CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
The jury to preside over the murder trial of Christopher Vaughn, an Oswego man accused of murdering his wife and three kids five years ago, has been picked. It took just one
day to find the 12 jurors.
Vaughn appeared at the Will County courthouse Monday morning wearing a tan coat and a white shirt with no tie. He told the pool of possible jurors, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen," without saying his name.
Then, he sat
silently as Judge Daniel Rozak detailed Vaughn's alleged crimes of shooting his
wife Kimberly and his children, Abigayle, 12; Cassandra, 11; and Blake, 8; back in 2007.
On that day, Vaughn, who had a gunshot wound, flagged down a passing motorist on the frontage road along Interstate 55 near the Des Plaines River bridge in Channahon. Authorities found his entire family gunned down in their SUV.
Vaughn blamed his wife for the shootings.
During the selection, several potential
jurors were tossed because they admitted they had followed Vaughn's case and
could not be fair.
Almost all of them
were questioned about whether they or, someone they knew, suffered from
migraine headaches. The defense is expected to argue that Kimberly Vaughn was
taking prescription drugs for migraines--drugs which led her to kill her
children and then kill herself. Surprisingly, more than a third of the jurors
questioned said they knew someone with migraines, or someone taking drugs for
depression and anxiety.
Prosecutors have said Vaughn may have wanted to abandon his life in suburban Chicago to live in the Canadian wilderness. His wife had a $1 million life insurance policy that listed him as a beneficiary.
Before a lunch break, Vaughn's attorney objected to questions from a prosecutor about what the potential jurors would do if they thought their children's lives were in danger.
"He's indoctrinating the jury," said defense attorney George Lenard.
Assistant State's Attorney Jim Long said he only wanted to explore the jury pool's demeanor.
By day's end, twelve
jurors had been selected; eight men and four women, including one African-American. Six alternates are still yet to be chosen for the
case.
The
jurors include an attorney who has three sons, a truck driver with two
daughters, a plant manager, and an engineer--who previously was a foreman of
another jury, which found a defendant guilty.
Tomorrow,
prosecutors and defense attorneys will question more potential jurors, until they
have six alternates.
The
trial is expected to last four to six weeks and opening statements are
scheduled for Monday.
The Vaughn case is the second high-profile case going on at the Will County courthouse. Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police officer, also is on trial for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
