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Did a staged photo tip Drew Peterson off?

Posted May 24, 2016 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

EDITOR'S NOTE: The North County News contributed to this report.

While Wednesday's proceedings in the Drew Peterson murder-for-hire trial featured more of the same type of idle prison chatter as Tuesday, the recordings did reveal some interesting tidbits.

One of which was that a staged photo, intended to show Peterson that progress was being made on the plot to murder Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, was so obvious that it made Peterson suspicious.

The photo contained Glasgow, one of Glasgow's assistants and a FBI agent made up to be Antonio Smith's uncle's wife, all gathered outside Glasgow's Joliet office.

Previously, Smith testified that he lied to Peterson that his uncle would perform the supposed hit on the state's attorney.

Smith had received the photo in his cell at Menard Correctional Center on November 25, 2014 from a correctional officer and later sent it in a sealed envelope to Peterson via a prison worker.

Attached was a "kite" (written notes that inmates send each other while incarcerated) asking "Is this your friend?"

Smith told Peterson that his uncle took the picture and also asked who the short, bald guy was in the photo and whose car it was.

After returning from chow (slang for meals), Smith received a response in his cell from Peterson, which included the photo.

"That's my friend and his first assistant," Smith testified Peterson wrote. "I don't recognize the cars."

Smith - the 25-year-old Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate-turned-informant who is serving a 40-year sentence for attempted murder and other crimes and is the prosecution's star witness in this case - testified that it was clear that the photo was set up.

"This shit was obvious," he wrote on the back of the photo as a note to the FBI after receiving the photo back from Peterson.

On Nov. 28, during a recorded chow conversation, Peterson told Smith there were "red flags" about the photo, but didn't explain why.

Smith testified that the next day, Peterson seemed suspicious and was interrogating him during a lengthy prison yard conversation that was recorded.

"I mean, it looked like, are you kidding me?" Peterson said, referring to the photo. "And it, and it, it just looked, I'm telling ya, it just, the Spidey senses were going off."

Smith tried to dismiss Peterson's claims and later asked him the best way to kill the "dude," referring to Glasgow.

Peterson told Smith they needed to stop talking about it. Smith testified that was because they had already discussed everything.

Eventually, Peterson brought up recording devices.

Peterson: "They got, they've got stuff that can pick up our conversation from across the yard."

Smith: "You know about it?"

Peterson: "I, I do, and I'm telling ya, my paranoia is, the thing is, is…"

Smith: "And they're.."

Peterson: "Paranoia's gonna keep me straight."

From there, the recording gets tougher to decipher with several inaudible portions. Smith appears to tell Peterson that his uncle had gotten the gun to murder Glasgow and he had gotten the receipt for it.

"Oh, I've been wanting to tell ya," Smith said. "Now, to get the gun (inaudible). So, and I just got the receipt back Wednesday.

"So like I said, (inaudible) is (inaudible). From this point on it's in his hands. (Inaudible), we'll know when it happens."

Later, Peterson seems to put aside his reservations about the photo.

"You know that there's no way I'd turn on you…," he told Smith.

In other recorded conversations played for the court on Wednesday, Peterson and Smith discuss whether Glasgow's murder would be a state or federal crime (due to Glasgow being a public official); Peterson messing with the lawyers in his Will County case and more of Peterson's complaints against his former lawyer, Joel Brodsky.

In regard to the latter, Peterson said he could have had a mistrial in his 2012 murder case, but Brodsky wanted to get him convicted.

"The lawyer wants his biggest client to get convicted and sit in prison," Smith said.

"Because when everything was going on, he was still in the media…," Peterson said. "The media, the media, the media.

"It was kind of hard, because he was like the famous friend, and the way he was doing it, he was, he was himself to the media."

With the recorded evidence portion of the trial complete, cross-examination of Smith by the defense is expected to begin Thursday morning, with proceedings beginning at 8:45 a.m.

"(Smith) has always come across as a sincere person to us," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker during the evening media availability session. "So, I have no reason to question his credibility and I think he'll do well under cross-examination.

"I'm sure he'll have some grenades thrown at him, we'll see what happens."

Walker stated he hoped to wrap up the state's side of the case tomorrow and that the prosecution expects to call a FBI agent, four members of the Illinois Department of Corrections and a Will County court reporter to testify.

"The plan would be is maybe to get to the defense's case late in the day tomorrow," Walker said. "Obviously, we're done with the recordings, those were the things that were taking some time. It just depends on how long the cross of Antonio is tomorrow, honestly."

Peterson, 62, faces up to 60 years in prison - added on to his current 38-year sentence for killing third wife Kathleen Savio - if he is found guilty for solicitation of murder and solicitation of murder for hire.

The County Journal will be live-tweeting updates tomorrow from the Randolph County Courthouse. Follow them at @County_Journal.

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