Long Island

Crime

ny-nahit0327

Lawyers for a <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a> mother accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband will have their chance to present evidence in the case on Monday. 
No testimony in the case against <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> was taken Friday, and court was closed Thursday for Veterans Day. Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday. 
On Monday, <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' lawyer, John Carman of Garden City, will either present his own witnesses or rest his case. He has not said which he will do. 
Prosecutors say <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> asked an acquaintance in February to refer her to a hit man to kill her husband, Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, with whom she is going through a bitter divorce. Unknown to <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a>, the supposed hit man was an undercover police officer, prosecutors said. 
Williams, 44, a mother of four, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree and fourth-degree criminal solicitation, second-degree conspiracy and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. She could face a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. 
In court Friday, one juror was dismissed. <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County Judge Norman St. George did not give the reason, and told other jurors not to speculate about it. 
Also Friday, lawyers for Newsday and the <a href="/topics/New_York_Post">New York Post</a> asked St. George to order that prosecutors release the audio and videotapes that they entered into evidence in the case. In particular, they are asking for two videotapes, recorded on Feb. 25 and March 3, that show Williams negotiating the terms of her husband's death with the undercover police officer she believed was a hit man. Both prosecutors and Carman have opposed the release of the tapes. 
The newspapers' lawyers argued that reporters have the right to copy anything entered into evidence at trial as soon as it is admitted in court. Amanda Leith, who represented Newsday, said releasing the videotapes would not compromise the trial because jurors have been warned to ignore all news accounts related to the case. Also, she said, jurors already have seen the tapes. 
St. George reserved his decision on the tapes until Monday.

Nassau

LIWILL13

Defense to get its turn in hit-man case

A Garden City mom accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband is making a last-ditch effort Tuesday to get out of jail while she awaits trial. 
John Carman, a lawyer for <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, took her case to an appellate court in <a href="/topics/Brooklyn_Bridge%2C_NY">Brooklyn</a>, saying that the $2-million bond or $1-million cash set last week by <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County Judge Norman St. George is unreasonably high. 
He said <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> - a mother of four whose parents previously offered their <a href="/topics/Franklin_Square%2C_NY">Franklin Square</a> house as a guarantee so she could post bail and get out of jail - has strong ties to the community and will not flee. 
But prosecutor Jane Zwirn-Turkin told the appellate panel that new evidence that <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> fraudulently changed her husband Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' life insurance policy before she tried to arrange his killing strengthens the prosecution's case and gives <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> more cause to flee. 
The prosecutor also said that <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> has shown a disregard for the law, sending her family members to take things out of the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> Boulevard home in which she and the couple's two younger children were living until her March 4 arrest. 
Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 46, who owns a fence company in <a href="/topics/Lynbrook%2C_NY">Lynbrook</a>, lives there now with the two children. 
The appellate panel is set to decide on <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a>' bail later Tuesday. 
Carman's application marks the second time he has gone to a higher court to lower his client's bail. The first time - a month after <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' arrest - the panel did so, lowering it to $500,000. 
<a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> prosecutors say <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, amid a lengthy and bitter divorce, asked an acquaintance in February to refer her to a hit man. The supposed hit man - actually an undercover police officer - videotaped <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> as she paid him a $500 deposit on a $20,000 arrangement, prosecutors have said. 
Williams pleaded not guilty after her arrest on charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. Bail originally was set at $1-million bond or $500,000 cash; upon appeal, an Appellate Division judge lowered it to $500,000 cash and Williams' parents put up their home as a guarantee. 
Williams was released March 26 from the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County jail in <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a>. 
On May 3, Williams pleaded not guilty to new charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument - the life insurance policy - and fourth-degree criminal solicitation. At that time, St. George raised her bail to $2-million bond or $1-million cash, and she again was jailed. 
If convicted of the top charge against her, Williams could face a maximum sentence of 81/3 to 25 years in prison.

