Sadler Due in Court Wednesday

A Romeoville man accused of beating his wife with a hammer then concealing her death for more than a week is due in court Wednesday.

John Sadler, 67, is charged with aggravated battery of a senior citizen and aggravated domestic abuse stemming from wife Carol’s death in July 2010.

Sadler was initially charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death after allegedly bludgeoning his wife with a hammer during an argument.

In October, Will County prosecutors reduced the charges after pathologists determined that Carol Sadler, 66, died of a heart attack. The Romeoville woman reportedly suffered from severe heart and respiratory problems.

"The autopsy results came back and it became clear that we couldn't conclusively determine that the strike to the head was the cause of death," said state's attorney's office spokesman Chuck Pelkie.

Sadler was indicted on the reduced charges, both Class 2 felonies, on Oct. 21.

Police believe Sadler kept his wife’s body in the couple’s Benzie Circle home for 10 days. The death was discovered after the couple’s daughter contacted Romeoville Police, asking them to check on her mother.

At the time, Assistant Chief Steven Lucchesi said the daughter, who lives in Texas, called police on July 26, saying she had not heard from her mother since July 13.

When police spoke with John Sadler, he claimed his wife was in Michigan and would return later that afternoon, Lucchesi said. Several hours later, police said, the daughter again contacted police, saying she was still unable to get in touch with her mother.

Officers who returned to the couple’s home in the Grand Haven community noticed a foul odor coming from inside the house, Lucchesi said last summer. When John Sadler refused to let officers search the house, officers obtained a search warrant and requested a cadaver dog from the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.

At the time, Lucchesi said Sadler admitted his wife was dead after police told him that the dog had signaled the presence of human remains. Police discovered Carol Sadler’s body just inside the front doorway of the home.

During an interview with police, John Sadler admitted to striking his wife in the head with a hammer during an argument 10 days earlier, Lucchesi said.

The reduced charges against Sadler prompted Will County Judge Richard Schoenstedt to reduce his bail from $3 million to $300,000.

If convicted of all three charges, Sadler could be sentenced to up to 7 years in prison. A pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled Wednesday.