JOLIET, IL — One of the longer serving inmates in Will County’s Jail — former Joliet Outlaws member Jeremy Boshears — ought to be let out so he can return to society and resume his life, according to his lawyer, Chuck Bretz, of downtown Joliet.
In recent days, Bretz filed a three-page motion with Will County Judge Dave Carlson asking that the indictment against Boshears be dismissed. On May 2, 2022, Bretz reminded the judge, his client was convicted of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide by a jury of Will County citizens. The case involved the death of 24-year-old Joliet bartender Katie Kearns.
Then, on Jan. 24, Judge Carlson informed everyone he was overturning the convictions of Boshears and granting Bretz’s request for a new trial.
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According to Bretz’s filing, “The State engaged in deliberate misconduct to avoid the acquittal of the defendant that they believed was likely … all of the Assistant State’s Attorneys assigned to the case were experienced trial attorneys and the lead attorney, ASA (Steven) Platek, who was the primary culprit engaged in the deliberate misconduct, has over 20 years of experience and has tried several murder cases.”
Bretz’s motion to dismiss the indictment reminded Judge Carlson that during the cross-examination of Boshears, Will County’s prosecutors “asked improperly argumentative, misleading and prejudicial questions … such as “criminal, like the Outlaws, so they wanted the criminal (referring to Boshears) to keep the other criminals away?”
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And then there was Platek’s reference to notorious American mobster John Gotti during Boshears’ murder trial.
“ASA Platek specifically referenced the ‘mafia’ even though there was absolutely no evidence to substantiate this comment, and further made a reference to the notorious mobster John Gotti which again was clearly done to taint the jury against the defendant, not to comment on the evidence presented at trial,” Bretz pointed out.
During the trial, Bretz presented one particular defense expert, a retired Oak Park Police Department detective, Arthur Borchers, who testified that Katie Kearns most likely died as a result of shooting herself in the head.
“During the State’s cross-examination of defense expert Arthur Borchers,” Bretz’s motion noted, “ASA Platek violated the Advocate-Witness Rule by conducting a demonstration involving the prop weapon. ASA Platek’s demonstration was blatantly prejudicial and misleading, not to mention completely inconsistent with the facts of the case and the logistics of the actual people involved, namely the defendant and Katie Kearns.”
Platek performed the gun demonstration “to mislead and confuse the jury, especially because of the automatic enhanced credibility undoubtedly afforded to Mr. Platek due to the authority of his office as a prosecutor,” Bretz argued.
In closing, Bretz’s filing with Judge Carlson “requests that this honorable court grant his motion to dismiss indictment on double jeopardy grounds for the reasons stated above …”
During his jury trial, Boshears testified in his defense, claiming 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.
After the jury’s verdict was read on May 2, 2022, Boshears wept in court, saying repeatedly, “I didn’t kill her.”
A hearing on the matter is set for March 13 in Courtroom 405 of Judge Carlson. For now, Boshears remains in the jail facing a $10 million bail set back in 2017.
Related Joliet Patch coverage:
New Trial For Jeremy Boshears In Katie Kearns Murder
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
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