Drug dealer represents self in DuPage murder case

A man accused of murdering a Warrenville teen six years ago stammered and swore through the opening statements of his trial Wednesday, at one point shouting at the jury, “Y'all must think I'm crazy.”

Joshua Matthews, 25, of Maywood, is representing himself against first-degree murder charges in the Oct. 9, 2004, shooting death of 17-year-old Sade Glover.

His trial in DuPage County got off to a rocky start after Matthews threatened to turn over courtroom tables and became involved in a physical altercation that resulted in him being Tasered before the jury entered.

By his own choice, Matthews appeared in court wearing a bright orange prisoner outfit with the legs rolled up to his knees, a pair of white socks, and metal shackles around his ankles. He told jurors he intends to prove “everyone they (prosecutors) put on the stand is lying.”

“They ain't got (expletive) on me,” he told the jury.

Assistant State's Attorney Bernard Murray said Glover was shot five times as she exited her car in an alley behind her mother's townhouse on West Winchester Circle in Warrenville around 10:30 p.m.

Neighbors who heard the noise called 911 to report fireworks or gunshots. But the teen's body wasn't found until the next morning when her mother went outside and discovered her hidden between a car and a garage.

The slaying happened just weeks after Glover filed a complaint against Matthews, a childhood acquaintance, for allegedly punching her. Murray said the jury will hear evidence that Matthews confessed twice — once to police, and once to his mother — claiming it was an accident.

“Five times the gun accidentally went off, that's the spin he puts on it,” Murray said.

But Matthews contended in a 45-minute opening statement that police tricked him into admitting to a crime he didn't commit.

“It's not a confession, ladies and gentlemen, it's a coached speech,” he said.

During the course of his statement, Matthews admitted to selling drugs and striking Glover. At times, he veered into his childhood, describing an abusive upbringing and a complex relationship with his mother.

Matthews said he couldn't have murdered Glover because he spent the night of her death going to a dice game, selling drugs and drinking alcohol with friends, “like I do every day.”

Matthews tried to cross-examine several of the prosecution's witnesses, including the victim's mother, but Judge Robert Kleeman sustained several objections to the form and content of his questions.

Glover's mother, Barbara Hudson, testified her daughter was a recent graduate of Wheaton Warrenville South High School who was attending College of DuPage.

When Matthews attempted to question her about his relationship with Glover, Hudson said she would never forget the first time she met Matthews.

“I did not like the way you looked,” she said sternly. “I told my daughter to cut your ties.”

The trial resumes Thursday.