LIWILL12

Accused Garden City hit-plot mom again seeks lower bail

Two new criminal charges are being brought against Susan <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, the Garden City woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband, the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> district attorney's office said Friday. 
Williams, 43, a mother of four, now will face charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony, and fourth-degree criminal solicitation, a misdemeanor, the district attorney's office said in a release. 
More details about the new charges will be released when a grand jury indictment is unsealed Monday morning, the district attorney's office said in a statement. At that time, Williams will be arraigned on the new charges before <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County Judge <a href="/topics/Joseph_Calabrese">Joseph Calabrese</a>. 
John Carman, Williams' defense lawyer, declined to comment Friday on the new charges. 
Williams already has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. Williams, who was arrested March 4, was freed from the Nassau County jail in <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a> on March 26 after posting $500,000. 
Nassau prosecutors say Williams, embroiled in a bitter divorce with her husband, Peter Williams, asked an acquaintance in February to refer her to a hit man because she wanted her husband killed. 
The supposed hit man - actually an undercover police officer - videotaped Williams as she paid him a $500 deposit on a $20,000 "job," prosecutors have said. 
Nassau prosecutors have said in legal papers that Williams asked the would-be hit man to make her husband's death look like an accident, and that she fraudulently changed his life insurance policy shortly before her arrest. 
Carman has said that Williams may have taken a fantasy too far, but that she never would have followed through with the alleged plot to kill her husband. 
If convicted of the earlier charges lodged against her, she could face a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. The possible penalties stemming from the new charges were not clear Friday. 
- With Ann Givens

LIWILL01

More charges against Garden City hit-plot mom

The Garden City mother accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband will see her two younger children Saturday for the first time since her arrest - in the company of a therapist, lawyers in the case said. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, appeared in <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> Family Court Monday to respond to a request by her husband Peter's lawyer to extend an order of protection that prevents her seeing her younger children, ages 11 and 16, without direct supervision by a therapist. 
The order also says she is not allowed to discuss her divorce or her criminal case during her time with them, Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' lawyer, Nancy Dreeben, of Garden City, said. 
"The kids want to see their mom. Of course they do. And my client understands that," Dreeben said. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a>' lawyer, John Carman, of Garden City, declined to comment after the <a href="/topics/Westbury%2C_NY">Westbury</a> court appearance. 
The couple is next due in family court May 27. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> has been released from jail on a $500,000 bond after prosecutors said she asked an acquaintance in February to refer her to a hit man to kill her husband. 
The supposed hit man - actually an undercover police officer - videotaped Williams as she paid him a $500 deposit on a $20,000 "job," prosecutors said. 
Williams has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. Carman has said that Williams may have taken a fantasy too far, but that she never would have followed through with the plot to kill her husband.

LIHIT20

Accused Garden City murder-for-hire plotter can see kids

Family members of a Garden City woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband have no comment, two men who emerged Saturday from the woman's parents' home in <a href="/topics/Franklin_Square%2C_NY">Franklin Square</a> said. 
Susan <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, of Garden City, was released Friday afternoon on $500,000 bond from the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County jail in <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a>, where she had been held since shortly following her March 4 arrest. 
Immediately after her release, she went to her parents' Benmore Avenue home, which was put up as collateral for her bond. 
Two older men came out of the house briefly Saturday afternoon and said the family had no comment. The men did not identify themselves. 
<a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> prosecutors say Williams, embroiled in a bitter divorce with her husband, Peter Williams, asked an acquaintance last month to refer her to a hit man because she wanted her husband killed. 
The acquaintance put her in touch with a man who actually was an undercover police officer, and the undercover officer videotaped Williams making a $500 deposit on the $20,000 hit, they said. 
Williams has pleaded not guilty to second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy charges. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 81/3 to 25 years in prison. 
Under the couple's current custody agreement, Williams should be allowed supervised visitation with her two younger children, ages 11 and 16, at her parents' home, her divorce lawyer, Jeffrey Pam of <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a>, said Friday. At the time, no arrangements for such a visit had been made.

