Joliet Outlaws Killer Still Hasn't Been Sentenced To Prison

JOLIET, IL — This week marks an entire year since the first-degree murder trial of Jeremy Boshears, the Joliet Outlaw motorcycle gang member, began in Will County Courtroom 405. By May 2, 2022, the jury reached a unanimous agreement: Boshears murdered his girlfriend Katie Kearns in cold blood and then wrapped up her dead body inside a pool table cover and a mattress.

Boshears drove his Joliet murder victim to the rural Kankakee County farm property of the Joliet Outlaws' retired past president. Boshears pulled the Jeep, used by Kearns, into the pole barn of the former Outlaws president and left it there, some 50 miles away from Joliet.

Boshears "locks the door and proceeds to get a ride," Will County prosecutor Dan Egan told the jury. "He tells them he's having car trouble."

And even though he knew Kearns was dead, the murder defendant sent her a text that read, "I hope you made it home last night," Egan revealed. "The cover-up is on."

If you're wondering why the Joliet Patch never produced a story revealing the prison term for Boshears, that's because the Boshears sentencing has yet to take place.

Rather than sentence Boshears to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Will County Judge Dave Carlson has allowed Boshears to remain inside the Will County Jail.

Inside the jail, Boshears continues to devote his attention to his appeal in hopes of getting his convictions overturned for first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death.

Boshears has continued to work closely with his criminal defense lawyer for the past six years, downtown Joliet's Chuck Bretz.

It remains unclear when the day will come for Boshears to be sentenced to prison.

Boshears has been in the Will County since his arrest way back on Nov. 18, 2017.

For now, the sentencing has yet to be scheduled on Judge Carlson's docket for Courtroom 405.

Since the jury found Boshears guilty of murder on May 2, 2022, there have been 11 different courtroom events in the case, and none of these hearings involved a hearing for sentencing.

In fact, Boshears' 12th courtroom hearing since being convicted of murder was set to take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning as April 13 marked another status hearing on the court docket.

Back on Jan. 20, 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.

"This order is an open order and is in full force and effect while the defendant remains in the custody of the Will County Adult Detention Facility relative to this case," Carlson wrote.

After the jury's verdict was read last May 2, 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

Jeremy Boshears Didn't Look For Katie Kearns: Testimony

Guilty, Guilty: Jeremy Boshears Murder Trial Verdict