Defendant claims woman shot herself at Joliet Outlaws clubhouse

A Joliet Outlaw charged with killing a woman claimed he saw her shoot herself and admitted to concealing the truth of her death from her brother and detectives under orders from his superiors.

On Wednesday, Jeremy Boshears, 36, of Coal City took the rare move of testifying on his own behalf in a case where he’s charged with fatally shooting Katie Kearns, 24, and covering up her death.

Prosecutors have not presented any eyewitnesses to the shooting and no direct evidence that Boshears pulled the trigger. They’ve spent more than a week presenting circumstantial evidence they claim points to Boshears as Kearns’ killer.

Boshears, the last man seen with Kearns, provided his own account of what happened. He became visibly upset at times as he provided his version of the events that led to Kearns’ death.

Boshears said he, Kearns and Outlaws prospect Colby O’Neal went to the Outlaws’ clubhouse to hang out and have drinks. After O’Neal left, Boshears said he and Kearns argued over whether she could accompany him to a 21-gun salute event. Boshears said he told her he did not want her there with the rest of his family.

Boshears said Kearns became upset during the argument, yelling at him and telling him she “thought you were different.” He said Kearns reached for a gun left behind by O’Neal and shot herself.

“She pulled the trigger,” Boshears said.

Boshears said he panicked, left the clubhouse, vomited and made his first call to O’Neal, instructing him to return to the clubhouse. Boshears said he also made calls to his wife, Joliet Outlaws’ leader Jimmy McCoy and another Outlaw, Cory Espeland, but not to emergency services.

“My mind was racing,” Boshears said.

Boshears said he then directed O’Neal, his inferior in the Outlaws hierarchy, to meet him at a residence on Algonquin Street in Joliet because he didn’t want any Outlaws to be captured on the outdoor clubhouse cameras.

At the Algonquin Street residence, Boshears and O’Neal met with McCoy, who was mad at them and denied Boshears’ request to call the police, according to Boshears, who said McCoy told him and O’Neal to “fix this.”

Prosecutors declined to call McCoy to the witness stand after he asserted his constitutional right against self-incrimination.

Boshears said he and O’Neal returned to the clubhouse and were joined by Espeland, who has not testified in the case.

While O’Neal’s testimony implicated Boshears and Espeland as the ones who placed Kearns’ body in her Jeep, Boshears claimed it was O’Neal and Espeland who moved her body.

“I didn’t physically touch her body,” Boshears said.

At one point, Boshears said, he told Espeland he “didn’t agree with this” and decided to meet with Ron Keagle, who ranks above McCoy in the Outlaws hierarchy.

Boshears admitted to driving the Jeep – which carried the body of a woman whom he said “touched my heart” – about 50 miles to St. Anne so he could meet with Keagle to discuss the incident.

Boshears said driving Kearns’ body to St. Anne was “not the right thing to do.”

When asked by Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Dan Egan why he never contacted the police about Kearns’ death, Boshears said, “I had orders not to do that.”

At the outset of Boshears’ testimony, he said the Outlaws never contact the police without informing another member. He said the Outlaws have a military-like chain of command, and members must follow it “by any means necessary.”

He later admitted the rules of the club could be bent. Egan had said during his cross examination that Boshears’ first call after Kearns’ death was not to any of his superiors but to O’Neal, who ranks below him and was not a full member.

Under Egan’s questioning, Boshears confirmed he spoke with Kearns’ brother after she died and lied to him about walking Kearns to her car and seeing her drive off toward New Lenox.

Boshears also admitted telling the same lie to Will County sheriff’s detectives during an interview about her disappearance and lied about “throwing out feelers” in an effort to find her.

“You were hiding the truth of what happened?” Egan asked.

“Yes sir,” Boshears said.