Crime & Safety

Snitch in Jailhouse Hit Man Case Popped on Domestic Battery Rap

The man who wore a wire and allegedly recorded a jailed Frankfort lawyer trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife was arrested in Crest Hill.

The star witness in the case against a Frankfort lawyer charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife was arrested for allegedly hitting a woman.

The witness, Brian McDaniel, who allegedly wore a wire to catch attorney Robert Gold-Smith's murderous plans, was booked into the Will County jail on a domestic battery charge Wednesday night.

It was in that very same jail that McDaniel, 49, and Gold-Smith, 50, first met. After making Gold-Smith's acquaintance, McDaniel voluntarily wore a wire for detectives with the sheriff's department, sources said, and recorded his fellow-inmate attempting to set up his wife's murder.

Find out what's happening in Frankfortwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gold-Smith was in jail for allegedly attacking and brutally beating his wife in a courthouse hallway in November 2010. He allegedly assaulted his wife, 45-year-old Victoria Smith, at the conclusion of a hearing in their divorce case.

McDaniel is but one of as many as four county jail inmates Gold-Smith engaged in conversation about killing his wife, according to court records. At least one other man wore a wire for the police in addition to McDaniel, who was arrested on the domestic charge by the Crest Hill police.

Find out what's happening in Frankfortwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Prior to his arrest, McDaniel was allegedly drinking with a woman in a room at the Crest Hill Inn. The woman called the law and told them McDaniel had hit her, said Crest Hill Police Chief Dwayne Wilkerson. When officers got to the Plainfield Road motel, they saw a mark on the woman's face and took McDaniel into custody.

McDaniel's most recent arrest should have no bearing on the prosecution of Gold-Smith, said Charles B. Pelkie, the spokesman for the Will County State's Attorney's Office.

"It won't impact the case," Pelkie said. "We're going to continue to prosecute the case aggressively."

Check out all the latest true crime news on our Facebook page


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.