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Author Topic: Drew Peterson arrested/indicted for murder 3rd wife Kathleen Savio #1(GUILTY)  (Read 310828 times)
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carpe noctem
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« Reply #180 on: June 05, 2010, 01:21:49 AM »

www.tmz.com

Cops May Have Found Body of Drew Peterson's Wife

Originally posted 22 minutes ago by TMZ Staff

There may be a huge break in the disappearance of Drew Peterson's third wife.  TMZ has learned authorities believe they may know exactly where the body is buried, and then plan to dig for it tomorrow.
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« Reply #181 on: June 05, 2010, 01:22:58 AM »

Cops May Have Found Body of Drew Peterson's Wife
Originally posted 30 minutes ago by TMZ Staff
There may be a huge break in the disappearance of Drew Peterson's third wife.  TMZ has learned authorities believe they may know exactly where the body is buried, and then plan to dig for it tomorrow.


http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/04/drew-peterson-murder-wife-body-crime-scene-police-officer-illinois-dig/


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« Reply #182 on: June 05, 2010, 01:28:42 AM »

Carpe..Would've hated to have met ya in the good ol' western days cause your draw is VERY quick!God Bless.......
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« Reply #183 on: June 05, 2010, 02:48:17 AM »

Update on info upthread:

Cops May Have Found Body of Drew Peterson's Wife

Originally posted Jun 4th 2010 9:52 PM PDT by TMZ Staff

There may be a huge break in the disappearance of Drew Peterson's third wife.  TMZ has learned authorities believe they may know exactly where the body is buried, and then plan to dig for it tomorrow.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Peterson, an ex-cop who is currently behind bars awaiting trial for the murder of his third wife, told an inmate yesterday how he killed Stacy Peterson, wife number 4.  Stacy's body has never been recovered.

Our sources say Peterson told the inmate he had an accomplice help him dispose of the body.  The inmate then told authorities about his discussion with Peterson, which led them to the alleged accomplice.  We're told the accomplice informed Will County Sheriff's officials and prosecutors that the body was buried just outside Peoria, Illinois.

Will County Sheriff's deputies and prosecutors took the alleged accomplice to Peoria Friday, and the accomplice led them to private hunting grounds.  The owner allowed authorities to enter his property and the accomplice then led them to the site where Stacy's body was allegedly buried.  The accomplice told authorities the body was stuffed in a metal drum that had been buried underground.

On Friday afternoon, authorities brought police dogs onto the property and we're told the dogs immediately took them to the place where the witness said the body was buried.  Authorities then put prongs in the soil and hit a mass below ground that could be the drum in question.

We're told State Police are now guarding the property and authorities will begin digging tomorrow morning.
(Edit-Add link per Wyks.  MB) http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/04/drew-peterson-murder-wife-body-crime-scene-police-officer-illinois-dig/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
« Last Edit: June 05, 2010, 09:47:36 AM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #184 on: June 05, 2010, 02:50:04 AM »

Oops.. forgot link, sorry. 

http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/04/drew-peterson-murder-wife-body-crime-scene-police-officer-illinois-dig/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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« Reply #185 on: June 05, 2010, 04:01:14 AM »

Now that the initial excitement has worn down a bit, am scouring the net to see if any local news stations in chicago are reporting anything. 

And........ nuttin. 

Gosh I hope this isn't some kind of freaky hoax.  That TMZ got the scoop on the local news.  Tribune is supposed to be going bankrupt or something, wouldn't doubt it. 

But if there are guards out there tonight, and all that LE activity out there Fri afternoon... wouldn't some reporter worth his/her salt have nosed that out? 

Hmmmm....

And.... Drew.  Being an ex-dirty-cop, would he actually have confessed all to another inmate?  Enough anyway that sent another inmate running to LE with the name of the accomplice and etc?  I dunno. 

What does sound like Drew is to have said enough to get some attention to his sorry @ss. 

And yet, not so sure that TMZ would lead out with such a detailed report, had LE not contacted them, and their source not slipped the info to them.  How could TMZ back that article if not true? 

I don't want to wake up later today and find out that TMZ pulled their article and denies it was ever posted. 