LIWILL28

Accused Garden City hit-man plotter holed up in parents' home

A <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a> woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband was ensconced at her parents' Franklin Square home Friday evening after being released on bond from the Nassau County jail. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a>, 43, looking stoic in a tan coat and corduroys, said nothing as she emerged about 2:30 p.m. from the jail in <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a>, where she had been held since shortly after her arrest on the evening of March 4. 
Her defense attorney, John Carman of <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a>, made a brief statement on her behalf. 
"She's obviously ecstatic to be at liberty today. She looks forward to being at home to see her children," Carman said of the mother of four. "The fact that she's being released, though, does give her a meaningful opportunity to work with me in her defense." 
Shortly after leaving the jail with Carman, Williams arrived at her parents' home, riding in the backseat of their car. The family went inside without comment and drew the shades. 
Williams' divorce lawyer, Jeffrey Pam of <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a>, said that under the current custody agreement, she should be allowed supervised visitation with her two younger children, ages 11 and 16, at her parents' home. No arrangements have been made yet, Pam said. 
The children have been living with their father, Peter Williams, 46, in the family's home on Nassau Boulevard in <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a>, where <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> lived before her arrest. 
Prosecutors say <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> last month asked an acquaintance to refer her to a hit man to kill her husband. Instead, the acquaintance put her in touch with an undercover police officer, who videotaped Williams as she paid him a $500 deposit on the $20,000 job, prosecutors said. 
Williams has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. 
Since her arrest, lawyers in the case have argued over her bail amount, with prosecutors asking that it remain at $1 million bond or $500,000 cash bail, and Carman fighting to have it lowered to $500,000 bond - an amount he said was at the outer limits of what her parents were able to raise. 
Thursday, Carman took his case to an appellate court in <a href="/topics/Brooklyn_Bridge%2C_NY">Brooklyn</a>, and a four-judge panel agreed to lower Williams' bond to $500,000. 
The appeals panel granted Carman's appeal even after prosecutors disclosed several new details about their case - including the allegation that in the months before her arrest, Williams did <a href="/topics/Google_Inc.">Google</a> searches on at least two women who had evaded police after killing their ex-husbands. 
Prosecutors also said in legal papers that Susan Williams fraudulently changed her husband's life insurance policy shortly before her arrest. 
The next court date scheduled in the case is Wednesday. 
With Erik Badia

LIWILL27

Woman in hit-man case leaves jail for parents' home

A Garden City mother accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband could be released from jail as early as Friday, after an appellate panel granted her defense lawyer's motion to reduce her bail. 
Susan <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' parents are expected to use their <a href="/topics/Franklin_Square%2C_NY">Franklin Square</a> home as collateral to post the $500,000 bond, said her defense lawyer, John Carman of Garden City. 
The four-judge panel granted Carman's appeal although prosecutors disclosed several new details about their case - including the allegation that in the months before her arrest, Williams did <a href="/topics/Google_Inc.">Google</a> searches on at least two women who had evaded police after killing their ex-husbands. 
"The family is very grateful to the Appellate Division for looking closely at the arguments that we raised," Carman said after the decision came in Thursday afternoon. 
Williams, 43, was arrested March 4 at her home and pleaded not guilty the following day to charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. 
According to court papers filed by prosecutors, Williams searched the Web for "Fugitive Ex-wife in <a href="/topics/Tucson">Tucson</a> Killing Caught" and "Australian police arrest an American woman sought in connection with killing her ex-husband, who died when a bomb exploded in his car more than a decade ago," court papers say. 
"She was calculating. She really thought this out," prosecutor Jane Zwirn-Turkin said of the mother of four. 
Carman argued in court that Williams' bond with her four children and the community would keep her from fleeing. 
Carman said that amid an "all-out war" over the end of her marriage, Williams may have taken too far a daydream about hurting her husband, Peter Williams, 46. 
But he said she did not have the $20,000 required to pay the would-be hit man - who actually was an undercover police officer - and never would have gone through with it. 
"The fantasy went beyond where it should have, but it was not something that would have come to fruition," Carman said after the hearing. 
In his petition for lowering bail, Carman said another reason for his request was that Williams was diagnosed with <a href="/topics/Cervical_Cancer">cervical cancer</a> in 2008, which requires regular medical appointments she cannot make while in jail. 
The prosecution's papers also included the assertion that Williams asked the would-be hit man to make her husband's death look like an accident, and the allegation that she fraudulently changed his life insurance policy shortly before her arrest. 
Zwirn-Turkin also said there is evidence that Williams asked someone to enter her <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> Boulevard home after her arrest last month and remove evidence. She said additional charges could result from the allegations about Williams' life insurance, as well as those about removing evidence.

