'Identified by the color of her nail polish': Hammered Jan. 6 defendant who killed woman in wrong-way crash receives fate

The Jan. 6 suspect who drunkenly drove the incorrect mode down an Illinois road and plowed into a woman, sidesplitting her and making her assemblage truthful unrecognizable she had to beryllium identified by her nail polish, is headed to prison.

Shane Jason Woods, 47, was sentenced to 17 years down bars Wednesday for the decease of 35-year-old Lauren Wegner adjacent Springfield. A jury successful April convicted him of reckless homicide, aggravated driving nether the influence portion causing decease and aggravated fleeing and eluding — but cleared him of the first-degree execution complaint that could person sent him to situation for life.

He was antecedently convicted of assaulting a property lensman and police at the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6 before receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump.

Per the Illinois court, Woods indispensable service 85 percent of the 14 years helium serves for the DUI complaint positive 50 percent of the 3 years helium received for the aggravated fleeing and eluding. The five-year condemnation for reckless homicide volition tally concurrent with the different charges.

Love existent crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life transgression stories delivered close to your inbox.

Wegner's parents and a adjacent person spoke to the justice earlier the sentencing, according to a courtroom study from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Her person Meghan O'Dea turned toward Woods and reportedly said "this is what evil looks like."

"You saw what helium did to her," she stated, adding her friend's decease filled her with "unadulterated rage."

"Lauren had to beryllium identified by the colour of her nail polish," she said.

Bill and Evelyn Wegner said their girl was "beautiful some wrong and out."

Woods code the Wegners and her loved ones directly.

"That night, I took the sadness, the despair, the hopelessness and guilt, multiplied it by 1,000 and gave it to your family," helium reportedly said.

More from Law&Crime: Dad watches 11-year-old girl get mowed down and killed by drunk Jeep operator arsenic she played extracurricular her house, cops say

Woods, seemingly upset aft an statement and past facing a decennary successful situation for his relation successful the Jan. 6 riot, got down the instrumentality connected Nov. 8, 2022, aft leaving a bar. He past sped distant from a postulation halt earlier crashing head-on into the car driven by Lauren Wegner, sidesplitting her.

The now-convicted felon took the basal successful his ain defence astatine trial, Chicago Sun-Times reported. He spoke of however his engagement successful the Capitol riot weighed connected him and however helium was "national news."

"Millions and millions of radical hated me," helium reportedly testified.

Woods said that arsenic his matrimony fell isolated successful 2019 and 2020, helium began to intimately travel politics. Asked if helium was an "ardent" protagonist of Trump, helium reportedly said helium was "an ardent protagonist of Americans."

Wegner's parents wore her ashes is necklaces astir their necks and held them arsenic the verdict was read, per the Sun-Times. Her begetter told the paper afterward that helium and his woman were "not wholly blessed with the verdict. But we can't reason with the verdict."

Woods' attorneys had argued for the lesser verdict and his supporters softly applauded successful support erstwhile the verdict was read, the Sun-Times reported.

More coverage: 'Does not marque amends for the past': Jan. 6 suspect refuses to larn from different rioters who requested restitution refunds aft Trump pardon

During the trial, a constabulary serviceman reportedly testified that erstwhile helium pulled a speeding Woods over, the suspect told him helium wanted to "end it."

"'It takes a large f—ing antheral to accidental what I'm astir to say,'" the serviceman reportedly recalled Woods saying. "'I'm gonna termination myself.'"

A erstwhile bull whose comparative was dating Woods astatine the clip saw him and besides stopped. He could beryllium heard connected dashcam footage telling different serviceman that Woods was "involved successful that Capitol deal."

But Woods fled from the postulation stop, and sped northbound down the southbound lanes of I-55. Wegner happened to beryllium driving southbound connected the road and collided head-on with Woods' pickup truck. A fiery shot erupted aft impact, instantly sidesplitting Wegner and breaking astir each bony successful her body, prosecutors reportedly said.

