CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
There were two very different portrayals of accused killer Christopher Vaughn in opening statements at his trial today.
Prosecutors described Vaughn as a calculating killer, while Vaughn's attorney suggested he was a quirky loner, who's been wrongly accused.
A Channahon paramedic called to the scene along I-55 where Kimberly Vaughn and her three children were found dead testified today that 12-year-old Abigayle was still clutching a Harry Potter book and a stuffed animal, after having been shot in the chest and head.
As gruesome photos of the victims blood-covered bodies were shown in court, Christopher Vaughn looked down, while Kimberly Vaughn's brother-in -law wept in the front row.
Earlier, in opening statements, prosecutors portrayed Vaughn as a man who wanted out of his marriage and his obligations as a father.
"His passions, his thoughts, his dreams involved getting away from here," prosecutor Deborah Mills told the jury.
She said Vaughn had admitted having two extramarital affairs in Mexico and that he visited gentleman's clubs here, spending thousands of dollars for time with strippers in private rooms.
Defense attorney George Lenard said it was Kimberly Vaughn who killed her children, before committing suicide.
Lenard suggested migraine and anti-anxiety medications led her to do it, and quoted from one her own emails, where she wrote she was close to becoming a "monster mom" and that "anyone at any time can snap." Christopher Vaughn, he said, was an "eccentric dreamer," but not a killer.
Kimberly Vaughn's mother, Susan Phillips, also testified today, never losing her composure, and telling the jury that Kimberly was loving mother and that most of the time, Christopher Vaughn was a loving father.
Vaughn is accused of murdering his wife and three kids - ages 12, 11 and 8 - back in 2007. At the time, Vaughn claimed that his wife shot him and the children, and then killed herself.
Although Vaughn suffered gunshot wounds himself, his story quickly unraveled as investigators found out more about the incident.
Vaughn's wife and children were shot inside their family car on a frontage road off I-55. They were reportedly heading to a water park in Springfield. Vaughn allegedly got out of the car and shot his family. They were found still strapped in, wearing their seat belts.
