Moral of the story? Don?t trust anyone named ?Propane?
Officer testifies against man accused of killing wife
John H. Smith, accused of staging a burglary to cover up his murder of his wife, complained that his wife had failed to thank him for resodding the family's lawn, a police officer testified Wednesday.
Smith also complained his wife, Subrenia Smith, had had an affair and the couple had disagreements over money, and acknowledged he had had an affair of his own, St. Louis County Police Officer Jim Monroe testified.
Monroe testified in John Smith's murder trial in St. Louis County Circuit Court that Smith revealed his problems with his wife during a questioning session as police told him they had uncovered evidence linking him to the murder, which occurred Oct. 2, 2002.
Monroe said another officer came in and announced the discovery of the evidence, and warned he would return after letting Smith think it over. Monroe remained in the room, and talked easily with Smith in a way that developed "mutual respect," Monroe said.
It was classic good-cop, bad-cop technique and, according to Monroe's testimony, it appeared to work.
"He said he would come home from work and Subrenia was constantly bitchin'," Monroe testified.
Later in the questioning, which took place three days after Subrenia was found shot to death in the couple's home in the 3000 block of Nordic Drive in Bel-Nor, Smith said he was "responsible for Subrenia's death," Monroe said.
Monroe said Smith also acknowledged that another man, Bryan A. Smith, no relation, who goes by the nickname "Propane," had removed from the scene a gun and gloves linked to the killing.
Monroe said John Smith told him that "Propane" had discussed the idea of shooting a bullet to "graze" Smith's head to give the fake burglary a realistic touch. But they laughed at the idea, and dismissed it as too dangerous, and wound up shooting Smith in the leg instead, Monroe said Smith told him.
Smith also said that before the murder, when he was complaining to Propane about his wife, Propane offered to kill her, Monroe said.
Defense attorney Dan Reardon pounced on the figure of Propane, questioning whether he should be held responsible for the crime. "Did it ever bother you that Propane wasn't booked with this murder?" he loudly demanded of Monroe.
But prosecutor Steve MacDonell swiftly objected that the question was irrelevant, and Judge Steven Goldman sustained, blocking the officer from answering.
Under further questioning by Reardon, who served as St. Louis County prosecuting attorney in the 1960s, Monroe acknowledged that Smith gave no signed statement admitting his guilt and did not specifically say that he shot his wife.
In other testimony, a police computer expert testified that an examination of a computer taken from Propane's home found that in August, two months before Subrenia Smith's killing, someone had downloaded instructions on how to make a silencer.
Police have said the silencer was used in the crime, and Propane ultimately led police to recover the silencer, a gun and other items. Propane has been indicted on charges of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.
Officer testifies against man accused of killing wife
John H. Smith, accused of staging a burglary to cover up his murder of his wife, complained that his wife had failed to thank him for resodding the family's lawn, a police officer testified Wednesday.
Smith also complained his wife, Subrenia Smith, had had an affair and the couple had disagreements over money, and acknowledged he had had an affair of his own, St. Louis County Police Officer Jim Monroe testified.
Monroe testified in John Smith's murder trial in St. Louis County Circuit Court that Smith revealed his problems with his wife during a questioning session as police told him they had uncovered evidence linking him to the murder, which occurred Oct. 2, 2002.
Monroe said another officer came in and announced the discovery of the evidence, and warned he would return after letting Smith think it over. Monroe remained in the room, and talked easily with Smith in a way that developed "mutual respect," Monroe said.
It was classic good-cop, bad-cop technique and, according to Monroe's testimony, it appeared to work.
"He said he would come home from work and Subrenia was constantly bitchin'," Monroe testified.
Later in the questioning, which took place three days after Subrenia was found shot to death in the couple's home in the 3000 block of Nordic Drive in Bel-Nor, Smith said he was "responsible for Subrenia's death," Monroe said.
Monroe said Smith also acknowledged that another man, Bryan A. Smith, no relation, who goes by the nickname "Propane," had removed from the scene a gun and gloves linked to the killing.
Monroe said John Smith told him that "Propane" had discussed the idea of shooting a bullet to "graze" Smith's head to give the fake burglary a realistic touch. But they laughed at the idea, and dismissed it as too dangerous, and wound up shooting Smith in the leg instead, Monroe said Smith told him.
Smith also said that before the murder, when he was complaining to Propane about his wife, Propane offered to kill her, Monroe said.
Defense attorney Dan Reardon pounced on the figure of Propane, questioning whether he should be held responsible for the crime. "Did it ever bother you that Propane wasn't booked with this murder?" he loudly demanded of Monroe.
But prosecutor Steve MacDonell swiftly objected that the question was irrelevant, and Judge Steven Goldman sustained, blocking the officer from answering.
Under further questioning by Reardon, who served as St. Louis County prosecuting attorney in the 1960s, Monroe acknowledged that Smith gave no signed statement admitting his guilt and did not specifically say that he shot his wife.
In other testimony, a police computer expert testified that an examination of a computer taken from Propane's home found that in August, two months before Subrenia Smith's killing, someone had downloaded instructions on how to make a silencer.
Police have said the silencer was used in the crime, and Propane ultimately led police to recover the silencer, a gun and other items. Propane has been indicted on charges of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.