LIWILL26

Bail reduced for mom said to plan husband's hit

Susan Williams

A lawyer for a <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a> mother accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband will argue in court Thursday that her bail should be lowered, in part because she was diagnosed with <a href="/topics/Cervical_Cancer">cervical cancer</a> in 2008 and needs to see doctors regularly. 
According to court papers, Susan <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, had a radical hysterectomy in 2008 after being diagnosed with the disease. 
"Obviously, her incarceration renders her unable to see her doctors during this critical period after cancer surgery," Williams' lawyer, John Carman, of <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a>, said in court papers. 
State Supreme Court Justice <a href="/topics/Joseph_Calabrese">Joseph Calabrese</a> earlier this month denied Carman's request to lower Williams' bail, holding it at $1 million bond or $500,000 cash. 
In an rare move, Carman is expected to ask an appellate court in <a href="/topics/Brooklyn_Bridge%2C_NY">Brooklyn</a> to reconsider that ruling. 
Carman will request that bail be reduced to $500,000 bond, according to court papers. 
A spokesman for <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a> said that "given the nature of the charges and the risk of flight" prosecutors will oppose any bail reduction. 
According to prosecutors, Williams, 43, the mother of four children ages 11 to 19, last month asked an acquaintance to refer her to a hit man to kill her husband, Peter, amid an ugly divorce battle. 
Instead, the acquaintance put her in touch with an undercover police officer, who videotaped Williams as she paid him a $500 deposit on the $20,000 job, prosecutors said. 
At a March 10 bail hearing, Carman argued that Williams' ties to her family and the community would prevent her from fleeing if she were released from jail. He said Williams' parents, who live in <a href="/topics/Baldwin%2C_NY">Baldwin</a>, are prepared to use their home as collateral to post her bond. 
But prosecutor Jane Zwirn-Turkin said Williams' actions in trying to arrange her husband's murder were calculated and chilling, and that her current bail is appropriate.

LIWILL25

Lawyer to ask for lower bail for health reasons in wife's hit man case

Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice appeared on a morning TV show Wednesday to discuss the case against a Garden City mother of four accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband. 
In her brief appearance on the Fox 5 "Good Day New York" show, Rice revealed nothing new in the case of <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, but she did discuss what she believes is the strength of her office's evidence. 
Prosecutors say that <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, asked an acquaintance to get her a hit man to kill her husband last month. Instead, the acquaintance connected her with an undercover police officer, who posed as a hit man and videotaped <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> as she negotiated the deal with him, prosecutors say. 
Rice said Wednesday morning that the videos are damning. 
"She is very clear about what she wants this alleged hit man to do," Rice told anchor Greg Kelly. 
Rice acknowledged that <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> and Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> are in the middle of a bad divorce. 
"Divorce is a terrible thing, but to take active steps toward the mother or father of your children is very disturbing," she said. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, who remains in Nassau County jail, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

LIRICE11

Rice discusses Garden City hit-man case on TV show

Even as the Garden City mother of four put a $500 deposit on her husband's murder, she mused to the would-be hit man about what expression she should wear on her face when police came to tell her the tragic news, a prosecutor said in court Tuesday. 
It was this behavior that prosecutor Jane Zwirn-Turkin described to Judge Joseph <a href="/topics/Joseph_Calabrese">Calabrese</a> Tuesday, convincing him to hold <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' bail amount at $1 million bond or $500,000 cash. 
"She had this thought out very, very well," Zwirn-Turkin said in court. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/cops-wife-attempts-to-hire-hit-man-to-kill-husband-1.1800941"> Garden City wife allegedly hires hit man to kill husband</a> 
But <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>' lawyer, John Carman, of Garden City, told Calabrese that his client is not a flight risk and that her parents are ready to offer their home to a bail bondsman as equity. 
"It seems unlikely that a mother in this situation would flee," Carman said. Prosecutors say <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> last month asked an acquaintance to refer her to a hit man to kill her husband, Peter. Instead, the acquaintance put her in touch with an undercover police officer, who videotaped <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> as she paid him a $500 deposit on the $20,000 job. 
A day after she allegedly set up the would-be hit and as police were preparing to arrest her, Williams, 44, was at swanky NuBest Salon in <a href="/topics/Manhasset%2C_NY">Manhasset</a> getting her hair cut, colored and blown out, and her eyebrows threaded for about $150, a publicist for the salon confirmed. Williams pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. Lawyers for both <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> and Peter Williams said the charges were borne out of a bitter divorce fight. The battle was nearing its May trial date when Williams was arrested Thursday night. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> first filed for divorce in early 2008, Peter Williams' divorce attorney Nancy J. Dreeben, of Garden City, said Saturday. She later dropped the motion, but Peter Williams immediately filed for divorce himself. 
"Peter really has been through a lot with the divorce and now, with this. He really wants to get his kids safe and going to school, and doing what kids do," Dreeben said. 
But <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a>' divorce lawyer, Jeffrey Pam of <a href="/topics/East_Meadow%2C_NY">East Meadow</a>, said Peter Williams has made his client's life difficult, too. 
"It's been a very difficult, stressful divorce for her," he said. "He has . . . intentionally made it difficult for her.

