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Possible Plea Deal in the Works for Romeoville Man Accused in Wife's Hammer Death

The judge for a man charged with clubbing his wife's head with a hammer just before she died is reviewing material provided by attorneys.

A Romeoville man charged with bashing his wife's head in with a claw hammer just before she died of natural causes is waiting on a judge to review material provided by his attorney and prosecutors.

After Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak peruses the paperwork tendered during a Friday morning court hearing, she and the attorneys will hold a closed-door meeting to see if a plea deal is possible for John Sadler, 69.

Sadler, a retired accountant, was jailed on a murder charge after Romeoville police found the 10-day-old corpse of his wife, Carol Sadler, 66, in their Benzie Circle home in July 2010.

But three months later, prosecutors dropped the charges from murder to aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery of a senior citizen. Sadler's bond was reduced from $3 million to $300,000. He posted the $30,000 he needed to secure his freedom nearly immediately after the bond reduction and has been out and about ever since.

While John Sadler had reportedly admitted to police that he hit his wife in the head with a hammer, an autopsy performed on Carol Sadler's body showed that even if her husband of 46 years did so, the blow was not what killed her. Carol Sadler instead succumbed to a heart attack, the autopsy reportedly revealed.

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Laura Keyes March 23, 2013 at 03:11 am
From seeing him come at her with a hammer?
Francis' Best Friend March 23, 2013 at 11:04 am
That is absolutely crazy. It's either she was killed by his attack or he shouldn't get charged with any time of battery. I'm pretty sure he should get charged with some type of corpse mutilation (I'm pretty sure there is a type of law involving that type of situation). What would I get charged with if I saw a dead body on the side of the road and beat it with a bat? Would I get battery charges? I may just be ignorant on this subject, but this all just seems odd.
Laura March 23, 2013 at 01:23 pm
are you joking, this man takes someones life and may go free? That is crazy.
Francis' Best Friend March 23, 2013 at 02:30 pm
any kind* of battery.
Susan Hopkins March 23, 2013 at 06:19 pm
The heart attack was probably brought on by the attack. Should still be murder. Why is it that the criminals seem to get more rights and breaks and the victims don't get justice. We need to get "old school" on criminals. Bet it would deter crime with some good 'ol eye for an eye.
Francis' Best Friend March 24, 2013 at 01:31 pm
After reading my initial comment, I feel like what I wrote is not clearly stated. I believe that 1) He should be charged for murder or 2) If she died days before the attack then he should be charged with some sort of damage to a dead body and not reporting it. either way he should be charged and treated for his obvious mental health problem.
Kelly O' March 25, 2013 at 02:56 pm
He should at least be charged with man slaughter.

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