By: centraljersey.com
MOUNT HOLLY — The conspiracy to commit murder trial of suspended Bordentown City Police Chief Philip Castagna was to resume, yesterday, Wednesday, after the defense cross-examined the prosecution’s star witness Gary Hall.
Mr. Hall was allegedly solicited by Mr. Castagna to kill his former wife, Joyce Leopold.
Defense attorney Robert Leiner questioned Mr. Hall about the plan that he and Mr. Castagna allegedly had but Mr. Hall said that there was no set script or plan.
"Nobody told me what to say, I just said what I said," Mr. Hall said. "I don’t know what the plan was. It unfolded how it unfolded. There was no script. I know the man wanted her dead, he told me he wanted her dead."
However throughout the taped conversations Mr. Castagna never states that he wants his former wife dead.
Mr. Leiner got Mr. Hall to admit that he did most of the talking throughout the recorded conversations and that he doesn’t know when Mr. Castagna hung up the phone after being told that Ms. Leopold was dead. Actually, she had not been harmed.
According to the tapes after hanging up Mr. Castagna called Mr. Hall back and said "I didn’t want to talk on that phone."
Mr. Leiner focused on breaking Mr. Hall’s credibility by focusing on his criminal and mental health history. Mr. Hall was part of the Witness Protection Program, received benefits and was relocated to Florida after agreeing to help the prosecutor’s office with the investigation, the attorney said. However Mr. Hall was terminated from the program after breaking rules and then served five years in a Florida prison on assault charges.
"Listen to the tapes," Mr. Hall said. "I made a decision to work with people that I can’t stand. I just did what I thought I should do."
Mr. Leiner tried to get the point across that Mr. Hall always talked in code when the phone conversations were being taped and spoke about a mission.
"He told me to accomplish the mission," Mr. Hall said, explaining that the mission was to kill Ms. Leopold.
Mr. Castagna is on trial for the second time after a hung jury in the conspiracy to commit murder case in May 2009. Mr. Castagna is hopeful that the case will go in his favor and stated, on Monday, that he looks "forward to returning to work."
Mr. Castagna has disagreed with Bordentown City Mayor James Lynch’s earlier statement doubting Mr. Castagna could return as chief because of his former wife’s restraining order against him forbidshim from carrying a gun.
Officers can work with a restraining order against them, Mr. Castagna said Tuesday. They are allowed to carry a weapon for the workday after signing it out and must sign it back in before leaving for the day.

