JOLIET – A judge will decide today whether an Illinois man convicted of killing his wife and three children deserves a new trial, based in part on claims that the behavior of lawyers next door during Drew Peterson's murder trial made it impossible for the man to get a fair trial.

Christopher Vaughn was convicted of fatally shooting his family in their SUV so he could start a new life living in the Canadian wilderness. His September trial overlapped with the high-profile trial of Peterson, the former suburban Chicago police officer convicted of murdering his third wife.

Vaughn's attorney, George Lenard, said press conferences held by Peterson's lawyers outside the Will County courthouse were so detrimental to the reputation of court that they damaged his own credibility with the jury.