mobanmarketJOLIET, IL — Nearly 21 months after a jury of Will County citizens found Jeremy Boshears guilty of first-degree murder and also concealing the homicide of Katie Kearns, a 24-year-old bartender at Woody’s Bar on Joliet’s industrial east side, Will County Judge Dave Carlson overturned Boshears’ convictions and granted him a new trial.
Carlson announced the decision Wednesday.
Boshears had not been yet sentenced to prison for the November 2017 death of Kearns. Instead, the former Joliet Outlaws motorcycle biker has remained in the Will County Jail, his place of residence since Nov. 18, 2017.
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Since the jury verdict was announced on May 2, 2022, Boshears and his lawyer Chuck Bretz have made several post-conviction appearances and filings in front of Judge Carlson, as part of their effort to convince the judge to overturn the jury’s verdicts.
During the trial, there were several instances where members of the Will County State’s Attorney were scolded by the judge because they made statements or introduced evidence in the presence of the jury on matters that were supposed to be off-limits for the murder trial.
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The biggest errors, the judge noted, concerned a previous written order issued by Judge Vincent Cornelius prohibiting the lawyers from using the term “suicide” during the Boshears trial concerning the death of Kearns. In spite of that order, Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Platek unintentionally violated the order, by using the term suicide on at least two occasions during the Boshears trial.
Back on Jan. 20, 2023, Judge Carlson entered an order stating that the Will County Jail is to provide Boshears with extra bins for storing his discovery and other legal papers.
The jail was also ordered to allow Boshears the use of a laptop computer and use of the law library for a minimum of one hour every day.
After the jury’s verdict was read on May 2, 2022, Boshears wept in court, saying repeatedly, “I didn’t kill her.”
During his jury trial, Boshears testified in his defense, claiming Katie Kearns grabbed a loaded handgun that one of his fellow Joliet Outlaws left behind the bar inside the Outlaws clubhouse, and shot herself in the head.
Related Joliet Patch trial coverage from 1 year ago:
Boshears Became A Killer Once He Got His Outlaw Patch: Egan
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Jeremy Boshears Didn’t Look For Katie Kearns: Testimony
Guilty, Guilty: Jeremy Boshears Murder Trial Verdict
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