Drew Peterson Update

Another a**hole I haven't updated on is Drew Peterson. Boy does he piss me off. His court process is even slower than Casey Anthony's, too much bickering and neogotiations, not enough progress in getting through any real actual trial. Here are a few things on him that I dug up:

Is Stacy Peterson Dead?
BOLINGBROOK, Ill., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The disappearance of Stacy Peterson, the fourth wife of a former Bolingbrook, Ill., police sergeant, remains a potential homicide three years later, police say.

Peterson was 23 when she disappeared Oct. 28, 2007, shortly after telling her church pastor her husband, Drew Walter Peterson -- once named the Bolingbrook Police Department's "Police Officer of the Year" -- had killed his third wife and she feared for her own safety.

Stacy Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, reported Stacy missing after failing to hear from her. Cales told police she suspected Drew Peterson had killed her sister, just like she believed he killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio, found drowned in a dry bathtub March 1, 2004.

Drew Peterson, now 56, proclaimed his innocence and claimed Stacy had left him for another man.

He was indicted in Savio's death May 7, 2009, with bail set at $20 million.

As he was arrested, Peterson joked, "I guess I should have returned those library books."

Peterson has been in near-solitary confinement for a year and a half while an appellate court decides what hearsay evidence can be used against him at trial.

His lawyer, Joel Brodsky, told The (Joliet, Ill.) Herald-News he doubted the state would charge Peterson with Stacy's death.

"If (prosecutors) can't convict Drew Peterson on the stronger case, they won't charge him with the weak one," Brodsky said.

State attorney's office spokesman Charles B. Pelkie told the newspaper he could not comment on any plans to indict Drew Peterson in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Peterson says his wife accidentally fired gun, not him
BOLINGBROOK (AP) — Former police officer Drew Peterson acknowledges a gun did go off in his home a few months before his wife disappeared but says it was his wife and not him who pulled the trigger.

Responding to a claim by his sister-in-law that Peterson fired a gun, with the bullet almost striking his wife, Peterson told the Chicago Tribune that his wife accidentally fired the gun he’d bought her as a gift.

“She had a fascination with guns,” he said of Stacy Peterson. “I bought her a Glock for Valentine’s (Day) — because nothing says I love you like a Glock. That was our joke.”

Stacy Peterson, 23, vanished in late October and her husband, a 53-year-old former police sergeant in the Bolingbrook Police Department has been named a suspect in her disappearance. Investigators say they believe the case may be a homicide.

Drew Peterson’s story is a direct conflict with the account of Cassandra Cales, Stacy Peterson’s sister.

Bolingbrook police Lt. Ken Teppel said that on Oct. 29, hours after Cales reported her sister missing, she and her father met with Police Chief Ray McGury. He said she told the chief that Drew Peterson was in an upstairs bedroom when the gun went off. Teppel said Cales told the chief that the bullet pierced the bedroom floor and struck the garage floor near where Stacy was pulling a soda from a refrigerator.

Teppel said McGury encouraged Cales report the account to Illinois State Police.

Drew Peterson suggested Stacy Peterson fabricated the story reported to Cales because “she was embarrassed about it.”

But Stacy Peterson’s family spokeswoman, Pamela Bosco, called Peterson’s explanation “idiotic” and said Cales stands by her account of what happened.

Judge says Drew Peterson’s property must be returned
JOLIET (AP) — A Will County judge says investigators must return to Drew Peterson all items seized from his home within 30 days.

The investigators took the property -- including guns and computers -- in November as they investigated the disappearance of Peterson’s wife, Stacy.

Judge Richard Schoenstedt made the ruling during a morning hearing. The only condition is that Peterson must agree not to challenge the validity of photographs of the property or documents related to them at any future trial.

The former Bolingbrook police officer has been named a suspect in Stacy Peterson’s October disappearance. He hasn’t been charged with any crime and denies having anything to do with her disappearance.

