Olathe man is guilty of second-degree murder in DUI crash

A 42-year-old man was found guilty of murder in the death of another man in a January drunken-driving accident, Johnson County prosecutors announced Thursday.

Jeremy Claerhout of Olathe was found guilty of second-degree murder, driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving in connection with the accident that killed Christopher Willdermood, 32, of Olathe.

The crash occurred just after 10 p.m. on Jan. 11 in the 1300 block of Southview Ridgeview Road in Olathe. According to police, a pickup truck driven by Claerhout struck Willdermood’s car from behind.

Claerhout and his two passengers were not injured. Willdermood was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died.

Claerhout has not yet been sentenced. The case is scheduled for a hearing on Nov. 10.

Ian Cummings, icummings@kcstar.com

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Olathe man is guilty of second-degree murder in DUI crash."