A 45-year-old Lisle man accused of crashing his boat into another boat on the Fox River last month, killing a Des Plaines woman, appeared in court today on murder and other charges.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office announced a Grand Jury returned a bill of indictment charging Richard Stevenson with one count of first-degree murder and four counts each of aggravated driving under the influence and operating a watercraft under the influence.
It's alleged that he had alcohol, cocaine and THC in his system when his double-engine pontoon boat, travelling at nearly 80-miles-per-hour in a no-wake zone, slammed into another boat, killing 48-year-old Magdalena “Maggie” Jablonska. Her fiance, Alen Telmini was injured.
Maggie JablonskaJablonska Family
Telmini later said he heard loud engines and looked at Jablonska sitting next to him, their small dog in her lap, "and she was gone."
Speaking in an attorney's office where a wrongful death lawsuit was announced, Telmini said "I relive that moment every day."
Stevenson had been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence following the incident.
A statement from the State's Attorney's Office says "These new charges follow an extensive and continuing investigation by the State Conservation Police with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Stevenson has been in custody since the incident occurred on July 25th. He was previously denied pre-trial release.
He has a criminal history that includes arrests for DUI and reckless driving.
Attorney Louis Cairo said during a news conference announcing a wrongful death lawsuit Stevenson was well-known to boaters on the Chain-O'-Lakes, for reckless behavior.
"There is a chain of conduct here that is common for this particular perpetrator: Driving at incredibly high rates of speed, putting other people at risk," Cairo said.
Stevenson made a brief court appearance on Friday and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Press Release:
McHenry County State's Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on August 20, 2026, a McHenry County Grand Jury returned a bill of indictment against Richard Stevenson, 45, of Lisle, Illinois, charging Stevenson with First Degree Murder relating to the July 25, 2026, fatal boating collision on the Fox River. The bill of indictment contains four additional charges of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence, and four additional charges of Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence, all of which are class 2 felonies.
These new charges follow an extensive and continuing investigation by the State Conservation Police with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Based upon a comprehensive review of the totality of the evidence, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office determined that the presentation of the First Degree Murder charge to the grand jury was required. The grand jury returned a true bill of indictment on all charges presented.
Stevenson remains detained in the McHenry County Jail pending trial.
Members of the public are reminded that a criminal complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant's guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Anyone with additional information may contact the State Conservation Police with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources by submitting an online tip at dnr2.illinois.gov/OLETIPHotline/ .
