or agitation. If Kim was 558 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:55,280 Speaker 1: in fact struggling with difficulties with the medication she was taking, 559 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: or exhibiting anomalies in her behavior behind the scenes that 560 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: strained their relationship to some degree, Chris's behavior after the 561 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,960 Speaker 1: tragedy in many ways could have been seen as a 562 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:11,760 Speaker 1: normal response. According to neuroscientists and professor of human behavior 563 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: doctor James Fallen Right. 564 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,760 Speaker 13: It's like I was my fault because I didn't understand 565 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 13: him enough or her enough, and so they'll start blaming themselves. 566 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:26,799 Speaker 1: Let's also address Bond's personality. He came across to some 567 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:30,680 Speaker 1: acquaintances in the initial questioning the press and the courtroom 568 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:35,360 Speaker 1: as odd. He's unusually intelligent, as his former salary and 569 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:39,280 Speaker 1: profession would imply, but given his interest in druidism, writing 570 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:43,319 Speaker 1: poems in Celtic, and role playing on wilderness sites, he's 571 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: also quirky. Did that add to his perception of guilt. 572 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:49,120 Speaker 1: Here's doctor Fallon's take. 573 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 13: This reminds me a bit of somebody who is an 574 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:56,480 Speaker 13: introvert and maybe not open. You know. It brings you 575 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 13: back to Ta kill a Mockingbird with bou Radley, who 576 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,800 Speaker 13: was a little excent. I don't know if Christopher phones 577 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 13: eccentric at all, but it's just been reading it. I said, 578 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 13: here's an easy mark, introvert who just wants to go 579 00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:11,880 Speaker 13: off the grid, like I think anybody would want to 580 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,439 Speaker 13: do it, considering everything, and they put in their things 581 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 13: about it. But when I went to a strip club 582 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 13: and he had an affair, if this is the sort 583 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 13: of evidence you need, I wonder how many das are 584 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:27,919 Speaker 13: going to pass that test, or sheriffs or anybody. And 585 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:32,280 Speaker 13: so it seemed completely made out of less than whole club. 586 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,120 Speaker 1: When Vaughn was convicted, here's how the will County State's attorney, 587 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:38,480 Speaker 1: James Glasgow referred to him. 588 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:44,040 Speaker 13: He's a heartless, soulless psychopath without any compassion, without any 589 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:45,720 Speaker 13: empathy for other human beings. 590 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:50,600 Speaker 1: Doctor Fallon is an expert on these terms which require evaluation. 591 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:55,320 Speaker 13: I didn't see any good psychiatric analyzes in these reports. 592 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 13: How did he know this or how he because he 593 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,239 Speaker 13: doesn't seem like it right at all. For some reason, 594 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,000 Speaker 13: it was demonizing it. Were there people involved in the 595 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:07,520 Speaker 13: case for who were doing things for political reasons? I 596 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:09,960 Speaker 13: mean because it's when you read this whole thing says 597 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:11,120 Speaker 13: somebody's getting bamboozle. 598 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:15,760 Speaker 1: Now, let's address emotional bias in keeping with such a brutal, 599 00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:20,360 Speaker 1: unfathomable tragedy. And the crime scene photos shown as evidence 600 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,480 Speaker 1: during the trial. You've heard the impact they had on many, 601 00:37:23,719 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: including Jojosey and Erica Wurst, reporters who covered the trial. 602 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,080 Speaker 6: I don't think I saw the crime scene photos until 603 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 6: the trial. They were heartbreaking. They were horrible. They were horrible. 604 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:40,080 Speaker 15: You have little babies with bullet wounds that were zooming 605 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 15: up on and seeing and Kim with her hand like 606 00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:48,640 Speaker 15: flouched down by the center council kind of and she's 607 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 15: got her wedding ring on. That's one that's like seared 608 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,000 Speaker 15: into my head just because it's so sad. 609 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 1: Bill Clutter points out something that may seem obvious but 610 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,360 Speaker 1: needs to be taken into account. 611 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:03,799 Speaker 2: There are evidence in the sense that it describes the 612 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:07,880 Speaker 2: crime scene, but it's not evidence that resolves the issue 613 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:11,880 Speaker 2: of who did it. And unfortunately, in this case, the 614 00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:16,440 Speaker 2: prosecution had a big screen to display the crime scene photos, 615 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,200 Speaker 2: and more than anything else, it was the emotional impact 616 00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:23,120 Speaker 2: of those photos. I think that really swayed the jury. 617 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:27,840 Speaker 1: Was Chris vond convicted on character assassination and circumstantial evidence. 