Glen Mayer took the stand in his own defence Monday, telling a jury he shot and killed Tony Bechara after Bechara allegedly charged at him with a knife during a confrontation over an affair with Mayer’s wife.
Accused claims self-defence
Mayer, 49, of LaSalle has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the Jan. 20, 2024 shooting of Bechara, 47, at Bechara’s home in Lakeshore. The defence argues the shooting occurred during a sudden confrontation, while prosecutors allege Mayer armed himself, drove to Bechara’s home after discovering the affair and killed him intentionally.
Under questioning from defence lawyer Julianna Greenspan, Mayer said he had been drinking and arguing with his wife the night before and he “felt destroyed” after discovering messages between Bechara and his wife on her cellphone around 5:30 a.m.
Accused retrieved gun, drove to victim's home
He told jurors he retrieved a Glock handgun from a gun safe, put it in the pocket of his hoodie and left his LaSalle home. Evidence earlier in the trial showed the handgun later recovered from Bechara’s home belonged to Mayer. He sent text messages and screen captures of the conversation between Bechara and his wife to several people.
He said he left the house in LaSalle at 5:31 a.m. and drove around for a while before heading to Lakeshore, where Bechara lived. He testified that he had made several calls and had sent text messages, some of which he either didn’t remember sending or couldn’t remember what he said. He sent at least two messages to Bechara.
Text messages sent before shooting
“Hey it’s Glen. Everyone loses today,” Mayer allegedly texted Bechara. “I’ll speed up your karma,” Mayer allegedly wrote in another message. “You should know better.” All the while Mayer said he was drinking alcohol.
He said he drove around trying to locate Bechara’s house. He eventually arrived around 7 a.m. and went to the back of the residence where he said he knocked on a patio door. Mayer testified he and Bechara were friends and he had visited the house previously, so he knew where Bechara was likely to be.
Confrontation and shooting
Once inside, they exchanged insults and argued about the affair, when Mayer said Bechara grabbed a knife from a kitchen island and charged at him. “All I remember at that point is me shooting at him,” Mayer said. “It all happened very quickly.”
After the shooting, Mayer said he threw the gun in the sink. He then approached Bechara. “I could see he wasn’t breathing. It was obvious to me that he had passed,” Mayer testified. He said he then picked up the knife and threw it away. He said he did not call 911 before leaving the home and returning to LaSalle. He recalled phoning a friend who later showed up at his house.
Accused sought lawyer after shooting
Mayer said he sent an acquaintance a text message around 7:52 a.m. saying “you’d better call Saul,” a reference to a popular legal-themed television show. Mayer said it was a reference to him needing a lawyer.
