Prosecutors: Peterson offered $10,000 for prosecutor's death

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Prosecutors: Peterson offered $10,000 for prosecutor's death

Updated 4:03 pm, Monday, May 23, 2016

CHESTER, Ill. (AP) — Former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson offered a fellow inmate $10,000 to kill the state's attorney who prosecuted him for his third wife's death, a southern Illinois prosecutor said Monday at the start of Peterson's murder-for-hire trial.

The former Bolingbrook police sergeant was motivated by "anger, hatred, revenge" against Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker told jurors during his opening statement, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The inmate, identified in court as Antonio Smith, reported the offer to authorities and agreed to help secretly record Peterson, according to prosecutors.

Those wiretapped conversations, which are expected to be played in court during a weeklong trial, include Peterson discussing his 2012 conviction of first-degree murder in the 2004 death of ex-wife Kathleen Savio, according to a pretrial motion filed by prosecutors. Peterson also discusses his fear that Glasgow will prosecute him for murder in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacey Peterson, the pretrial motion indicates.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Opening-statements-launch-Peterson-7939607.php

[Hoppy]

1. Dumb ass should have said his wives reached for their wastebands or made furtive movements.

He feared for his life.

[cstanleytech]

2. He is stupid as hell if he actually did this.

That aside though I have to wonder about
"Walker said Smith, the prison informant, didn't receive a reduced sentence for his cooperation but was paid $3,200 by the FBI to replace property lost after he was transferred to the federal prison system following his involvement with Peterson."
What could a guy in prison have thats worth $3,200 that he couldnt take with him??

[happyslug]

4. Widescreen TV, Computer are two items..

Prison Guards WANT their prisoners to have such items, for it keeps the prisoners entertained and thus not plotting against the Guards. Cell phones are illegal, but some prisons do permit landlines, for their can monitor such landlines.

Federal Prisons tend NOT to permit such luxuries, more do to Congressional interference with how the Guards want to handle their prisoners then the Federal Guards NOT wanting their prisoners to have such items.

Please note, most violent criminals are in STATE SYSTEMS, for most crimes of violence are state crimes NOT Federal Crimes. Less then 7.9% of Federal prisoners are violent criminals, over 50% are in for drug offenses. On the other hand 52.4% of State Prisoners are in prison for Violent Crimes (and this has been increasing since 2002, when it was at 21.6% of State Prisoners).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States#Violent_and_nonviolent_crime

Thus State Prison Guards face much more violent criminals then do Federal Guards and why State Prisons tend to leave the prisoners have things to keep them entertained, just to reduce the risk of violence to the Guards.

[cstanleytech]

5. But why couldnt they just be sent to the prison he was being transferred to

rather than pay him cash which could potentially taint the case?

[happyslug]

6. He is going to a FEDERAL PRISON, where such items are NOT permitted

The items are permitted in STATE PRISONS but appears NOT to be permitted in FEDERAL PRISONS. Since this is a transfer done by order of the State to protect their witness, the state had to pay him for what he had to leave behind. The prisoner now has to comply with FEDERAL PRISON REGULATIONS, but he remains a prisoner of the STATE. Even prisoners have property rights and since the state permitted him to have those items, if the State wants to move him, the State has to pay for his loss.

Remember the Prisoner is NOT being transferred as punishment, if that had been the case the state could say he lost his right to those item. The prisoner is being transferred so he could be a witness for the state, i.e. the Prisoner is being moved TO BENEFIT THE STATE not to punish the prisoner. In such transfers the State has to move his property with him OR pay him for those items. Since such property do NOT appear to be permitted in a Federal Prison, the State has to pay for them.

An early example of this is a Radio in Eastern State Prison in Pennsylvania. It was purchased and installed in his cell by AL Capone in 1928. When he left Eastern State, he left it, that radio remains in Eastern State to this day. Al Capone could have taken it all with him when he left, but he decided to leave it. Such items were permitted by law to be purchased by Prisoners in Prison at that time period (the law has since change, only with permission of the Warden are such items permitted today).



https://www.easternstate.org/visit/regular-season/history-artist-installations/al-capones-cell

Unlike Al Capone, this prisoner did not want to abandon his property, thus the State had to move it, put it in storage or buy it when the State moved the prisoner for the needs of the State. Given such items are NOT permitted in Federal Prisons and the State did not want to pay for storage, that left paying him for it.

[cstanleytech]

7. Ahh ok, to bad they couldnt just put his junk into long term storage till his release. nt

[ReRe]

3. Good

Now his vengeful arse will never get out of there.