618 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:31,560 Speaker 1: Let's take a step back from emotion, a step back 619 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:35,560 Speaker 1: from Chris or Kim, and let's look solely at evidence. 620 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 1: The crime scene evidence remains problematic for both the prosecution 621 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:45,040 Speaker 1: and the defense because it doesn't align with either of 622 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,719 Speaker 1: their versions. Let's start with the blood evidence. 623 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:53,000 Speaker 2: There's no physical evidence that supports the state's theory that 624 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,800 Speaker 2: Chris reached around his wife after shooting her to shoot 625 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,799 Speaker 2: the kids. There was no transfer of her blood on 626 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,160 Speaker 2: the front of his body. He would have had to 627 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 2: lean over her body to make those shots. I mean, 628 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:11,919 Speaker 2: she's bleeding profusely and her blood is falling and it's 629 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:15,600 Speaker 2: pooling on the center council and then it's splashing up 630 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:20,920 Speaker 2: onto the back of his driver's seat. Well, there's no evidence, 631 00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 2: you know, for him to have done with the state alleges, 632 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:27,279 Speaker 2: he would have had to have reached around her through 633 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:31,360 Speaker 2: that zone of blood spatter. But there was no blood 634 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:35,160 Speaker 2: of Kims that was on his right arm or right 635 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,000 Speaker 2: sleeve or left sleeve. And Vaughn was right handed and 636 00:39:39,239 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 2: Vonn was right hand. 637 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:44,640 Speaker 1: Okay, Now, is it important that According to Bob Deal, 638 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:47,200 Speaker 1: there was blood on Kimberly's arm that was never tested. 639 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:52,719 Speaker 2: Well, it's important, particularly the blood on her left and 640 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:53,440 Speaker 2: right hands. 641 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,400 Speaker 1: Clutter contends that if Kim held the gun under her 642 00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,960 Speaker 1: chin and used her left thumb to pull the trigger 643 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:03,200 Speaker 1: her right hand to steady the weapon, that this pattern 644 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:06,520 Speaker 1: of blood could be consistent with suicide. 645 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:09,640 Speaker 2: If she was holding the gun as soon as the 646 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:14,480 Speaker 2: bullet was fired, her blood would have been dripping down. 647 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:20,160 Speaker 2: There's patterns of passive drops of blood on her left hand, 648 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,640 Speaker 2: but that was never tested. But if that was her blood, 649 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 2: that would be strong evidence that she held the gun 650 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:32,280 Speaker 2: and was bleeding onto the hands after the gun was fired. 651 00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 1: We've already really addressed the terry cloth. What would that 652 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:40,239 Speaker 1: have possibly shown had that not been disposed. 653 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:46,400 Speaker 2: Of passive bloods gains? If those had been Kim's blood, 654 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:52,239 Speaker 2: you know, that's again consistent with her having self inflicted 655 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,960 Speaker 2: and bleeding onto the terry cloth as she was slumping 656 00:40:56,239 --> 00:40:59,520 Speaker 2: to the left. And so if we were able to 657 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 2: identify that pattern of passive drops of blood were her blood, 658 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:08,759 Speaker 2: that would be very strong evidence that she self inflicted 659 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:14,240 Speaker 2: that wound. The wound under Kim's chin that's completely consistent 660 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:19,360 Speaker 2: with a self inflicted gunshot wound. The muzzle of the 661 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:23,960 Speaker 2: gun wasn't firmly against the chin. It was raised up 662 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,920 Speaker 2: to the chin, and there was enough of a gap 663 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:30,399 Speaker 2: that allowed the gas that was ejected from the barrel 664 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:34,239 Speaker 2: of the gun to darken and blacken her chin. And 665 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:37,920 Speaker 2: that's completely contrary to the initial belief of the state's 666 00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:41,640 Speaker 2: attorney that the gun had been jammed under her chin. 667 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 2: For Christopher Vaughan to have staged this to make it 668 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:50,520 Speaker 2: look like Kim self inflicted her own wound, he would 669 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,600 Speaker 2: have one had to have enlisted her cooperation to stand 670 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:58,080 Speaker 2: still while he placed the muzzle of the gun under 671 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:01,640 Speaker 2: her chin. There was no evidence that he had held 672 00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:05,080 Speaker 2: her hair and she was trying to pull away. None 673 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:07,200 Speaker 2: of that type of evidence that would suggest that there 674 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:11,080 Speaker 2: was a violent, forceful struggle to put the barrel of 675 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:12,359 Speaker 2: the gun under her chin. 676 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: There's also physical size to take into account of both 677 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:18,560 Speaker 1: the bond and the large suv. 678 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:23,720 Speaker 2: It was Sergeant Lawson's opinion that he had reached through 679 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:27,120 Speaker 2: the passenger window. He had to assumed that it was opened, 680 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,200 Speaker 2: because when they arrived at the scene it was rolled up, 681 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:35,520 Speaker 2: but Lawson's theory was that Chris had reached in through 682 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:39,240 Speaker 2: the window and killed Kim and killed the kids. Well, 683 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:42,359 Speaker 2: he would have to have awfully long arms to have 684 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,880 Speaker 2: reached all the way to the left side of the 685 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,400 Speaker 2: passenger seat to make those shots that killed the children. 