In murder trial over death of Skokie woman, jurors told ‘you will hear about’ Jan. 6 Capitol riot
SPRINGFIELD — Jurors chosen to weigh first-degree murder charges against a man on trial for the 2022 death of a Skokie woman learned right out of the gate Monday that he’d once been accused, convicted and pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Shane Jason Woods faces trial for the death of 35-year-old Lauren Wegner. But members of the panel that’ll consider his case learned more during jury selection about Woods’ past than they did about his current charges. Woods’ attorneys shared with jurors what happened in Washington, D.C., including that Woods assaulted a law enforcement officer.
“You will hear about that in the trial,” defense attorney Daniel Fultz told potential jurors in Springfield, “because [Woods] plans to testify.”
Fultz shared those details as Woods sat nearby, in the custody of Sangamon County officials but dressed in a white dress shirt, blue tie and glasses.
Only three months ago, Fultz argued in a motion that any reference to the Capitol riot should be barred from Woods’ trial. He wrote that references to it could “serve to inflame the jury’s emotions and distract them from a fair assessment of the facts in this case.”
“The widespread media coverage and societal reactions to those events have created strong emotional and political associations, which could improperly influence the jury’s impartiality,” Fultz wrote in January.
But Fultz and co-counsel Mark Wykoff have clearly changed course, placing the issue squarely in front of the jury on the first day of Woods’ trial.
Woods, 47, of Taylorville is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated driving under the influence involving death, and aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer.
He’s accused of driving north into the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 on Nov. 8, 2022, causing a crash that killed Wegner and injured a couple from Granite City. Before allegedly turning his truck onto the highway near Springfield’s southern border, police say Woods made comments to a Divernon officer who’d pulled him over suggesting Woods was suicidal.
Woods made a remark about going to prison for 10 years and told the officer he was “worth more dead than alive,” according to police reports.
Following the crash, authorities say Woods’ blood-alcohol content measured 0.177% — more than twice the legal limit.
Two months before the crash, Woods pleaded guilty to his role in the Capitol riot. As a result, he faced a maximum of nine years behind bars. Woods admitted assaulting two people during the riot — a law enforcement officer and a cameraman.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., sentenced Woods to 4 ½ years in October 2023. President Donald Trump then issued a sweeping pardon in January to nearly everyone convicted for their role in the riot.
Woods’ attorneys in Springfield did not seem to significantly disrupt jury selection Monday when they raised the topic of the Capitol riot with potential jurors. A handful of people raised their hands when asked if Woods’ role in the riot would affect their decision-making.
But Sangamon County Judge Ryan Cadagin still managed to announce the final members of the panel a little after lunchtime. Prosecutors are expected to deliver opening statements Tuesday morning.
Fultz also signaled during jury selection that alcohol and suicide will be crucial themes as the case moves forward.
The first-degree murder charge handed up against Woods alleges he drove a 2018 GMC Sierra northbound against oncoming traffic “knowing said acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to another person,” resulting in the crash that killed Wegner.