LIHIT10

Prosecutor: Garden City wife thought out hit-man plot well

The parents for Susan <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, the <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a> woman charged with trying to arrange a hit on her estranged husband, are planning to use their home in an effort get their daughter released from jail, a lawyer said Saturday. 
Stanley Kopilow of Garden City, Williams' defense lawyer, said he hopes to negotiate a lower bail for the woman at her next court hearing Tuesday. Saturday, Williams remained in jail on $1 million bond or $500,000 cash. 
"Her parents are going to be putting up their home," Kopilow said. Her father, Brendan Galligan, is a retired detective who was in the <a href="/topics/New_York_Police_Department">New York Police Department</a>'s Major Case Squad. 
Williams, 43, a mother of four, was charged with second-degree criminal solicitation and second-degree conspiracy Friday. She has pleaded not guilty. 
The Nassau County district attorney's office said it has audiotape evidence that she asked an acquaintance to connect her with a hitman, as well as video tapes showing her negotiating last week the $20,000 price with the undercover officer who was posing as the hitman. 
Williams and her husband Peter had been undergoing a messy divorce, lawyers and officials said. 
"This is the worst divorce I've ever seen," said Peter Williams' divorce attorney, Nancy Dreeben of Garden City. 
Peter Williams, 46, has moved out of the family's Garden City home and is living in <a href="/topics/Lynbrook%2C_NY">Lynbrook</a>, Dreeben said. He owns Williams Fence Co. in <a href="/topics/Lynbrook%2C_NY">Lynbrook</a>. 
The divorce lawyers for <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> did not respond to calls Saturday.

LIHIT07

Lawyer: Parents of woman accused in plot plan to put up home for bail

A Garden City mother of four was arrested last night on charges she tried to hire a hit man for $20,000 to kill her husband, the owner of a <a href="/topics/Lynbrook%2C_NY">Lynbrook</a> fence company who is divorcing her, the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County district attorney's office said. 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan</a> <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, met twice with the supposed hit man - really an undercover <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> police officer - to arrange the killing of Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 46, and authorities have surveillance video showing her negotiating the hit, prosecutors said. 
 PHOTOS:<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/long-island-mug-shots-1.222934"> See mug shots of this and other recent LI suspects</a> 
<a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> was arrested at her <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> Boulevard home and taken to the Third Precinct, said Carole Trottere, a spokeswoman for <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> District Attorney Kathleen <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Rice</a>. She is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in First District Court in <a href="/topics/Hempstead%2C_NY">Hempstead</a> on charges of second-degree conspiracy and second-degree criminal solicitation, the district attorney's office said. She faces up to 25 years in prison. 
The alleged murder-for-hire plot began Feb. 19, when <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> asked an acquaintance to connect her with a hit man to kill her husband, prosecutors said. The acquaintance, whose identity was not released, reported the plan to <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> prosecutors, who in turn sent the undercover officer to meet with <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> and arrange the hit, prosecutors said. 
On Feb. 28, <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> negotiated with the undercover in his vehicle, and the meeting was captured on surveillance video, prosecutors said. 
During that meeting, she told the undercover that she and her husband, who owns <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> Fence Co. in <a href="/topics/Lynbrook%2C_NY">Lynbrook</a>, were getting a divorce and she wanted him dead, prosecutors said. 
Prosecutors would not say what method <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> allegedly asked him to use to kill her husband. 
The undercover told <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> the hit would cost her $20,000, prosecutors said. 
The two met again on March 3, and that meeting too was videotaped, prosecutors said. 
At that time, <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a> handed the undercover a photo of her husband, his home and work addresses and license plate number, and provided a $500 down payment, prosecutors said. The undercover officer gave her numerous opportunities to back out, but she did not, they said. 
"That this defendant so casually decided to organize the murder of her husband shocks the conscience," Rice said in a statement. 
"That's unbelievable," a next-door neighbor who asked not to be named said lastThursday night. "She seems to be a very pleasant, a family-oriented woman." 
Recently, the neighbor said, <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Susan Williams</a> baked a cake for him and his wife, thanking them for clearing the snow off her sidewalk. 
The couple moved into the home with their four children about two to three years ago, a neighbor, who asked not to be named, said. Lately, the neighbor said he has not seen Peter <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>.

