Man charged in deaths of wife, 3 kids

A suburban Chicago man found shot near the bodies of his wife and their three children in the family sport utility vehicle earlier this month was charged Saturday in their shooting deaths. Christopher Vaughn, 32, was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, prosecutor James Glasgow said at a news conference in Joliet.

Missouri authorities arrested Vaughn on Saturday morning at a funeral home near St. Louis just before the scheduled start of services for 34-year-old Kimberly Vaughn and her children _ Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8, Glasgow said.

Their bodies were found June 14 in a 2004 Ford Expedition parked on a service road near Interstate 55 in Channahon, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. Kimberly Vaughn was shot once and the children were shot twice.

"We are hopeful Kimberly Vaughn and her three beautiful children can rest in peace," Glasgow, who declined to discuss possible motives, said on Saturday. "Everyone who came in contact with this case was moved by what they saw."

The bodies were discovered after police received a 911 call from a passer-by flagged down by Christopher Vaughn, authorities have said. A handgun was found at the scene.

Vaughn, who works as a computer forensic adviser, had been shot in the thigh and was released from a nearby hospital later that day. Police initially said he was not a suspect.

The Vaughns, who once lived in Missouri, moved from Washington state to the Chicago area about a year ago. They lived briefly in Aurora before relocating to a spacious home in Oswego.

Glasgow said he hoped Vaughn would be extradited from Missouri to Illinois soon. He said Vaughn indicated he intended to fight extradition.

A message seeking comment was left Saturday at the offices of Vaughn's attorney in Missouri.