Pathologist: Peterson's ex-wife didn't die in fall
JOLIET – A pathologist who concluded that the death of Drew Peterson's ex-wife was a homicide and not an accident as first determined testified Friday that her injuries weren't consistent with a fall in a bathtub.

Dr. Larry Blum, in his first public comments since the 2007 autopsy of Kathleen Savio, said he didn't think bruises on her body and a laceration to the back of her head came from a single fall. Savio's body was found slumped forward in a dry bathtub in 2004, and Blum said that her position wasn't consistent with a fall in the tub.

Blum said Savio did drown but her death was not accidental, as another pathologist initially found.

"It was my opinion that it was a homicide," Blum said.

Peterson, a 56-year-old former Bolingbrook police officer, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of his third wife, Savio. Her body was exhumed in 2007 following the disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Drew Peterson has not been charged in Stacy Peterson's disappearance, but authorities say he is a suspect.

Blum's findings will be at the center of the courtroom battle between Will County prosecutors and Peterson's attorneys, who argue that Savio's death was accidental.

Blum testified at a hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's upcoming trial. Hearsay, or statements not based on the direct knowledge of a witness, usually isn't admissible in court. But Illinois judges can allow it in murder trials if prosecutors prove a defendant may have killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying.
There's little available forensic evidence in Savio's case, so prosecutors are expected to rely on statements Savio allegedly made to others saying she feared Peterson could kill her.

Blum, who said he laid down in Savio's tub as part of his investigation, testified the injury to the back of Savio's head may have been made shortly after her death and not as a result of a fall. He also pointed to a wound in the area of Savio's diaphragm as one that wouldn't have been caused in a fall.

"The bruise was deep, down to the bone," he said.

He also agreed with Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow's suggestion that the diaphragm injury might have been caused by what Glasgow called a "bear hug."

Blum also testified that Savio had no measurable drugs or alcohol in her system when she died — an effort to head off the argument defense attorneys have raised that perhaps Savio was in a condition that would have made a fall more likely.

Earlier in the day, Mary Parks, who studied nursing with Savio, testified about a day in late 2003 when Savio showed her red marks on her neck and told her Peterson made them.

"She told me her ex-husband had come into the house and had pinned her down," Parks testified.

Parks said Savio told her that during the incident Peterson told Savio, "Why don't you just die?"

She also said that Savio told her Peterson was intent on leaving her with nothing in the couple's divorce — but that even leaving her without any money, a share of the business the two owned, child support or custody of their two sons wouldn't have been enough for him.

"Kathy was very sure that if she gave up every cent ... that her ex-husband still would not leave her alone," Parks said.

Parks said she contacted prosecutors after Savio was found dead but was told there was no investigation into the case.

Supreme Court: Peterson Stays in Jail

(WLS) -- Drew Peterson will remain in jail after the Illinois Supreme Court rejected a request he be released while his case is on appeal.

Peterson's attorneys now plan to take the case for his release to federal court.

The defense has argued that Peterson should be freed while the Will County state's attorney appeals a judge's decision barring key hearsay evidence in his trial for the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Savio's death was first ruled an accidental drowning but was reclassified as a homicide several years later.

Stacy Peterson Search Fruitless

Chicagoist- Calling it a search based on "a jailhouse tip," authorities conducted a search for the remains of Stacy Peterson near a farm in Peoria yesterday afternoon.

But after a full day of searching, the investigation has, so far, come up empty-handed. David Alwan, on who's property the search was conducted, told the Tribune, "They had pretty solid leads with specific coordinates."

Authorities do not consider Alwan connected to the case. Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Tom Burek told the press, "I don't want to stand here and tell you this is the magical lead that's going to solve the case. ... Like any lead we hope that it has a positive outcome. ... I don't want to allude to (the idea that) we're looking for a body. We're looking for evidence of a crime based on this lead that we have."

