Judge refuses delay of trial date against Daniel Woloson

Bethany Krajelis
Daily Egyptian

Although the trial against Daniel Woloson, the man charged with the 1981 slaying of SIUC student Susan Schumake, has been delayed several times, Jackson County Judge Donald Lowery said Wednesday he does not want to continue pushing back the trial date unless absolutely necessary.

At Wednesday's pre-jury trial, Woloson sat with his hands and legs in shackles slowly rocking his chair back and forth while waiting for the hearing to begin. Assistant Public Defender Margaret Degan entered the courtroom and explained to Woloson that Public Defender Patricia Gross was absent due to a family emergency and that she would fill in for her. After Woloson asked Degan a few questions, he let out a short laugh and then looked straight ahead as the judge entered the courtroom.

The judge asked about a March 17 motion filed by the defense regarding additional DNA information at the request of the defense's DNA expert. Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Wepsiec said he spoke with the director of forensics at the Carbondale Police Department and the requested information would be provided as soon as possible. Because Wepsiec did not know exactly when the information and items would be available, he suggested an early April hearing to "tie up loose ends." Lowery set an April 16 status hearing and said the trial date is still scheduled for April 18. He told both Wepsiec and Degan to resolve the issue and move it along.

"I believe we'll be ready for trial on the 18th," Wepsiec told the judge. Woloson, 45, of Brownstown Township, Mich., was arrested in Michigan in late September and is charged with three counts of murder. Woloson was working at the Quadrangle Apartments when he allegedly raped and murdered 21-year-old Schumake in August 1981. Schumake's body was found in a wooded area between U.S. Highway 51 and the railroad tracks near the Physical Plant.

During an October preliminary hearing, Carbondale Sgt. Paul Echols, who has been involved in the case since the initial investigation 23 years ago, presented DNA evidence recovered from a cigarette butt found in a car Woloson sold. The DNA on the cigarette butt matched DNA evidence found at the scene of Schumake's slaying. If found guilty, Woloson faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 40 years in prison for each of the three counts of murder.