Harrah's Killer Hid 3

JOLIET, IL — After video surveillance cameras recorded Joliet first-degree murder defendant Robert Watson running out of Harrah's Casino, Watson stashed his pajama pants, his blue Chicago Bears sweatshirt, a pair of clear latex gloves and a Beretta folding knife with a 3-inch blade in a large bush, Will County prosecutor Tom Slazyk informed jurors on Thursday.

Herman Travis, who has worked for the Joliet Housing Authority for 35 years, testified Thursday that he discovered a box cutter, rubber gloves and some clothing that contained blood under a bush at the John Murphy Building, 311 N. Ottawa St. in downtown Joliet.

The blood-stained pajama pants in the bush had blue and white stripes.

"I got on my phone and called my manager up," Travis testified, informing the jury that the Joliet Police Department was subsequently summoned to the scene.

The housing authority property is roughly two blocks north of the casino where Wisconsin sports bar owner, Sam Burgarino, was fatally stabbed the previous night, March 24, 2019.

On the afternoon of March 25, 2019, Watson was arrested by Joliet Police Detective Jamere Price in the Joliet Public Library. Watson was on the second floor of the library, sitting in a chair.

"I placed him in custody," Price testified. "He was cooperative."

Joliet police detectives testified that they recovered Watson's backpack from an abandoned building at 350 North Ottawa St.

The property was red-tagged by city of Joliet employees as being not suitable for human habitation, though Watson apparently stayed there.

The abandoned house was across the street from the John Murphy high rise, where Watson's bloody clothes, folding knife and the latex gloves were seized as evidence by Joliet police.

On Thursday morning, Joliet Police Detective Brad McKeon testified for the prosecution, as did Joliet police evidence technician Ryan Myers and detective Price.

A syringe was found inside the backpack, Myers testified.

Before Myers took the witness stand, McKeon testified he went to the housing authority property to inspect the clothes found in the bushes the day after the murder.

By Tuesday, March 26, 2019, McKeon reviewed video surveillance cameras from Harrah's, showing Watson lurking around the casino property for several hours prior to Burgarino's deadly stabbing along the fifth floor hallway, right near the Wisconsin man's hotel room.

One surveillance video played for the jury showed Watson trespassing in a concrete stairwell, where Watson discovered a metal shelf filled with boxes of latex gloves.

Watson took some of the gloves and then walked back up the stairwell, the video showed.

Assistant Will County State's Attorney Tom Slazyk asked McKeon why he was sent to 311 N. Ottawa St. in downtown Joliet.

"It was the day after the incident," McKeon testified, "trying to see if I can find any discarded items, any video surveillance. Mr. Travis led me to the south side of the building, next to that were some bushes or shrubbery."

McKeon testified he found a pile of clothes and a folding knife in the bushes near the small maintenance building for the housing authority.

On Thursday, these items were shown to the jury: Watson's blue and white striped pants, his black hooded sweatshirt, the folding knife, two latex gloves and a dark Chicago Bears sweatshirt.

"Did you locate any backpack?" Slazyk inquired.

"I did," McKeon responded.

Watson's backpack was recovered from the abandoned house at 350 N. Ottawa, according to the Joliet police detective.

After McKeon, Myers testified about his role in photographing evidence and producing a video showing the fifth floor hallway where Burgarino was fatally stabbed.

The Joliet police video showed the casino stairwell Watson ran down after the murder. Droplets of the victim's blood were discovered on several different floors of the back stairwell, according to Myers.

There were also blood stains on the exit door at the end of the fifth floor hallway, Myers told the jury.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Victim's Blood In Harrah's Hallway Leaves Juror In Tears

Harrah's Murder Trial Underway: Robert Watson Disagrees He's Insane