Man Accused of Killing Wife, Placing Body on Train Tracks

A west suburban man has been charged with murdering his wife and putting her body on train tracks near their Geneva home last weekend.

Shadwick King, 47, of the 800 block of Oak Street in Geneva, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Kathleen King, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office. If convicted, he faces 20-60 years in prison.

Prosecutors and Geneva police say Shadwick asphyxiated his wife sometime after 5 a.m. on July 6.

According to court records, early that morning, King saw that his wife was sending text messages to another man. He took the phone and began sending messages to the man using her phone, the records said.

The husband would have had to take his wife’s body through Esping Park, a heavily-used family park in normal daytime hours within the subdivision. He could have accessed the railroad tracks through the park and walked across a footbridge over White’s Creek, or driven to the end of Sandholm and walked around a gate. The tracks are concealed by tall grasses and trees there.

Her body was spotted on the Union Pacific Railway tracks near the 200 block of Brian Lane and Esping Park just after 6:30 a.m. by the conductor of a train on a parallel set of tracks. She was pronounced dead a short time later, according to police and prosecutors.

King appeared in Kane County court Friday, where Judge Clint Hull set bond at $1.5 million. He is next scheduled to appear in court on July 23.

It was the first murder in Geneva since 1975, Police Cmdr. Julie Nash told the Beacon-News.

“Obviously, it’s still an ongoing investigation,” she said.

The Kings' three children are reportedly staying with Kathleen King’s parents.

Laura Kieper lives a block from the family, and said her children were familiar with the Kings’ children through school.

“I am very shocked,” she said Friday as she brought her children to ride their bikes in the park. “My kids would ride the school bus with their children.”

Kieper, a lifelong Geneva resident, said the murder is surprising.

“In Geneva, we generally don’t hear much of anything (like that) going on,” she said.

“I would like to express my condolences to Kathleen’s family and friends,” State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in the statement. “Our work is just beginning, and we will vigorously pursue justice for Kathleen, her family and the Geneva community.”