Steven J. Kramer
A man accused of shooting his wife to death in Warrenville last week will be held in jail to await his trial, a DuPage County judge ruled Wednesday.
Steven J. Kramer, 39, of the 30W0-100 block of Mulberry Court, is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife, Jaime Neumann.
Authorities say Kramer shot her in their home about 11 a.m. Sept. 5. He has been in custody since.
Jaime Neumann
Courtesy of the Neumann family
Judge Joshua Dieden conducted the first-appearance court hearing Wednesday.
Assistant DuPage County State’s Attorney Kate Walker told Dieden the shooting occurred in the couple’s bedroom, and Neumann was struck five to six times in an arm, a leg, her chest and her face. One of the bullets went through the floor of the bedroom and into the kitchen ceiling, breaking a light fixture.
Kramer told police the two had been arguing that day, and that they had previously decided to get a divorce.
Their 4-year-old daughter was at home at the time of the shooting. An older daughter, and Kramer’s daughter from a previous relationship, were in school.
Dieden ruled there are no conditions of release adequate to protect the public from Kramer, or to protect his daughter, who could potentially be a witness.
Home confinement would not be adequate because the killing happened in Kramer’s home, the judge added.
“He has demonstrated he is a violent person and can’t control his emotions. Lord knows what he could do out in public if his emotions get the best of him again,” Dieden said.
Defense lawyer Jeffrey Fawell argued that Kramer is not a threat to the community or a specific person, and he has no history of committing crimes.
According to court records, Kramer initially told investigators he didn’t know how his wife was fatally injured, but later made a series of contradictory statements to detectives.
Kramer’s next court date is Oct. 7. If convicted, he could received a life sentence.
Two GoFundMe pages have been established to help pay for Neumann’s funeral and to assist the three girls.