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SPRINGFIELD \u2014 Jurors chosen to weigh first-degree murder charges against a man on trial for the 2022 death of a Skokie woman<\/a> learned right out of the gate Monday that he\u2019d once been accused, convicted and pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.<\/p>\n Shane Jason Woods <\/b>faces trial for the death of 35-year-old Lauren Wegner<\/a>. But members of the panel that\u2019ll consider his case learned more during jury selection about Woods\u2019 past than they did about his current charges. Woods\u2019 attorneys shared with jurors what happened in Washington, D.C., including that Woods assaulted a law enforcement officer.<\/p>\n \u201cYou will hear about that in the trial,\u201d defense attorney Daniel Fultz told potential jurors in Springfield, \u201cbecause [Woods] plans to testify.\u201d<\/p>\n Fultz shared those details as Woods sat nearby, in the custody of Sangamon County officials but dressed in a white dress shirt, blue tie and glasses.<\/p>\n Only three months ago, Fultz argued in a motion that any reference to the Capitol riot should be barred from Woods\u2019 trial. He wrote that references to it could \u201cserve to inflame the jury\u2019s emotions and distract them from a fair assessment of the facts in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe widespread media coverage and societal reactions to those events have created strong emotional and political associations, which could improperly influence the jury\u2019s impartiality,\u201d Fultz wrote in January.<\/p>\n But Fultz and co-counsel Mark Wykoff have clearly changed course, placing the issue squarely in front of the jury on the first day of Woods\u2019 trial.<\/p>\n Woods, 47, of Taylorville is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated driving under the influence involving death, and aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer.<\/p>\n He\u2019s accused of driving north into the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 on Nov. 8, 2022, causing a crash that killed Wegner and injured a couple from Granite City. Before allegedly turning his truck onto the highway near Springfield\u2019s southern border, police say Woods made comments to a Divernon officer who\u2019d pulled him over suggesting Woods was suicidal.<\/p>\n Woods made a remark about going to prison for 10 years and told the officer he was \u201cworth more dead than alive,\u201d according to police reports.<\/p>\n Following the crash, authorities say Woods\u2019 blood-alcohol content measured 0.177% \u2014 more than twice the legal limit.<\/p>\n Two months before the crash, Woods pleaded guilty to his role in the Capitol riot. As a result, he faced a maximum of nine years behind bars. Woods admitted assaulting two people during the riot \u2014 a law enforcement officer and a cameraman.<\/p>\n U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., sentenced Woods to 4 \u00bd years<\/a> in October 2023. President Donald Trump then issued a sweeping pardon in January<\/a> to nearly everyone convicted for their role in the riot.<\/p>\n Woods\u2019 attorneys in Springfield did not seem to significantly disrupt jury selection Monday when they raised the topic of the Capitol riot with potential jurors. A handful of people raised their hands when asked if Woods\u2019 role in the riot would affect their decision-making.<\/p>\n But Sangamon County Judge Ryan Cadagin still managed to announce the final members of the panel a little after lunchtime. Prosecutors are expected to deliver opening statements Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n Fultz also signaled during jury selection that alcohol and suicide will be crucial themes as the case moves forward.<\/p>\n The first-degree murder charge handed up against Woods alleges he drove a 2018 GMC Sierra northbound against oncoming traffic \u201cknowing said acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to another person,\u201d resulting in the crash that killed Wegner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n