LIHIT05

DA: Garden City mom wanted hit man to kill husband

A Garden City mother of four pleaded not guilty Friday morning to charges that she tried to hire a hit man to murder her husband amid an ugly divorce. 
Susan <a href="/topics/Susan_Williams">Williams</a>, 43, is being held on $1 million bond or $500,000 bail. If she is found guilty of second-degree criminal solicitation charges, she could face up to 25 years in prison. 
Prosecutors said at Williams' arraignment in First District Court in <a href="/topics/Hempstead%2C_NY">Hempstead</a> that they have audiotapes of Williams asking an acquaintance to connect her with a hit man. Instead, that acquaintance notified law enforcement, who sent a <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> detective to pose as the killer for hire. 
Prosecutors say they also have videotapes showing Williams negotiating the $20,000 job with the would-be hit man in his car on Feb. 28 and March 3. They said Williams paid him a $500 deposit, and gave him a photo of her husband, Peter Williams, and other identifying information. Prosecutors would not say how the man was supposed to kill Peter Williams. 
<div class="media linkMod">
 <img width="171" alt="News12 Logo" height="87" src="/polopoly_fs/1.1492876.1254431580!image/559136671.jpg"> 
 <ul> 
 <li><a href="http://news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=245039&amp;position=2&amp;news_type=news&amp;rand=33608181"> Click here for more on this story from News12 Long Island </a></li> 
 </ul> 
</div> 
"Had she been referred to a hit man, there is no doubt in my mind that her husband would be dead today," prosecutor Jane Zwirn-Turkin said. 
But Williams' defense lawyer, Stanley Kopilow of Garden City, said there is more to the story than it appears. 
"This case is going to have a lot of twists and turns," he said outside court. "It's not going to play out the way the district attorney thinks it's going to play out."

LIHIT06

Garden City woman pleads not guilty in hit-man plot

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Garden City mom accused in hit-man plot

Newsday

Most Popular

Latest videos

Crime video slot

Suffolk created a street takeover task force in 2024 that has broken up more than 100 incidents in the county.

What local police departments do to combat the problem

Suffolk police are seeking the person who set fire to a 2014 International truck at Consolidated Bulk Carriers Inc. on Windsor Place in Central Islip.

Watch as truck goes up in flames

The settlement agreement was on the verge of collapse after disagreements between Thomas' mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, and Suffolk and the other defendants in the case. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Judge approves $9M settlement

Suffolk police charged three people following a street takeover involving at least 200 ATV's, dirtbikes and motorcycles that began in Hauppauge.

Street takeover prompts police response

Crime Article Bottom Module

Paul Sanderson, 40, allegedly took money to renovate a Green Acres Mall storefront and never did the work.

Man charged in construction fraud scheme

One of the men is living in the country illegally, according to police, and has been handed over to ICE.

3 men face weapons, drug charges after police witness rifle transfer in Jericho

Jason He entered a house on Kathleen Drive East and allegedly hit a man with a chair before fleeing.

Syosset man charged with burglary, assault

"I've been a pastor here for almost 30 years, and I think more people knew Tim than me," the church pastor said.

Dozens remember Timothy Stark as beloved Medford friend at celebration of life

Nassau police charged 2 men and a teen with second-degree murder in the June death.

Three people arrested in killing of 18-year-old in Hempstead

The brothers were 12 and 10 when their father flew into a rage at their mother, Carol Lyn Fraser Kotsopoulos, and gunned her down as she prepared Greek Orthodox Easter dinner.

LI man who murdered wife in front of 2 children denied parole

Sign up for the Morning Update newsletter

Morning Update Newsletter Widget

Santiago Barreto-Gomez, 20, was arrested more than a year after the crash and charged with aggravated vehicular assault, Southampton police said.