Will County Sheriff's spokesman Pat Barry said his office was unaware of such a tip and that Drew Peterson has been held in solitary confinement. Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky called it a publicity stunt aimed at hurting Peterson's image ahead of his trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, scheduled to start in early July: "They're trying to dirty up the defendant with an irrelevant search.

It's a despicable tactic." By yesterday evening, after 12 hours of searching, Sgt. Burek said, “We’ve exhausted the digging portion [of the search] with the anthropologist," and announced they had no plans to pick up the search today. Burek did note, though, that they would return to the area soon: "We are pursuing some other avenues in reference to this lead and we will be back in this area."

Volunteers Search Pond For Sign of Stacy Peterson

(BOLINGBROOK, Ill.) (WLS) -- Volunteers searched a southwest suburban Bolingbrook pond last Wednesday in hopes of finding clues to the disappearance of Stacy Peterson.

Wednesday's effort was organized by Stacy's sister, Cassandra Cales. Police were not involved in the search near Weber Road and Boughton.

Nothing was found.

Stacy Peterson disappeared in October 2007. Authorities are calling her husband Drew Peterson a suspect.

Drew Peterson is being held on $20 million bond in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. That case is set to go on trial in June.

Peterson Defense Gets 3 New Lawyers

April 29, 2010 (WLS) -- Drew Peterson has three new attorneys as he prepares for his murder trial.

Chicago defense attorneys Steven Greenberg, Ralph Meczyk and Darryl Goldberg are joining Peterson's defense team, which includes Joel Brodsky, his partner Reem Odeh and Chicago defense attorney Joseph Lopez.

Peterson is charged with murdering his third wife Kathleen Savio in 2004. The trial is scheduled to begin in June.

2 Attorneys for Drew Peterson Withdraw

Chicago Tribune- Drew Peterson lost two members of his defense team on Wednesday as attorneys Andrew Abood and George Lenard withdrew from the case citing "irreconcilable differences" with co-counsel Joel Brodsky.

Will County Circuit Judge Stephen White approved Abood's and Lenard's requests to withdraw from the case. When asked if he objected to their motions, Peterson hesitated before telling White he had no objections.

"I think (Peterson) understands, and I think he's disappointed that we're no longer on the case," Abood said after the hearing.

June 14 Start Planned for Drew Peterson Trial

JOLIET, Ill. -- A Will County judge has ordered that jury selection begin June 14 in the murder trial of former Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson.

Judge Stephen White set the date Tuesday. In August, White called about 240 potential jurors to the courthouse to fill out questionnaires and tell them to avoid any media reports about the case - in an effort to protect the potential jury pool.

Peterson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2004 death of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio. He's been named a suspect but isn't charged in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. He denies any involvement in her disappearance.

The judge still has to decide if he'll allow the jury at Drew Peterson's trial to hear hearsay evidence - statements attributed to Savio and Stacy Peterson.

Hearsay Hearing for Drew Peterson Comes to an End

JOLIET, Ill. -- A hearing for Drew Peterson ended Friday night with the same question it began with a month ago: Is there enough evidence to convince a judge that the former police officer may have killed his third and fourth wives to keep them from testifying before a jury?

In dramatic closing statements after the last of more than 70 witnesses testified, prosecutors portrayed Peterson as a cold-blooded killer who took the lives of Kathleen Savio in 2004 and Stacy Peterson three years later to keep them from getting his money.

"They are killed so they can't take the witness stand in a divorce proceeding," said Will County Assistant State's Attorney John Connor.

But defense attorneys said the case against Peterson is built on lies.

Savio's death was a tragic accident, they said, and Stacy Peterson may have vanished in 2007, but she's not dead.

"For someone to say five, six, seven, eight, nine times that she's dead doesn't mean she's dead," defense attorney George Lenard said. "The reason she is not here with Mr. Peterson is that she left, and she left with another man."

The former Bolingbrook police sergeant is charged with Savio's death, but no charges have been filed in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. Friday's closing statements marked the first time they said outright they believe he killed Stacy Peterson.

