Lawyers Still Duking It Out Over Slain Vaughn Wife's Emails

The bell rang on round 3 in what has turned out to be a prolonged struggle over emails written by the slain wife of accused killer Christopher Vaughn.

Over the course of about three hours on Tuesday, defense attorney George Lenard verbally reviewed each of the 67 emails Will County Assistant State's Attorney John Connor wants presented as evidence at Vaughn's murder trial.

Those 67 are what was left over after Connor sifted through hundreds of messages penned by Vaughn's wife, Kimberly Vaughn, up until the night before her death on the Interstate 55 Frontage Road outside Channahon and near in June 2007.

The family was heading from their Oswego home to a Springfield waterpark when — according to Christopher Vaughn — his distraught wife shot and killed their children Blake, 8, Cassandra, 11, and Abigayle, 12.

Christopher Vaughn also claimed Kimberly Vaughn, 34, put a bullet in his leg before he was able to flee with his life. After he escaped, he said, Kimberly Vaughn turned the gun on herself and committed suicide.

But prosecutors contend that Vaughn killed everyone and shot himself in the leg so he could blame it all on his wife, whom he told detectives was despondent after learning of an extramarital affair he indulged in while visiting Mexico.

Connor wants the jury to see Kimberly Vaughn's emails because he says they prove she was not despondent or depressed. On the contrary, he said, the emails appear to have been written by a devoted mother and wife who was enthused about completing an online course of study at the University of Phoenix.

In addition, one of Kimberly Vaughn's emails revealed that she practiced shooting on only one occasion prior to her death, and fired but two rounds during the session. She also said her aversion to firearms was an obstacle in pursuing a career as a military officer.

Christopher Vaughn, on the other hand, spent a half hour at a Plainfield shooting range brushing up on his marksmanship the night before his family was gunned down, according to court records. The gun he used at the range was reportedly found beneath his dead wife's feet.

Lenard argued that the emails, coupled with video of Christopher Vaughn's interrogation by the Illinois State Police, portray Kimberly Vaughn as a sympathetic figure and put his client in a less favorable light.

"This is highly prejudicial to Mr. Vaughn," Lenard told Will County Judge Daniel Rozak, who has yet to rule on the email issue.