Bizarre Trial Takes Another Turn
WHEATON, Ill. (STMW) - Claiming he was coached and coerced by police interrogators, a Maywood man insisted Thursday he apologetically confessed on videotape to a 2004 murder he didn't commit.
Joshua Matthews, though, also admitted he frequently lied to police questioning him about the shooting death of his childhood friend, 17-year-old Sade Glover of suburban Warrenville.
"The more they're accusing me, the more I'm lying, lying lying. I'm lying so much I dug a hole I'm still stuck in," Matthews, now 25, said at one point during his hour-long testimony.
Matthews, an admitted drug dealer, is charged with fatally shooting Glover on Oct. 9, 2004, outside her home after confronting her about an earlier complaint she had filed against him for punching her during an argument.
Though Matthews provided a 20-minute videotaped confession, he has argued throughout his trial that he was pressured by police into falsely confessing to killing Glover.
Acting as his own attorney, Matthews called himself as his final defense witness, repeatedly telling the DuPage County jury Thursday that he didn't gun down the teen as she returned to her home.
"I had nothing to do with killing Sade," Matthews said. "I was in Maywood all night long."
Matthews said he was taken into custody days after Glover's murder, then questioned for hours until he was exhausted and confused. The interrogations continued, Matthews testified, until he ultimately agreed to follow investigators‚ suggestions that if he confessed to killing the teen he would receive a light prison term.
"It was a coerced confession," he told jurors at one point.
Several police officers and a former prosecutor have testified that Matthews voluntarily agreed to make his Oct. 14, 2009, videotaped confession.
His trial already has been marked by unusual drama, including Matthews having to be shocked with a taser outside the courtroom last week when he became disruptive.
He also has appeared in court in an orange jail uniform after refusing to wear civilian clothes offered by his family and the DuPage County public defender's office. During his Thursday testimony, he also wore handcuffs and leg shackles because of his earlier courtroom behavior.
Though Matthews denied harming Glover, he told jurors he could have done so without difficulty if he chose to do so.
"If I'd wanted to hurt Sade, I could have crushed her," he said calmly.
Prodded by prosecutors about why he didn't come to police after learning they wanted to question him about her death, Matthews said he didn't want to get involved.
"When the police are looking for you, it's never good, especially when it's for a homicide.", Matthews answered.
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