The unprecedented hearing is easily the most extensive use of a state law allowing a judge to admit hearsay evidence in first-degree murder cases if prosecutors can prove a defendant may have killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. The law was passed after authorities named Peterson a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, then exhumed Savio's body and reopened her death investigation.

The statements that prosecutors want Judge Stephen White to admit as testimony are those in which the women allegedly expressed to friends and family that they were afraid Peterson would kill them.

Prosecutors want friends and relatives of Savio to be allowed to testify about a threat she described, in which Peterson reportedly held a knife to her throat and allegedly told her he could kill her and make it look like an accident. They also want the judge to allow a friend of Stacy Peterson to testify Peterson had told her he killed Savio.

Defense attorneys argued that many of the statements shouldn't be admitted. For example, they pointed to statements Savio gave police after the alleged knife incident in which Savio never said Peterson had a knife.

"She describes things the way she wants in order to make people feel sorry for her," said Andrew Abood, saying Savio wasn't a credible witness.

White also must consider testimony from three pathologists. They all agreed Savio drowned, but two - including Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner who testified Friday - contended Savio's death was a homicide. The other pathologist backed the original finding that her death was an accident.

Throughout the hearing, it became clear the hearsay evidence is critical for prosecutors. They presented no physical evidence linking Drew Peterson to Savio's death, and Stacy Peterson remains missing.

Abood characterized the weakness of the case against Peterson this way: "They (prosecutors) want to come in here and say it's a staged crime scene because they have no evidence."

But prosecutors said the only explanation for the deaths of both women is that Peterson killed them. Both, they said, posed a threat to Drew Peterson. They said he was worried his property settlement with Savio would wipe him out financially, and that Stacy Peterson's planned divorce from him would do the same.

What happened, Connor said, is exactly what Savio and Stacy Peterson feared would happen, as friends and family described.

"Mr. Peterson's wives are two-for-two in predicting their own murders," he said.

White did not say when he would rule on the hearsay, but he did say he would order the ruling sealed until a jury is selected. He explained that he didn't want his decision to influence potential jurors.

Stepbrother: Drew Indicated He'd Kill Wife Stacy

January 21, 2010 (JOLIET, Ill.) (WLS) -- There was some dramatic testimony Thursday during the hearing to determine if hearsay evidence can be used against Drew Peterson.

A key witness, Thomas Morphey, told the court Peterson talked about killing his fourth wife, Stacy. Morphey, Peterson's stepbrother, also described how Peterson may have disposed of the body.

Peterson has not been charged with Stacy's murder. But he is charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

This hearsay hearing is about the murder case of Kathleen Savio, but the majority of the testimony Thursday was about Stacy Peterson and what may have happened to her the weekend she disappeared.

Morphey trusted and looked up to his stepbrother Drew Peterson until, Morphey says, he became scared to death of the former Bolingbrook cop. In a pre-trial hearsay hearing, 42-year-old Morphey detailed the conversations and interactions he had with Peterson the weekend that Stacy Peterson disappeared.

One day before Peterson's fourth wife was reported missing, Morphey testified that Peterson took him on a drive to a park. On the way, Morphey said, "Drew asked me, 'How much do you love me?' I said, 'I do'. He said, 'Enough to kill for me?' I said, 'I always assumed you killed Kathleen.' He said, 'I would never kill Kathleen. She was a good mother'."

"We've always said that from the beginning of this case that Mr. Morphey has very serious credibility issues. That's becoming apparent," said Joel Brodsky, Peterson attorney.

Brodsky says Morphey's admitted history of mental illness and alcohol problems do not make him a credible witness. Despite that, Morphey calmly testified that the day before Stacy went missing, Peterson told him she wanted a divorce and was kicking him out of their Bolingbrook home. Morphey said, "He told me he planned to do something to Stacy."