686 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:53,320 Speaker 2: And you know, he's only five to nine. He's just physically, 687 00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:56,280 Speaker 2: as Bob Diale said it, that's an impossibility. 688 00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:00,440 Speaker 1: Well, Vaughn's blood was found on his wife's retractor belt 689 00:43:00,560 --> 00:43:03,560 Speaker 1: and droplets by her feet. There is no evidence that 690 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:08,360 Speaker 1: shows Vaughn ever stood outside that passenger door or evidence 691 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:11,480 Speaker 1: he walked back around the vehicle to the driver side, 692 00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:14,080 Speaker 1: where a bullet was lodged with his DNA. 693 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:18,400 Speaker 2: The shot that penetrated his left leg. The barrel of 694 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,440 Speaker 2: the gun had been thrust into the jacket, and according 695 00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:27,200 Speaker 2: to the ballistics, the shot was within less than six 696 00:43:27,239 --> 00:43:31,480 Speaker 2: inches from the leg when it was fired, so the 697 00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 2: trajectory from the jacket pocket to the left leg would 698 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 2: pass just millimeters above the growing area When it penetrated 699 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:44,720 Speaker 2: the top of the left leg right at the hip. 700 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:48,240 Speaker 2: It just narrowly missed the femeral ar of the leg, 701 00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:51,640 Speaker 2: which could have been potentially fatal had that bullet been 702 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:55,080 Speaker 2: lower and he had been shot in the growing, I 703 00:43:55,120 --> 00:43:57,800 Speaker 2: don't think he would have been charged, yeah, or alive 704 00:43:58,320 --> 00:43:58,760 Speaker 2: or alive. 705 00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:04,360 Speaker 1: Clutter remains bothered by the criminal mastermind charge. 706 00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:07,360 Speaker 2: Where's the evidence of that? We have to have evidence, 707 00:44:07,719 --> 00:44:10,279 Speaker 2: you know, they have to have some evidence that he 708 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:13,360 Speaker 2: staged this crime scene, and there is not there just 709 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:17,480 Speaker 2: simply isn't. There's strong reasonable doubt that he did this. 710 00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:23,000 Speaker 2: The forensic evidence suggests that this was a murder suicide. 711 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:27,200 Speaker 2: The state concedes it appears to be a murder suicide. 712 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:32,960 Speaker 2: But the caveat is they argue that he staged the 713 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,040 Speaker 2: crime scene to make it look like it was. You 714 00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:39,800 Speaker 2: have to prove that. That's the concept of proof beyond 715 00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:43,560 Speaker 2: a reasonable doubt, and they didn't meet that test. Twelve 716 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:49,920 Speaker 2: jurors were influenced by the emotional appeal of the crime 717 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:55,400 Speaker 2: scene photos, the dead children, the strip clubs, the character assassination, 718 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:58,560 Speaker 2: and that's why he's in prison today. 719 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:02,880 Speaker 1: But there are three major questions that have yet to 720 00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:24,719 Speaker 1: be answered on the next murder in Illinois. How did 721 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:28,719 Speaker 1: Christopher Vaughan's blood get on the retracted safety belt, droplets 722 00:45:28,719 --> 00:45:31,840 Speaker 1: of his blood on the passenger side, and Kim's blood 723 00:45:31,960 --> 00:45:33,320 Speaker 1: on the back of his jacket. 724 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:35,800 Speaker 9: It is a manager revelation. 725 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 1: Possible insight into these three unsolved mysteries in this case 726 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:42,320 Speaker 1: come from an unexpected source. 727 00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:44,120 Speaker 6: Oh my God. 728 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:50,520 Speaker 1: Murder in Illinois is a production of iHeartRadio. Executive producers 729 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:54,200 Speaker 1: are Lauren bred Pacheco and Taylor Chicogyne. Written by Lauren 730 00:45:54,239 --> 00:45:58,000 Speaker 1: Brd Pacheco and Matthew Riddle, story editing by Matthew Riddle, 731 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,480 Speaker 1: editing and sound designed by Evan Tire and Taylor Chaqoin. 732 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:05,880 Speaker 1: Featuring music by Cicada Rhythm with new compositions engineered and 733 00:46:05,960 --> 00:46:08,320 Speaker 1: mixed by Evan Tyre and Taylor Chackoin. 734 00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:29,879 Speaker 12: No Wow, Babe, Ye. 735 00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:32,799 Speaker 15: Wall Wild. 736 00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:36,839 Speaker 3: They By. 737 00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:00,040 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, check out the 738 00:47:00,080 --> 00:47:04,400 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get the stories 739 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:05,239 Speaker 1: that matter to you.