A man suspected of murdering his wife and three children in Illinois is being held without bond in St. Charles. The governors of Missouri and Illinois have signed an order to return Christopher Vaughn to Illinois to face charges that he killed his wife and three children. Missouri officials say they are working quickly in an effort to get Vaughn before a judge soon, perhaps as early as today.
Vaughn’s attorney has indicated he might fight the extradition and tie up the process for weeks. Vaughn appeared briefly in a St. Charles County courtroom. Officials in Will County, Illinois say they are ready to begin proceedings against Vaughn as soon as he is transferred to them in Joliet.
Vaughn was arrested Saturday at a St. Charles funeral home just hours before a memorial service for 34-year-old Kimberly Vaughn and the couple’s children, Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8. Vaughn is 32. The family was found shot to death June 14 in the family’s car, parked along a service road southwest of Chicago. Vaughn flagged down a motorist and had superficial gunshot wounds in the leg and arm.
Illinois authorities haven’t discussed what they think triggered the murders. They say they concluded that Vaughn killed his family after conducting several interviews, compiling forensic evidence and checking computer files and phone records. Prosecutors say Vaughn met three times with investigators before he was arrested.
Vaughn is a computer security consultant. The family is originally from Missouri. They moved to Washington state before moving to the Chicago area about two years ago.