"Lauren died due to the fact that she was successful the incorrect spot astatine the incorrect time," Prosecutor Derek Dion reportedly said during his opening statement. "And she couldn't get retired of the way."

According to a constabulary report, Woods' humor intoxicant level was .177 aft the clang — much than doubly the ineligible bounds successful Illinois.

Jurors besides heard from a pistillate who was successful different car astatine the clip of the clang and was deed successful the oculus by flying glass, calling it the worst symptom ever, the Sun-Times reported.

More coverage: Cop who leaked info to Proud Boys person imprisoned for seditious conspiracy was 'NOT convicted of a January 6 offense,' justice says

Prosecutors argued Woods knew determination was a "strong probability" his actions could origin harm oregon decease which is what led to the execution charge. But his defence attorneys noted that constabulary primitively arrested Woods for reckless homicide and not murder, per the Sun-Times.

As Law&Crime antecedently reported, the Illinois State Police trooper who provided the probable origin study for Woods' apprehension said successful the study that portion lasting successful the doorway to Woods country astatine the infirmary wherever helium was taken aft the crash, the trooper overheard a speech betwixt Woods and a visitor.

"Nurses requested the visitors exit but anterior to them leaving and portion I was lasting successful the doorway of the attraction room, I overheard Woods speaking with a visitor, a white, mediate property female, with blonde hair," the trooper's connection said. "During the conversation, I heard Woods authorities that helium had intended connected crashing his conveyance into a motortruck tractor semi-trailer."

The authorities trooper said that Woods refused to reply questions aft having been work his Miranda rights, but noted that "neighbours advised [him] aboriginal that an unfastened 12oz Bud Light tin had been located with the spot that had been successful Woods' conveyance astatine the clang scene."

Court records showed that helium faced six charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated driving nether the influence, and aggravated fleeing and eluding a bid officer.

The trooper described what whitethorn person been Woods' mindset earlier the fatal crash.

"It should beryllium noted done the people of the probe I learned that Woods was a suspect successful the January 6th, 2021 US Capitol Riots and was anticipating a condemnation which whitethorn person been motive for the intentional postulation crash," the trooper wrote.

Indeed, Woods had pleaded guilty successful September 2022 to felony charges for assaulting a instrumentality enforcement serviceman and a subordinate of the media during the Jan. 6 attack, erstwhile Trump supporters, aggravated implicit President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral win, overwhelmed constabulary and breached the building. Congress was forced to halt its certification of the Electoral College ballot portion lawmakers and unit either fled oregon sheltered successful place.

In his blameworthy plea, Woods admitted to body-blocking a Capitol Police serviceman who had been deed with a chemic irritant during the melee and was pursuing the idiosyncratic who had sprayed her.

"As she did, Woods lowered his enarthrosis and rammed into her, knocking her disconnected her feet and sending her crashing into a downed bicycle barricade," the Justice Department had said successful a press release announcing Woods' blameworthy plea. "The serviceman felt contiguous symptom and the adjacent day, she felt arsenic if she had been 'hit by a truck.'"

That archetypal battle happened astatine astir 2:10 p.m. that day. Hours later, Woods, by his ain admission, went connected the onslaught again aft joining a radical of rioters who were destroying media equipment.

"[H]e tossed immoderate of it himself," the DOJ property merchandise said. "At the aforesaid time, a subordinate of the quality media attempted to locomotion distant to support himself and his camera. Woods took a moving commencement and deed the antheral with a blindside enarthrosis tackle, knocking him to the crushed and causing him to driblet the camera."

A justice had sentenced Woods to 54 months, oregon 4 1/2 years, successful situation successful October 2023.

That condemnation was overturned erstwhile Trump issued a pardon to each Jan. 6 defendants soon aft being sworn into bureau successful January.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, telephone oregon substance 988 to scope the nationalist Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Marisa Sarnoff contributed to this report.