Still No Verdict In Fatal Beecher Crash Case

JOLIET, IL — On Tuesday afternoon, Will County Judge Daniel Rippy informed the lawyers that the jury deciding the fate of Sean Woulfe currently has 11 votes in favor of a guilty verdict and one vote in favor of a not-guilty verdict in the Beecher tragedy.

Woulfe, now 29, is on trial at the Will County Courthouse facing 16 counts of reckless homicide in the July 24, 2017, crash in rural Beecher that killed 29-year-old mother Lindsey Schmidt, her unborn child, and her three young sons, Owen, Weston and Kaleb.

Around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Rippy called the lawyers into his courtroom, outside the jury's presence. The judge let everyone know that the jury currently had 11 votes in favor of a guilty verdict and one juror who remained set on a not-guilty verdict.

Rather than declare a mistrial and have a hung jury, Rippy told the lawyers he would instruct the jury to keep deliberating for the next several hours and see what happens.

Woulfe's lawyer, George Lenard, told the judge that he was concerned that the 11 people would potentially put pressure on the one remaining juror to change their vote, but the judge disagreed.

With additional deliberations, the judge remained hopeful the jury of three men and nine women would reach a unanimous decision.

And "we have had movement today," Rippy announced.

But around 5:45 p.m., Rippy told the jury to go home before returning for a third day of deliberations at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The jury spent seven hours deliberating on Monday as well.