Morphey said both men discussed renting a storage unit where Peterson wanted to store an air airtight container for six months until he could dispose of it. The following night, the same night Stacy was reported missing, Morphey was inside Peterson's home. Morphey said Peterson walked out of his master bedroom and "he had a large barrel-like container...he had me grab an end, he grabbed the other end. It felt warm."

Morphey testified that Peterson drove him home and said, " 'This never happened.' I said, 'I will not tell a soul' ."

Under cross-examination, Morphey was asked why he never called 911 during that time, specifically on that Sunday, and Morphey answered that he was afraid Drew Peterson would shoot him because Drew always carried a weapon.

Morphey testified that he never saw what was inside that blue barrel, but based on the conversations he had with Peterson that Saturday and the events that took place Sunday, he is assuming that it was Stacy Peterson's body in the blue barrel.

Later in the afternoon, testimony turned back to Kathleen Savio. Peterson's oldest son, Eric, testified that he saw his dad physically abuse Savio in the early 1990s.

Drew Peterson Adds Joliet Lawyer to His Defense Team

Associated Press- Another attorney has joined the criminal defense team for Drew Peterson, who is accused of killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

George Lenard, of the Chicago suburb of Joliet, has practiced law for more than two decades.

Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky says Lenard has been consulting with the defense team for months and brings experience.

Peterson is being held on 20 million bail in Will County on charges that he killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004.

Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, has been missing since October 2007.

Peterson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

New Search Effort for Stacy Peterson

BOLINGBROOK, Ill.(WLS) -- Family and friends joined volunteers to kick off a new search for missing mother Stacy Peterson Friday.

They were combing parts of the southwest suburbs for the first time in several months.

Peterson's family says they have new information as to where she may be, and they want your help in finding her. A new search set off Friday as part of an ongoing effort to find the missing Bolingbrook mother of two.

Stacy Peterson's husband, Drew Peterson, is suspected in her disappearance, but he claimed she left on her own. Drew Peterson sits in a Will County jail, not because of his fourth wife's disappearance. He is awaiting trial in the 2004 murder of third wife Kathleen Savio.

Stacy Peterson disappeared in October of 2007, and her family and friends fear she is dead. Since her disappearance, there have been numerous search operations for the mother. In the days immediately after she went missing, hundreds of volunteers combed the fields and woods around Bolingbrook, as well as ponds, streams and rivers for any signs of her. All of those searches turned up nothing.

Volunteers gathered Friday morning at the Ikea store in Bolingbrook.
They have been waiting to search the wetlands because they were waiting for them to dry up.

About 30 to 40 volunteers were searching for her. They headed down the road to a federally protected field in a wet land area near several homes.

Police were not involved in the search. Several other searches have not resulted in any clues.

The family of Stacy Peterson says they had a tip about a year ago that Drew Peterson was spotted in the area shortly after Stacy's disappearance. They believe there is a good chance they will find something.

"It will be nice just to find her and bring her home. And, you know, it's just an emotional roller coaster ride that I continue to ride and will continue to ride until I bring her home," said Cassandra Cales, Stacy Peterson's sister.

"Several people have tried to contact the Illinois State Police. I feel rather they have too many leads, or something timing wise, that's not good enough. It has to be now and all the time," said Gia Hoffman, family friend.

"Obviously her body is somewhere. I'm hoping today will be the day, and her family deserves that," said Pam Smith, volunteer.

It could be a rather long search effort. The area is not very large, but the brush and the weeds are high. And in certain areas, the water is deep. Some areas may even be unsafe.

Peterson Judge Questions Possible Jurors

(JOLIET, Ill.) (WLS) -- Judge Stephen White is asking hundreds of prospective jurors to fill out questionnaires in the Drew Peterson case, although no trial date has been set.

The judge began the process after Peterson's attorneys asked the judge to move the trial from Will County because of publicity surrounding the case.
Peterson has been charged in the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, Kathleen Savio who was found dead in 2004.

