Murder in Illinois

I knew nothing about this case before starting this podcast, and was ready to accept that an innocent man was convicted, if solid evidence was presented. I actually assumed there would be solid evidence, since I am used to a high standard of reporting in true-crime deep dives such as this. I became more and more skeptical as the show went on, because I got the distinct feeling that critical thinking was being applied very selectively. Most egregiously, at no point do the podcasters truly look at the case from the viewpoint of a prosecutor. I was waiting for them to consider the interrogation tapes and Chris' initial statements in light of his later admission, that he never had amnesia. It surprised me, that they never discussed the wider implications of that crucial change in his story - all previous „reasonable" explanations of his behaviour post-murder relied on the amnesia-story, and even the podcasters started out believing it. Him lying about this basic component completely reframes his behavior, in addition to proving that he is an excellent liar. Additionally, I find Chris' claim that he did not testify about what Kim „did“ because he blamed himself (and did not want to disparage her, I guess?) very unconvincing. The podcast never looks at this claim critically, but during his trial the main theory the defense put forward was that Kim committed the murders (although their order of events was obviously based on Chris’ original, untrue, testimony, in which he „could not remember“ how he even got shot). If he truly wanted to save Kim’s memory, or just did not care about what happened to him, he could have just pled guilty. Instead, he let his lawyers make the case that he himself secretly "knew" to be true, only … badly? Based on incomplete information? His new version of events does seem to fit the crime scene - but it would have been much more convincing if he had said it to investigators before all forensics were completed and publicly known. I will not add further to what has been said about the many disparaging comments made concerning Kim and her family - as many point out, they reveal more about the insecurities of the Vaughn family than anything else.

The other reviewer said everything beautifully and I agree 100%. I really went into this podcast expecting to hear how unfair everything was and while there are some things that point in one direction, I have to say more points at the lone survivor. Also, getting only his family’s perspective, who spends 5 episodes disparaging her and her family is so extremely disgusting that I can’t properly explain it. Is it any wonder that her family didn’t want to talk to you?!?