Defense to get its turn in hit-man case

Lawyers for a Garden City 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 Susan Williams was taken Friday, and court was closed Thursday for Veterans Day. Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday.

On Monday, Williams' 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 Williams asked an acquaintance in February to refer her to a hit man to kill her husband, Peter Williams, with whom she is going through a bitter divorce. Unknown to Susan Williams, 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. Nassau 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 New York Post 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.