Riverhead man charged in hit-and-run crash that left 2 injured

Crime Video Playlist

Matthew Smith sentenced to up to 22 years in prison for drunken-driving crash that killed Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie has more.

'Nothing is going to bring my wife back'

Six men were arrested in a gun trafficking take-down in Nassau County. Newsday TV's Jamie Stuart reports.

'Recovering 47 firearms'

Suffolk County officials Monday warned of scammers, preying primarily on the elderly, who direct people to liquidate their life savings to buy gold bars. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'Very thankful that we saved that money for her'

The mother of a 7-year-old who was allegedly tortured and killed is filing a $250 million lawsuit against Suffolk County. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'Multiple systems together that failed at every single point'

Joseph Horner, 27, of North Massapequa, pleaded not guilty in the killing of his sister-in-law, Victoria Castle, 25, of Massapequa. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

LI teacher charged with murder

According to investigators, Alison Winter was practicing as a clinical social worker without a license between November 2018 and May 2024. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'Psychotherapy is really an umbrella term'

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney sat down with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa to discuss the Gilgo case and the sentencing of Rex Heuermann.

'We had a very strong case'

Ten people are facing charges for allegedly running illegal massage parlors in Suffolk and Queens. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa has more.

'We wanted to go up one level and get the managers'

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa sat down with Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. to discuss what it was like holding the Gilgo Beach serial killer in custody, Heuermann's penchant for Jack the Ripper and what his future likely looks like in state prison.

'They have plenty of time to get him if they want to'

The footage released shows three officers approaching a home where they found Steven Eastwood, standing over his mother with a knife. NewsdayTV's Jamie Stuart reports. Credit: Newsday Studios; New York Attorney General Letitia James' Office

'Drop the knife'

Rex Heuermann's Attorney Michael Brown sat down with Newsday following his client's sentencing to discuss the case. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

'I do think he saw the writing on the wall'

Admitted Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann on Wednesday was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the killing of 8 women. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

'Get him out of here'

Homepage Trending

Cyclospora: How to protect yourself

Wallet Watch

FeedMe Magazine

Summer Fun Book

NEWSDAY TV SHORTS

Vertical videos

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed tours Splish Splash, which has been entertaining Long Islanders for 35 years.

Out East: Slide into fun at Splish Splash

The 50th annual 'Great Freeport Canoe Race' was held at Cow Meadow Park on Sunday. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

Freeport community comes together for 50th annual canoe race

Experts say the snowy winter could be a driving force in the increase in Long Island's tick and firefly population. NewdsayTV meteorologist Geoff Bansen reports.

How snowy winter could lead to summer surge of ticks, fireflies

Suffolk County has agreed to a $57.5 million settlement that repays drivers up to $36 for administrative fees. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

Suffolk to refund $45M in red light camera fees to drivers 

Newsday food writer Melissa Azofeifa tried several dishes on from the social media menu at Island Lake Diner in Ronkonkoma.

Trying the social media menu at Island Lake Diner

NewsdayTV's Macy Egeland and Joye Brown take a look back at the summer of 2008 and the "Montauk Monster."

Picture This: That time a 'monster' washed ashore in Montauk

Two people, clad in black masks, banged on the door of Rex A. Heuermann's Massapequa Park home Tuesday night.

2 shown on Ring camera banging on door of Rex A. Heuermann's home

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa stops by Smokin' Al's in Massapequa to try their oversized nachos, known as Macho Nachos.

Trendy Bites: 'Macho Nachos' at Smokin' Al's

NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano visited Mokafé's newest location, which is next to the Hicksville LIRR station.

Mokafé brings Yemeni coffee to Hicksville

Fake listings, bogus fees and stolen data target renters squeezed by Long Island's high housing costs. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

Rental scams prey on LI apartment hunters

<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

Newsday TV

NewsdayTV Top Item

Fire dept. sex suit settlement ... Schools' cash reserves ... Changes to nursing home inspections? ... Out East: Splish Splash ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV

Fire dept. sex suit settlement ... Schools' cash reserves ... Changes to nursing home inspections? ... Out East: Splish Splash

App Nativo Ad Unit Slot

Crime - megaslot

Follow crime and courts news in Nassau and Suffolk, including incidents reported in your neighborhood, trial coverage, sentencings and more.

Most Popular

Latest videos

Stay logged in.