Aug 30, 2007 6:16 pm US/Central
Hundreds Of Witnesses Named In Vaughn Murder Trial
Christopher Vaughn Accused Of Killing His Wife And 3 Kids In June
by Mike Puccinelli
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Christopher Vaughn (back left) is accused of killing his wife and three children.
CBS
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The prosecution is building its case against a suburban man charged with killing his family.
Christopher Vaughn is accused of shooting his wife and three children June 14.
As CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports, the prosecution has more than 200 witnesses to help prove committed the quadruple homicide.
"A witness list contains the names of anyone who's remotely mentioned in a police report, so it's not unusual at all to see hundreds of names on the list," said CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller.
And Miller says most of the potential witnesses will never testify on the stand.
"There's never been a case that's been tried where every name on the list has actually raised their hand in court and testified during the case," Miller said. "It's never happened."
But prosecutors don't want to take any chances in a possible death penalty case, so they cast a wide net when submitting a potential witness list.
"It's simply covering the bases," Miller said.
At least one customer from a west suburban Plainfield Mobil gas station is on the list.
Sources say the surveillance tapes from the gas station were seized by investigators, along with station receipts.
Two managers at the Stone Park Scores strip club may be called to testify. Sources say investigators have been at the club asking questions about Vaughn.
And the boss at Mega Sports Center, a Plainfield gun shop and shooting range, may also be called to testify about the gun enthusiast turned murder suspect.
Miller says it's likely that even more names will be added to the list.
Vaughn is due back in court on Tuesday, when the judge wants an update on whether prosecutors may seek the death penalty in the case.
The state's attorney ultimately has until the end of October to decide if he will seek the ultimate punishment.
(CBS 2, the Naperville Sun and the Aurora Beacon-News are news partners covering stories in the western suburbs of Chicago.)
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