Prosecutors: Drunk Boater Killed Former Marine

A repeat drunk driver is accused of roaring a pontoon boat near 80 mph through a no‑wake zone and decapitating a former Marine on the Fox River, after witnesses say he spent the day drinking and later sobbed that his “life was over.”

Story Snapshot

A 45-year-old Illinois man is charged after a high-speed, alcohol-fueled boat crash killed a former Marine on the Fox River.
Prosecutors say his blood alcohol level was about three times the legal limit and that he was racing a 31-foot pontoon in a no-wake zone.
Witnesses and video allegedly show the pontoon driving over a smaller boat, decapitating 48-year-old Magdalena Jablonska in front of her family.
A judge called the suspect a present danger and refused to release him, as his long history of DUI and reckless driving came to light.

Deadly Fox River Crash Shocks Families and Veterans

On a Saturday afternoon near McHenry, Illinois, families on the Fox River watched a peaceful day on the water turn into horror. Prosecutors say 45-year-old Richard Stevenson drove a 31-foot triple-engine pontoon at about 80 miles per hour in a marked no-wake zone when he slammed into the back of a smaller Crownline boat. The impact allegedly launched his vessel up and over the other boat, driving over the bow where 48-year-old former Marine Magdalena Jablonska was seated with her loved ones.

Authorities and local reports say Jablonska was decapitated instantly, dying before medics could help. Her husband and others on the boats were left injured and traumatized, as the pontoon continued toward the riverbank and hit trees after the collision. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is leading the investigation, while the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office pressed felony charges of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence causing death. For many, this case feels like a textbook example of preventable tragedy brought on by extreme recklessness.

Prosecutors Describe Heavy Drinking, Extreme Speed, and Prior DUIs

Court records and prosecutors say Stevenson had been drinking for hours before the crash, including shots of Fireball whiskey and more alcohol at a bar and restaurant earlier in the day. Witnesses told officers he continued to drink while operating the pontoon on both the Fox River and the Chain O’ Lakes, and home security videos reportedly show the boat racing down the river at high speed shortly before impact. One passenger allegedly warned him to slow down, but prosecutors say that warning was ignored as the boat stayed at or near full throttle in the no-wake area.

After the crash, officers say Stevenson refused field sobriety tests and a breath test, and initially fought a court-ordered blood draw. He was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, where toxicology reports show a blood alcohol content of about 0.236, nearly three times the legal limit for driving. Prosecutors argue that number would have been near 0.20 at the time of the collision, still far above the legal threshold and consistent with deep impairment. They also told the judge that Stevenson has a long record of past offenses, including three prior drunk-driving charges, three reckless driving cases, multiple speeding violations, and a prior charge for fleeing police.

Judge Calls Suspect a Danger as Public Outrage Grows

At Monday’s detention hearing, a McHenry County judge refused to release Stevenson from jail, saying he posed a “real present threat” to the public. Prosecutors described him as a “ticking time bomb,” pointing to his repeated drunk-driving and speeding cases and now a fatal crash that left a veteran mother dead on a family outing. Reports say that after the wreck, witnesses saw Stevenson on the shore, crying and saying his “life was over,” while Jablonska’s family faced a loss that can never be fixed.

ALERT: Prolific DUI driver decapitates a woman when he was allegedly drunk driving a pontoon boat 80 MPH in a no-wake zone.

Richard Stevenson, 45, was seen flying across the Fox River in Illinois in his 30-foot pontoon boat, expected to be traveling 80 MPH.

Stevenson was seen… pic.twitter.com/jUpeazIdMO

— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) July 28, 2026

This case fits a pattern many readers recognize: repeat intoxicated drivers or boaters staying on the road or water until someone is killed. Media outlets are sharing the prosecution’s account of high speed, heavy drinking, and horrific injury, while the defense has not yet released its own detailed version of events. As the investigation continues, conservative families are asking hard questions about why a man with so many prior alcohol and traffic offenses was still free to pilot a powerful boat in crowded waterways, and how the justice system will respond now that a former Marine’s life has been taken.