Capitol Rioter Charged With Murder Of Skokie Woman In Suicide Attempt: Prosecutors

SKOKIE, IL — An Sangamon County man awaiting sentencing over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has been charged with murder in connection with a wrong-way traffic crash that killed a Skokie woman earlier this month, authorities said.

Shane Woods, 44, of Auburn, drunkenly drove a pickup truck north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Springfield and smashed into two sedans, according to the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office.

Currently held without bail at the Sangamon County Jail, Woods has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and aggravated fleeing and eluding police.

Woods planned on crashing his car and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.117, more than twice the legal limit, prosecutors said.

"The evidence will show the Defendant made numerous statements before and after the fatal collision on Interstate 55 which establish his intent to enter upon the highway for the purpose of striking another vehicle," prosecutors said, asking a judge to order him held without bail.

At the hospital, a police officer overheard him him tell his family that he planned on crashing into a semitrailer, according to court records.

"It should be noted through the course of the investigation I learned that Woods was a defendant in the January 6th 2021 US Capitol Riots and was anticipating a sentence which may have been the motive for the intentional traffic crash," police reported.

Lauren Wegner, of Skokie, was driving one of the cars Woods struck and died from her injuries. Two people inside the other sedan suffered serious injuries.

Wegner, 35, had recently moved back to her hometown from North Carolina. She played volleyball at Niles West High School and had a job tending bar at Morrison Roadhouse in Niles, her father told the Chicago Sun-Times, describing her as a “a ray of sunshine” who would light up the room.

At the time of the crash, Wegner had been on her way to St. Louis to visit friends. After learning of the charges against Woods this week, her mother initially wished that he had died, she told the Chicago Tribune.

"But now I wish he will suffer,” she told the paper. “He doesn’t deserve to get off that easy.”

A visitation and service for Wegner was held Sunday in Skokie. Memorial contributions may be made to the Skokie-based Community Animal Rescue Effort.

According to prosecutors, Woods had been pulled over for speeding by an officer from the Divernon Police Department before the crash. That officer reported Woods smelled of alcohol. But, after making suicidal comments, he fled the scene.

Woods is one of more than 30 Illinois residents to be charged in federal court in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. In charging documents, the FBI released images captured from video showing him attacking police and members of the news media.

In September, he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers and the assault of a journalist. Woods had been due to be sentenced on Jan. 13. He faced a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. If convicted of first-degree murder in state court, he could face decades more behind bars.