Although White is considering moving this trial out of the county, he says he will not make a decision until October. In the meantime, jurors in Will County are being prepared for a possible trial.

Peterson arrived to the court in custody, Friday, for a hearing to determine whether or not to change venue for his trial. He addressed the jury, saying, "Good day folks, how are you?"

Peterson's attorneys argued the publicity and Drew's career as a police officer will make it difficult to find impartial jurors.

"If we can't pick a fair jury in Will County, than it's the government's job to find a county were we can find impartial jurors. They'll have to go out and do whatever work needs to be done to be able to do that," Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky said.

"Ultimately we'll have to review the questionnaires and have to question the jurors at the time of jury selection," Peterson's attorney Andrew Abood said.

Prospective jurors received questionnaires asking whether they know Drew Peterson, any of the attorneys or any of the witnesses to be called in the case. Judge White also warned the jurors they must not read any newspaper accounts or information about this case.

The Will County State's Attorney would not comment on camera, but in court he argued that it is possible to seat an impartial jury, it is premature to make such a ruling and to wait and see what they find from these questionnaires. He also accused the defense attorneys for making this case so public and allowing the publicity to continue.

Although he did not comment on camera, defense attorneys spoke with the media three times Friday.

Earlier this week, Peterson talked with reporters about his three months in jail. He said fighting boredom is his biggest challenge, saying he hates reading and watches a lot of TV. Peterson also said he does not want his kids to visit him in jail but talks with them twice a week by telephone.

Earlier this week, Peterson's attorneys also filed a 29-page motion to have the new Illinois hearsay law - nicknamed "Drew's Law" - declared unconstitutional. The judge said he would rule on the law's constitutionality Oct. 2. Defense attorneys say the state statute cannot be used against Peterson because it was passed four years after the events he is accused of.

"The criminal law cannot relate back. It cannot change the rules of evidence in the middle of the game, so to speak," said Joel Brodsky, Peterson's attorney.

The former Bolingbrook police officer was arrested in May and charged with killing Savio. Her family members claim she once told them Peterson would kill her. She wrote a letter to prosecutors making that same allegation.

The hearsay law makes it easier to use such hearsay statements during a trial. While Peterson's attorney says it's unconstitutional, prosecutors say their case does not hinge on it. They say they have a mountain of evidence against Peterson.

Private Autopsy: Ex-cop's Third Wife Fought Killer

(CNN) -- The private forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy on Drew Peterson's third wife affirmed the official findings that ruled the death a homicide, a copy of the autopsy report shows.

The report, obtained by CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom, was written by noted pathologist Dr. Michael Baden. He conducted a third autopsy on the body of Kathleen Savio at the request of Savio's family in November 2007.

Peterson, a former Bolingbrook, Illinois, police sergeant, pleaded not guilty May 22 to a charge of first-degree murder in Savio's 2004 death.

The initial autopsy report concluded that she died as the result of an accidental drowning.

Savio was found in the bathtub in her home with a bloody gash on the back of her head; at the time she and Peterson were going through a bitter divorce.

But investigators took another look at the case after Peterson was named as a suspect in the October 28, 2007, disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Savio's body was exhumed on November 13, 2007, and state pathologist Dr. Larry Blum performed a second autopsy. Three days later, Baden conducted another autopsy on behalf of Savio's family.

Baden's report cited Blum's findings of a 1-inch blunt-force laceration on the back of her head, five scraping abrasions and six blunt-force black-and-blue bruises on her extremities, abdomen and buttock.

Baden also noted that even though the body was partially decomposed, "bruises and contusions caused by blunt force injuries shortly before death" were still visible on the right breast, the upper right thigh and the abdomen.

The severity of those injuries, Baden said in his report, indicated a struggle. See a timeline of the case »

"It is my opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that the drowning of Ms. Savio ... should be properly classified as a homicide," the pathologist concluded.

