Updated
Updated · FOX 32 Chicago · Jul 29
Richard Stevenson Jailed Until Aug. 5 in 80 mph Fox River Fatal Boat Crash
Updated
Updated · FOX 32 Chicago · Jul 29

Richard Stevenson Jailed Until Aug. 5 in 80 mph Fox River Fatal Boat Crash

3 articles · Updated · FOX 32 Chicago · Jul 29

Summary

  • Aug. 5 is Richard Stevenson's next court date after a judge denied pretrial release and kept him in the McHenry County Jail over Saturday's fatal Fox River crash.
  • Prosecutors say Stevenson drove a pontoon boat about 80 mph in a posted no-wake zone while intoxicated, then struck and ran over Magdalena Jablonska's boat, leading to aggravated DUI and reckless homicide charges.
  • Jablonska's fiance and dog were also injured but are expected to recover, while relatives from Poland travel to the Chicago area for funeral arrangements.
  • Jablonska's family is urging people to remember the 48-year-old as a Marine veteran, devoted sister and animal lover, and set up an animal-benefit fundraiser in her name.

Insights

Why was a reportedly 70-mph pontoon boat able to speed through a narrow Fox River stretch before a fatal collision?
What evidence will decide whether the Fox River pontoon crash was reckless homicide, not just a tragic boating accident?