Will County prosecutors say emails written by a central Illinois man accused of murdering his family indicate he was planning to fake his own death start a new life in the Canadian wilderness.
Several of the emails written by Christopher Vaughn to a friend were read in court Friday Steve Willott of Ontario, Canada testified he and Vaughn talked about planning an extended camping trip.
"I have been married for a long time and it was just really a few years ago I woke up and realized it was not going to work, and I did not want to be obligated to live this lifestyle until I am dead," Vaughn wrote in one of the emails just a few months before the slayings.
He wrote to Willott that his wife, Kimberly, will "be just fine" because he planned to fake his own death so she could collect on his life insurance policy.
Prosecutors say Vaughn, of Oswego, killed his wife and three children in June 2007 so he could move to Canada.
Vaughn's attorneys say his wife, Kimberly, committed the crimes because she was distraught over marriage troubles.
