Joliet Outlaws Murder Case: Defense Wins Pretrial Ruling

JOLIET, IL — In an important pretrial ruling, Will County Circuit Judge Vincent Cornelius announced Wednesday that defense lawyers can present testimony from an expert forensic witness who says 24-year-old Joliet bartender Katie Kearns' death was not a homicide.

Criminal defense lawyer Chuck Bretz is representing Jeremy Boshears, the 36-year-old Coal City resident who has been in the Will County Jail facing first-degree murder charges since his arrest in connection with Kearns' death on Nov. 18, 2017.

Bretz maintains that the Will County Sheriff's Office "jumped to conclusions" in the early stages of its investigation and Bretz insists that Kearns shot herself.

"The Will County Sheriff's Office, obviously, this is not the first time (they have jumped to the wrong conclusions)," Bretz said. "And I'm not trying to take a shot at them. Sometimes, conclusions are made that are just not well-founded, and this happens to be one of them."

Prosecutors for Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow argued that Bretz should not be allowed to call his hired witness from Glen Ellyn-based Larsen Forensic & Associates to present testimony that Kearns took her own life.

In Wednesday morning's ruling, Judge Cornelius informed both sides that Bretz's expert will be allowed to offer testimony to the jury about how he reached the conclusion that the gunshot to Kearns' head was self-inflicted.

However, Cornelius said, Bretz's expert would not be allowed to use the word "suicide" in describing Kearns' death when the trial proceedings begin this fall.

"The court will not bar the witness from testifying," Cornelius ruled. However, he "may not opine that (it) was suicide. He may opine that the gunshot was self-inflicted."

Boshears' trial in Will County Courtroom 404 is set to begin Oct. 25.

Bretz told Joliet Patch on Thursday that he expects the trial will last at least one week. Bretz said he and his client have not determined whether to ask for a bench trial in front of Judge Cornelius or to seat a jury of Will County citizens to decide Boshears' guilt or innocence.

After Wednesday's ruling, Bretz told reporters he was very pleased with Judge Cornelius' decision.

Bretz said the fact that he won't be able to say the word "suicide" during his client's upcoming trial won't negatively impact his defense strategy at all.

"Not being able to say 'suicide' — suicide is more of a psychiatric term," Bretz said afterward. "I'm very happy with how it turned out. The gist of (my) expert's testimony is based on his analysis of the scene where the death occurred. The wound was self-inflicted. She did not die at the hands of Mr. Boshears. Mr. Boshears is adamant that he did not commit (murder) so he's anxious to get this case resolved."

Besides facing three counts of first-degree murder, Boshears also faces one count of concealing a homicide. A few days after Kearns went missing from Joliet, her body was discovered about 60 miles away in a remote area of Kankakee County.

Police found Kearns' body in the back seat of her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Kearns had been a part-time bartender at Woody's Bar along East Washington Street on Joliet's east side.

According to Bretz's pretrial motions, Borchers is a seasoned investigator who recently retired after 30 years of service from the Oak Park Police Department where he was an evidence technician, detective and sergeant in both the patrol and investigations divisions.

"Obviously, the young lady's death is a tragedy," Bretz said, "but this was not a scenario where the death was caused by him (Boshears). The state jumped to conclusions based on facts that the police were not called to the scene. The end result, it's very clear to us that there's not sufficient evidence Mr. Boshears caused the death of this young lady."

Outside Courtroom 404, Patch asked Bretz about the gun involved in Kearns' death.

"I don't think there will be any credible evidence that it was my client's gun," Bretz answered.

Patch then asked if Bretz knows how many people were inside the Joliet Outlaws clubhouse —located in the Ingalls Park area of Joliet Township — on the night when Kearns died.

"I don't want to comment," Bretz responded.

Patch has also reached out to the spokesperson for the Will County State's Attorney Office seeking their reaction to Judge Cornelius' ruling.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

• Joliet Bartender Katie Kearns Is Missing, Friends Say
• Suspect In Custody For Joliet Bartender's Death
• Joliet Outlaw Jeremy Boshears Charged In Bartender's Death
• 47 Murder Defendants In Will County Await Trial: Slow Justice?
• Joliet Outlaws Slaying: Bretz Law On Offense For Jeremy Boshears