We want JUSTICE for Stacy!! 

dagnabit.
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« Reply #186 on: June 05, 2010, 04:07:25 AM »

Oh and yeah, upthread in the TMZ article..... pssssst TMZ!!  Stacy was Drews fourth wife, not third.  <nods> 
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« Reply #187 on: June 05, 2010, 06:52:15 AM »

Wyks >>>>>>>>>>>> Please post any further developments on this in Stacy's thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks.

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=2295.msg1147915#new
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« Reply #188 on: June 05, 2010, 11:26:29 AM »

Wyks >>>>>>>>>>>> Please post any further developments on this in Stacy's thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks.

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=2295.msg1147915#new

??????????  I posted what I did because this is the only place it was being discussed. Sorry, will ensure it does not happen again.
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« Reply #189 on: June 05, 2010, 11:28:09 AM »

Wyks...haven't heard anything on the news about this or on Yahoo news...
thanks for the updates...
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« Reply #190 on: June 19, 2010, 09:05:24 AM »

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-06-18/news/ct-met-0619-drew-peterson-20100618_1_defense-attorney-joel-brodsky-peterson-and-brodsky-drew-peterson
Drew Peterson's lawyers haggle over what jury will hear
As trial nears in drowning of Peterson's 3rd wife, judge weighs how much jurors will hear about 4th wife's disappearance

June 18, 2010|By Steve Schmadeke, Tribune reporter

Less than three weeks before Drew Peterson is scheduled to go on trial for the 2004 drowning of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, attorneys for both sides are trying to settle what, if any, details jurors will hear about the still-unsolved disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Defense attorney Joel Brodsky was quoted before a lengthy court hearing Friday saying he planned to ask that prosecutors be barred from bringing up Stacy Peterson. Prosecutors have said Peterson is the sole suspect in her disappearance, but he has never been charged.

After the hearing, Brodsky said only that the defense had filed a motion to keep jurors from hearing about Peterson's prior "bad acts." He said he could not comment further because Judge Stephen White had ruled on "those issues" after closing the courtroom.
"Team Peterson had a great day today," said fellow defense lawyer Joseph Lopez.

White declined to throw out a search warrant executed at Peterson's Bolingbrook home days after his fourth wife vanished.

Investigators on Oct. 31, 2007, found 23 firearms, five other weapons including nunchucks, and a red "alibi folder" with receipts from the day before Savio was found drowned, prosecutors said.

Assistant State's Attorney John Connor said the folder would be used to show Peterson "staged" the drowning and planned to use the receipts as his alibi.

White said he would review a video prosecutors made of press appearances by Peterson and Brodsky but didn't plan to allow jurors to see it.

White declined to delay the July 8 start date of the trial after Peterson's lawyers had pleaded for more time.

sschmadeke@tribune.com
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« Reply #191 on: June 25, 2010, 03:09:14 PM »

Drew Peterson Trial: Jury To Hear Some Hearsay Evidence Under New Law
 Updated: 06-25-10 02:07 PM

Under a new law passed specifically for this case, jurors in the Drew Peterson murder trial will hear certain portions of the so-called "hearsay" testimony that is usually inadmissible in court cases.

According to the Chicago Tribune, a suburban pastor will be able to testify about his discussion with Stacy Peterson, Drew's fourth wife, in which she said she gave police a false alibi for her husband the night his previous wife was killed.

Peterson is charged with the murder of Kathleen Savio, his third spouse. Stacy reportedly told her pastor, Neil Schori, that Peterson was missing for hours on the night of Savio's death. He came home dressed in all black and carrying another woman's clothes, she told Schori, and coached her for hours on what to say to investigators about where he had been.

This type of evidence, in which a witness like Schori testifies about what another has said, is ordinarily not allowed at trial. But under an Illinois law passed in 2008, commonly known as "Drew's Law," some forms of hearsay are admissible if the prosecution argues that the witness was killed to keep from testifying.

Stacy Peterson disappeared in October 2007; Drew Peterson is a suspect in her disappearance, though no charges have been brought as her remains have not yet been found.

Meanwhile, the Tribune reports that the prosecution also suffered a setback in the hearsay rulings:

However, the jury will not hear some details of an alleged 2002 incident in which Peterson allegedly broke into the home of his third wife, Kathleen Savio; held a knife to her throat; and threatened to kill her, according to sources and comments made by defense attorney Joel Brodsky in court Thursday.

