SUV murders: Murder suspect isolated for his safety

From the [Springfield IL] State Journal-Register--

Murder suspect isolated for his safety

By JIM SUHR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published Friday, June 29, 2007

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - A man jailed in this St. Louis suburb while
fighting extradition to Illinois for the shooting deaths of his wife
and three children has been isolated from other inmates for his own
protection, one of his attorneys said Thursday.

Christopher Vaughn?s transfer to a one-person cell comes out of
?overabundance of caution,? said defense attorney David Waltrip.

Until Wednesday, Vaughn had been held with other prisoners in the St.
Charles County Jail?s booking area.

?I?m just taking a cautious approach,? Waltrip said. Whether inmates
threatened Vaughn ?is nothing more than my pure speculation. I decided
to overprotect.?

Jail administrators did not immediately return telephone calls for
comment Thursday from The Associated Press.

Vaughn is jailed without bond pending a July 25 hearing in which a
judge will decide whether he should be returned to Will County, Ill.,
to face eight first-degree murder counts in the June 14 deaths of
Kimberly Vaughn, 32, and their children, Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11,
and Blake, 8.

In challenging extradition, Vaughn?s attorneys want to depose Illinois
State Police Sgt. Gary Lawson, one of the lead investigators in the
case. Waltrip declined to discuss why he sought Lawson?s testimony,
citing ?legal strategy.?

St. Charles County prosecutors argued in a motion that the defense was
overstepping, with Lawson?s testimony ?beyond the scope of authority
of the asylum state in an extradition proceeding.?

Vaughn can only challenge his arrest, detention and whether police had
probable cause to arrest him, prosecutors said, pointing to Missouri
Supreme Court precedent.

?An examination by deposition of Illinois law enforcement officers or
other officials will serve no purpose for matters now pending before
this court,? the motion said.

A St. Charles County judge was to take up the deposition matter during
a hearing today.

A message left with Jack Banas, St. Charles County?s prosecutor, was
not immediately returned.

Vaughn, 32, was arrested Saturday at a funeral home here just hours
before a memorial service for his wife and children.

They were found dead in the family?s parked sport utility vehicle
along a service road near Channahon after a wounded Christopher Vaughn
flagged down a motorist.

Vaughn, a computer security consultant, had superficial gunshot wounds
in the leg and arm.

Kimberly Vaughn was shot once and the children each were shot twice,
and his 9mm handgun was found at the scene, authorities said.

Illinois authorities have not divulged a possible motive for the
slayings, saying only that numerous interviews, forensic evidence,
computer files and phone records led them to conclude that Christopher
Vaughn killed his family.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt on Monday
signed off on having Vaughn returned to Illinois, but a St. Charles
County judge honored defense requests for time to prepare a written
challenge to the extradition.

Waltrip said Thursday that a written challenge - called a writ of
habeas corpus - likely won?t be filed until just days before the July
25 hearing.
http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/117770.asp

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