The Will County, Illinois, prosecutor announced in February 2008 that the findings of the second autopsy, conducted by Blum, provided the basis to classify the case as a homicide.

Peterson has denied any wrongdoing in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, who was 23 when she was last seen.

The former police sergeant remains in jail, awaiting trial on the first-degree murder charge in Savio's death.

Peterson Trial Witness List: 805 People

June 26, 2009: JOLIET — Saying Drew Peterson's attorneys were attempting to simplify disclosure evidence into "CliffsNotes," prosecutors thwarted the bid Thursday but will have to pare an 805-witness list down to the 50 most likely to testify.

John Connor, the chief of the major crime unit for the state's attorney, countered an eight-point motion from Peterson's defense team that would help the accused wife-killer's lawyers more easily navigate the thousands of pages of discovery evidence.

"I think what the counsel is asking us to do is give them CliffsNotes on this," Connor said, referring to the study guides that simplify books for students.

One of Peterson's attorneys, Joel Brodsky, argued that the first-degree murder indictment against Peterson was too vague.

He wanted prosecutors to provide detailed descriptions of such matters as how Peterson allegedly drowned his third wife, Kathleen Savio; whether he used any weapons or tools to kill her; exactly where and when the alleged 2004 murder occurred; and how Peterson may have gained entry to her home.

"Was it a key?" Brodsky asked. "Was it, 'Beam me up, Scotty'?"

Connor countered that all of the information Brodsky is entitled to can be found in the discovery evidence already handed over by prosecutors. But Brodsky said it was too much for him and Peterson's other attorneys to sift through.

Judge Stephen White denied all the requests in Brodsky's motion, but did tell Connor to come up with an approximate time Savio was last seen alive and about when her body was found.

Brodsky also took issue with the 805 men and women listed as possible witnesses against Peterson. Connor is supposed to come up with the 50 most likely to testify by July 10, but was not forbidden from calling the remaining 755 at trial, which is scheduled to start Aug. 24.

White also shot down Brodsky's request for Peterson to take possession of the evidence against him while he is in jail. White said Peterson could review the evidence in the presence of his attorneys, who have been granted unlimited jailhouse visits with their client.

Brodsky also asked whether three key witnesses against Peterson were compensated by the state police.

Brodsky named Peterson's former friends Len Wawczak and Paula Stark, who clandestinely recorded their conversations with Peterson for seven months at the behest of the state police, and Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, who claims to have helped Peterson dispose of the body of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, in October 2007, as the witnesses he suspects may have profited from their statements.

Brodsky asked whether Stark, Wawczak or Morphey were paid money or given consideration in regard to criminal charges that may have faced them.

White said this issue would be resolved July 10.

Drew Peterson's Bid to Reduce Bail Rejected

A state appellate court has turned down Drew Peterson's bid to lower his $20 million bail on charges he murdered his third wife, his attorneys said Saturday.

The 3rd District Appellate Court was not persuaded by arguments that Peterson's deep roots in Bolingbrook and lack of a criminal record called for a lower bail. The $20 million bail was set May 7, the day Peterson was arrested for the 2004 murder of Kathleen Savio.

Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, is missing. On May 22, another Will County judge denied Peterson's attempt to lower his bail to less than $1 million. Peterson's attorneys indicated they may try again. "We are also confident that as the weakness of the state's case is exposed over the following weeks and months we will have another opportunity to ask for a reduction in bond," attorney Joel Brodsky said in a statement. (source)

Judge Puts Leash on Media Hound Drew Peterson in Wife's Murder Case

Fox News - A judge on Wednesday prohibited murder suspect Drew Peterson, a notorious media hound, from contacting anyone except people on a court-approved list of family, friends and attorneys -- jailhouse restrictions in response to Peterson's recent phone call to a Chicago talk radio show.

Will County Judge Stephen White ordered Peterson's lawyers to give him the phone numbers of family, friends and attorneys who Peterson calls. If Peterson wants to call someone who is not on the list, he must notify the jail and get the judge's approval.

