Sean Woulfe sentenced to 2 years in 2017 high-speed crash that killed mother, 3 sons

Sean Woulfe was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday for the 2017 fatal crash in rural eastern Will County that killed a pregnant mother and her three sons.

Woulfe, 30, of Orland Park pleaded guilty in July to five counts of reckless homicide after a trial three months earlier ended in a mistrial, when the jury could not reach a verdict.

Woulfe was driving his Chevy S10 pickup over 80 mph in a 55-mph zone and ran a stop sign when the accident occurred, the Will County State’s Attorney’s office noted in a news release on the sentencing.

The collision on July 24, 2017 killed Lindsey Schmidt, 29, of Beecher, who was driving her three sons to Bible classes at a church in Crete, prosecutors said. Schmidt was pregnant at the time, and her sons – Owen, 6, Weston, 4, and Kaleb, 19 months – all died in the accident.

The collision occurred at the intersection of Yates Avenue and Corning Road in Washington Township.

Lindsey Schmidt and Kaleb were dead at the scene. The other two children were hospitalized. But Weston died the next night, and Owen died two days later, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Will County Circuit Judge Daniel Rippy sent Woulfe to prison after a sentencing hearing Wednesday.

Woulfe was sentenced to two years each for the five felony counts of reckless homicide, one of which was reckless homicide of an unborn child. But the sentences will run concurrently, so they will total two years of prison time.

Woulfe will spend less time than that in prison, since he received credit for 172 days in custody already served.

Woulfe was jailed when his bond was revoked after pleading guilty July 21.

At the time of his guilty plea, Woulfe’s attorney, George Lenard, said his client did not want Schmidt’s family to go through another trial.

At Woulfe’s trial, which lasted four days, a witness said the impact of the collision between his truck and the Schmidt’s Suburu Outback created a sound “like an explosion.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Capelli in closing arguments said that investigators determine Woulfe was driving 83 to 84 mph in the seconds leading up to the crash and there are no signs that he braked before the collision.

Lenard argued that the collision was not a case of reckless homicide, saying Woulfe was not intoxicated or using his phone. Lenard said Woulfe was unfamiliar with the intersection and believed the other vehicle had the stop sign.

After the jury deadlocked on a verdict, lawyers for the two sides met in May to discuss a potential resolution of the case, which led to the guilty plea and the sentencing on Wednesday

There will be a hearing Friday for a motion by Lenard to reconsider the sentence.