He Testified Katie Kearns Shot Herself, Now Taxpayers Will Pay

Joliet IL

11 May, 2022

5:51 PM

Description

JOLIET, IL — More than a week after a Will County jury convicted Joliet Outlaw Jeremy Boshears of committing first-degree murder and concealing the homicide of Katie Kearns, criminal defense attorney Chuck Bretz is asking that the taxpayers of Will County pay the costs for one of his expert witnesses. During the trial that lasted more than two weeks, Bretz called Arthur Borchers, a retired Oak Park Police detective who now works as a forensic consultant with Glen Ellyn-based Larsen Forensic & Associates. Borchers has been assisting Bretz on the case for the past three years. In 2019, Borchers went with Bretz to the Joliet Outlaws clubhouse to analyze the scene where Kearns died on Nov. 13, 2017. Prior to the Boshears' murder trial, Borchers had never testified as an expert witness in a murder trial on the topic of ballistics. His expertise is primarily in the area of crash reconstruction. On the witness stand, Borchers told the Will County jury that he was certain Kearns, the 24-year-old bartender at Woody's Bar on Joliet's east side, fatally shot herself in the head inside the Joliet Outlaws clubhouse. Boshears, the murder defendant, testified the following day, telling the jury that Kearns was getting ready to leave the clubhouse around 2 a.m. when she went behind the bar to retrieve her keys and she saw a gun left behind by Joliet Outlaw Colby O'Neal. Kearns then grabbed the gun and began screaming at Boshears, threatening to shoot herself, Boshears told the jury. She then pulled the trigger and killed herself, the murder defendant told the jury. However, the jury rejected Boshears' testimony in his own defense and the jury also rejected the testimony given by Borchers, the retired Oak Park detective working for Bretz. But because Boshears is considered indigent, according to Bretz's motion, Will County funds should pay for the expert testimony of Borchers. Image via John Ferak/Patch According to Bretz's motion, Borchers' hourly rate was $300 for his trial testimony. Borchers spent 4.5 hours at the Will County Courthouse giving testimony on April 26 and another 1.5 hours of additional trial testimony on April 28, for a grand total of $1,800. More information about Borchers is listed on the Larsen Forensics & Associates website. As for Boshears, his sentencing date has not been announced. Court officials indicated the sentencing is not expected to take place until perhaps September or October. Chuck Bretz called Jeremy Boshears to testify in his own defense at his recent murder trial. John Ferak/Patch