Sources told the Tribune that statements from several of the women's [Savio's and Stacy Peterson's] friends have been barred, including some testimony about the July 2002 incident in which Peterson is accused of breaking into Savio's house and holding a knife to her throat.

The alleged home invasion was a major focus of the hearsay hearing held earlier this year, with at least seven witnesses testifying about it. One of Savio's former co-workers told the judge that Savio said Peterson, clad in all black and carrying a knife, snuck into her home, pinned her on the stairs and then balked at killing her because it would be "too bloody."

It's unclear why the judge allowed Schori's testimony and not those of the women's friends, but the Tribune reports that Judge Stephen White has to "weigh the witness's reliability" before allowing them to testify hearsay.

Hearsay testimony is risky, and especially damaging to the defense, said University of Illinois law professor Stephen Beckett, because they have no opportunity to cross-examine the person whose words are being spoken.

"This other witness may truthfully be saying what the person said, but how do we know what the person said is true?" Beckett said, in a 2009 article on the subject.

Still, enough evidence was apparently excluded by Judge White to appease Peterson's attorneys.

Joseph Lopez, one lawyer on the defense team, again from the Tribune: "I'm extremely content. As content as a puppy with a new bone."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/25/drew-peterson-trial-jury_n_625814.html
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« Reply #192 on: June 25, 2010, 07:45:09 PM »

Chicago Sun Times 
June 25, 2010 Friday
 
Testimony on a Savio autopsy may be barred
 
A celebrity pathologist who autopsied Kathleen Savio may not be allowed to testify when Drew Peterson stands trial next month for the murder of his third wife, a Will County judge said Thursday.

But Judge Stephen White rejected a request from Peterson's attorneys to push back the scheduled July 8 trial date so they have more time to obtain and review evidence.

"Right now, the July 8 date is going to stand," White said bluntly.

Among the evidence defense attorneys still want to obtain is videotaped footage of an autopsy performed on Savio by pathologist Dr. Michael Baden. He conducted the 2007 autopsy at the behest of her family after another pathologist chosen by Will County prosecutors had examined her exhumed remains.

A Fox News employee taped the autopsy as part of a TV news program focusing on Peterson.

"Somebody allowed a TV station to videotape an autopsy?" a seemingly surprised White asked during a Thursday hearing.

But White put aside his surprise to say that if defense attorneys can't obtain a tape of the autopsy, he may ban Baden from testifying during the trial.

Savio's 2004 bathtub drowning death just after her divorce from Peterson originally was ruled an accident. But her body was exhumed in late 2007 after Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished from the couple's Bolingbrook home.

Savio's death then was ruled a murder -- and her former husband was charged last year with her slaying. Peterson remains a suspect in Stacy Peterson's still-unsolved disappearance but hasn't been charged in that case.

While the judge refused to push back the trial, he has yet to rule on several key issues, including whether Peterson's attorneys can have access to State Police reports regarding Stacy Peterson's disappearance. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:1211878074&start=1
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« Reply #193 on: July 05, 2010, 11:06:47 AM »

July 2, 2010
Judge allows disputed autopsy in Peterson murder trial

A Will County judge ruled today that a renowned pathologist CAN testify against Drew Peterson, despite defense claims that his autopsy was tainted by Fox News' involvement.

Defense Attorney Joel Brodsky had argued that Fox News producer Steph Watts "irretrievably compromised" the autopsy Michael Baden performed on Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Brodsky says Watts testified today that he handed over the Fox News material that aired, not the raw tape. Watts also said he didn’t help move Kathleen’s body.

 Judge Stephen White said, "At this point, there's no reason to bar the testimony." 

 Today's ruling comes less than a week before Peterson's much-anticipated murder trial.

 Jury selection is scheduled to begin July 8. In Session will have complete coverage of the trial.

