Death penalty sought in Oswego family murder

Prosecutors said today they'll seek the death penalty if an Oswego man is convicted of killing his wife and three children, who were found shot dead in their SUV while he wandered the roadside with superficial gunshot wounds.

Christopher Vaughn showed no outward reaction during a brief court hearing this afternoon in Will County in which prosecutors disclosed their intentions.

Vaughn, 32, was indicted earlier this summer on four counts of first-degree murder. The computer security consultant denies opening fire on his wife and children in a June 14 shooting near Channahon.

Though Vaughn does not have a criminal history, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said the crime cries out for the law's ultimate punishment.

Police arrested Vaughn June 23 at a St. Charles, Mo., funeral home hours before a memorial service for 34-year-old Kimberly Vaughn and their children, Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8.

They were found shot to death in their Ford Expedition parked on a service road near Channahon, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago, after a wounded Christopher Vaughn flagged down a passing motorist. The husband's 9 mm handgun also was found at the scene.

Vaughn denied killing his family while voluntarily speaking with police during three interviews before his arrest. Prosecutors later charged him with first-degree murder, citing forensic evidence, some of which they said conflicts with his account of what happened.