Fox River Fatal: Murder Charge Filed Against Boater

McHENRY COUNTY, IL — A McHenry County grand jury has indicted a 45-year-old Lisle man on first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the July 25 boating collision on the Fox River that killed 48-year-old Magdalena Jablonska of Des Plaines.

Richard M. Stevenson was indicted Thursday on nine counts stemming from the fatal crash, according to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. The indictment includes a first-degree murder charge as well as additional aggravated DUI and boating-under-the-influence charges.

Jablonska, a U.S. Marine veteran who was originally from Poland, was killed when a high-powered pontoon boat allegedly operated by Stevenson struck the boat she was riding in with her fiancé, Alen Telmini, on the Fox River near McHenry.

Her family has remembered her as a kind, selfless woman who put others before herself and had a particular love for animals. She immigrated to the United States and later served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The couple was aboard Telmini's 20-foot Crownline on the afternoon of July 25 when prosecutors allege Stevenson's 31-foot, triple-engine pontoon struck their boat in a posted no-wake zone.

Prosecutors previously alleged Stevenson was traveling at more than 70 mph when the collision occurred. They also said his blood-alcohol concentration was approximately .20, nearly three times the legal limit.

The impact killed Jablonska and seriously injured Telmini. Their dog was also aboard the boat.

Stevenson initially was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing death and reckless homicide. The grand jury indictment adds the first-degree murder charge and four additional counts of aggravated DUI and four additional counts related to operating a watercraft under the influence.

Stevenson remains in custody. A McHenry County judge previously denied him pretrial release following the initial charges.

Jablonska's family has also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from the crash.