The judge issued specific guidelines to Peterson's attorneys on pre-trial publicity and media interviews, asking that the lawyers inform the judge of any pre-arranged media interviews and supply him with copies of any press releases sent out on the case.

DNA Shows Headless Skeleton Was Male

(AP) DNA test results released Wednesday show a headless, armless skeleton found along the Des Plaines River last week was from an unidentified male, ending speculation the badly decomposed body was one of two women whose disappearances have drawn national media attention.

Results of an autopsy performed last week on the remains were inconclusive. The person had been dead several months or more, but the rib cage, spinal column and partial left and right femur bones were not enough to determine an identity, race or gender of the corpse, authorities said.

Shreds of blue jeans and a small amount of U.S. currency were also found along with the remains near the town of Channahon.

An investigation into the corpse's identity was ongoing, Illinois State Police said Wednesday in a statement.

The location of the remains in Will County prompted speculation they were related to the high-profile missing person cases of Stacy Peterson or Lisa Stebic.

Stacy Peterson's husband Drew has pleaded not guilty to killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He contends Stacy, his fourth wife, left him for another man when she disappeared in October 2007 and is most likely living outside Illinois.

"We can take no joy or relief in the fact that it isn't (Stacy Peterson) because some family somewhere will be grieving," Drew Peterson's attorney, Reem Odeh. "But we hope this invigorates a global search for Stacy and brings attention to the fact that she is still missing."

Savio's death was originally ruled an accidental drowning. It was reclassified as a homicide after her body was exhumed and an autopsy conducted following Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Drew Peterson is being held at the Will County Jail on $20 million bond.

Stebic, a mother of two, was last seen in Plainfield in April 2007. Authorities have named Stebic's husband Craig a "person of interest" in her disappearance but he is not charged with any crime. He has denied any involvement.

Drew Peterson Calls Radio Show to Joke From Jail

May 27th: CHICAGO (AP) -- Drew Peterson has broadcast his trademark -- and seemingly inappropriate -- sense of humor live from jail.

The former cop, suspected in his third wife's death, called collect to WLS Radio's Mancow & Cassidy show on Wednesday and offered snippets of a comedy routine he's working on.

Peterson, who once proposed a "Win a Date With Drew" contest, offered a jail version called "Win a Conjugal Visit with Drew."

He also joked about prison showers, his legal fees and his "bling" handcuffs, saying humor is how he deals with stress.

Peterson is being held on $20 million bond on charges of first-degree murder in Kathleen Savio's death. He's also a suspect in his fourth wife Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Peterson denies any wrongdoing.

Drew Peterson Judge Replaced For A Second Time

For the second time, the judge in the Drew Peterson murder case has been replaced.

Will County Chief Judge Gerald Kinney on Monday assigned the case to Circuit Judge Stephen White. The move was in response to the defense's motion for a judge other than Carla Alessio Policandriotes. Kinney said he found that the defense's motion "does appear to meet the criteria."

Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, didn't specify why he wanted a different judge. Earlier, State's Atty. James Glasgow, who is prosecuting the case, said in court he didn't oppose the motion, saying it is "a statutory right."

Policandriotes handled a small part of the 2002 divorce case between Peterson and Kathleen Savio, signing an early order setting child support and awarding Savio temporary custody of their children.

Peterson is alleged to have killed Savio in 2004 after they had divorced but before financial and other matters had been settled.

Peterson has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor: Peterson Tried to Hire Hit Man

(CNN) -- Prosecutors alleged Friday that Drew Peterson tried to hire a hitman to kill his third wife, Kathleen Savio, a spokesman for the Will County, Illinois, state attorney said.

State's Attorney James Glasgow said during a bail reduction hearing Friday that Peterson tried to solicit a hitman for $25,000 to kill Savio, press secretary Charles Pelkie said.

Peterson has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in Savio's death.