Defendant says he never believed in murder plot

Abdul Love admitted Wednesday he had a pair of lengthy conversations with a stranger in the Lake County jail about having two men killed.

But the 29-year-old Carbondale man said he never believed anyone was going to die because of what he was saying.

Love is on trial for solicitation of murder for hire before Circuit Judge Fred Foreman, and faces a prison sentence of 20 to 60 years if convicted.

He was arrested in October 2005 and charged with possession of more than five pounds of cocaine, a crime that could have sent him to prison for up to 60 years.

Love testified it was another jail inmate, Charles Newcomb, who convinced him having the main witnesses against him killed was the only way he could avoid prison.

Newcomb claimed he could get his cousin "Duke" to kill Love's co-defendant, Michael Nelson of North Chicago, and Waukegan policeman Dominic Cappelluti.

Love testified Wednesday that Newcomb was also willing to pay his cousin $45,000 for the murders on behalf of Love, someone he had known for about two months when the plot was hatched.

Love said he believed nothing of what Newcomb was telling him, and went along out of boredom.

"I thought it was crazy," he said of Newcomb's plan. "I just really got caught up with it because I didn't really think it could get done."

Earlier Wednesday, Love is heard playing the tough-talking drug dealer, fully bent on murder, in two secretly recorded conversations with Duke.

Duke was actually Illinois State Police Det. Wendell Saffold, who testified the Love investigation was his third experience of playing a hit man.

During a conversation Dec. 1, 2005, Love tells Saffold he is convinced the drug charges against him will be dropped if Nelson and Cappelluti are dead.

"With those two out the picture, ain't got no choice; none whatsoever," a transcript of the conversation reads. "I be walkin' out of here on the (December) twenty-third. I be sittin' there having Christmas dinner at auntie's house."

Love testified he was only reciting lines Newcomb had prepared for him in the conversations, and that he lied about his background and wealth to impress Duke.

Saffold did his best to impress upon Love he really was going to murder the men unless Love told him not to.

"Now when I leave these doors here, they're dead," Saffold tells Love near the end of their conversation of Dec. 8, 2005. "You got a problem with that?"

Love replies he does not, and Saffold again reminds him he wants his money before any killing is done.

Love assured him several times on the tapes that Newcomb would be paying him in advance with money Love had made selling drugs.

Closing arguments in the trial are expected today.