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Vaughn now in jail in Illinois

Christopher Vaughn
Christopher Vaughn

By AP/KWMU

Joliet, Ill. – A man who had been jailed on murder charges in St. Charles is now in a jail outside of Chicago. That's where Christopher Vaughn will face charges that he killed his wife and three children last month.

The four bodies were found in an SUV in Will County, Illinois. Vaughn was arrested in St. Charles just before his wife and children's funeral.

The move came after Vaughn abruptly dropped an effort Tuesday to fight extradition to Illinois.

Christopher Vaughn, 32, flanked by his attorneys and dressed in an orange jail uniform, told Judge Terry Cundiff he consulted with attorneys before consenting to the transfer during a brief appearance in a St. Charles County courtroom.

Vaughn's attorney, David Waltrip, said his client elected to end his fight against extradition from Missouri after losing a related court hearing on Friday and because an appeal of that decision would be time-consuming. Vaughn made the decision after he and his parents were briefed on legal options over the weekend.

Vaughn "is ready to go back to the state of Illinois to defend himself," Waltrip said.

Vaughn arrived Tuesday night at the Will County Adult Detention Facility, according to Will County sheriff's spokesman Pat Barry.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said his office was prepared to move quickly to bring Vaughn to trial. The earliest he could appear in a Will County court was Thursday, Glasgow said.

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