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/02/judge-allows-disputed-autopsy-in-peterson-murder-trial/
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« Reply #194 on: July 07, 2010, 02:38:42 PM »

Drew Peterson trial is postponed and will not start tomorrow. Beth Karas reporting from Chicago.
Drew's attorney's are attempting to get him released on bail now......
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« Reply #195 on: July 07, 2010, 02:45:32 PM »

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7541896
Prosecutors: Drew Peterson trial will be delayed
Updated at 01:36 PM today
AP 

July 7, 2010 (JOLIET, Ill.) -- Prosecutors say Drew Peterson's trial on charges of killing his third wife will be delayed while they appeal a judge's decision to exclude some evidence.

Jury selection was set to begin Thursday in Peterson's trial in the 2004 drowning death of ex-wife Kathleen Savio.

Will County Judge Stephen White ruled that he would not allow a jury to hear some of the hearsay -- or second-hand -- evidence. That evidence makes up the bulk of the prosecution's case.

There is no apparent physical evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death, no witnesses and no confession.

State's Attorney James Glasgow says he will appeal the judge's decision but did not say exactly what hearsay statements were excluded.
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« Reply #196 on: July 07, 2010, 02:47:40 PM »

Drew Peterson trial is postponed and will not start tomorrow. Beth Karas reporting from Chicago.
Drew's attorney's are attempting to get him released on bail now......

WTF? I could just scream.
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« Reply #197 on: July 07, 2010, 04:03:10 PM »

Lopez is as much of an ASS as Drew Rolling Eyes

Peterson attorney says prosecution 'chickened out'
(AP) – 26 minutes ago

CHICAGO — The defense attorney for Drew Peterson says an appeal on hearsay evidence in the former police officer's upcoming murder trial signals to him that prosecutors have no case.

Prosecutors on Wednesday appealed a judge's decision to exclude some evidence in Peterson's trial on charges he killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004. The appeal delays the trial. Jury selection was set to begin Thursday.

Peterson's defense attorney Joseph Lopez says prosecutors "chickened out." He believes the appeal will be denied and the charges dismissed.

Will County Judge Stephen White ruled that he wouldn't allow a jury to hear some of the hearsay — or second hand — evidence that makes up the bulk of the prosecution's case.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Former police officer Drew Peterson's trial on charges of killing his third wife will be delayed while a judge's decision to exclude some hearsay evidence is appealed, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Jury selection was set to begin Thursday in Peterson's trial in the 2004 drowning death of ex-wife Kathleen Savio.

But Will County Judge Stephen White ruled Tuesday he would not allow a jury to hear some hearsay — or second hand — evidence.

That evidence is considered crucial because prosecutors have not yet produced physical evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death, first-hand witnesses or a confession.

State's Attorney James Glasgow said Wednesday he will appeal the judge's decision but did not say exactly what hearsay statements were excluded.

Peterson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Savio's death and has denied involvement in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who has not been seen since October 2007.

Savio's death originally was ruled an accident after her body was found in an empty bathtub. Her body was exhumed after Stacy Peterson's disappearance, and Savio's death was then ruled a homicide.

Peterson was arrested and charged in Savio's death in May 2009. He's been named a suspect but not charged in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

During a hearing earlier this year to determine what hearsay evidence a jury would be allowed to hear, several witnesses testified Savio told them she feared Peterson would kill her and had even sneaked into her house and held a knife to her throat and threatened her life.

They also presented witnesses who told of conversations they had with Stacy Peterson, including a pastor who testified Stacy told them she had helped Peterson concoct a fake alibi the weekend Savio's body was found.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbfkKdZZEPQinpLBXO6Df3-5s2SwD9GQDCJG2
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« Reply #198 on: July 07, 2010, 06:11:39 PM »

Lawyers to seek Peterson's release during appeal
(AP) – 32 minutes ago

JOLIET, Ill. — Former police officer Drew Peterson's trial on charges of killing his third wife will be delayed and he could be released on bail while prosecutors appeal a judge's decision to exclude evidence considered crucial to the case, attorneys said Wednesday.

Jury selection was set to begin Thursday in Peterson's trial in the 2004 drowning death of ex-wife Kathleen Savio.

But Will County Judge Stephen White ruled Tuesday he would not allow a jury to hear some hearsay — or second hand — evidence, including statements Savio allegedly made to others. Such evidence is considered crucial to the case because prosecutors have not yet produced physical evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death, firsthand witnesses or a confession.

State's Attorney James Glasgow didn't say exactly what hearsay evidence was excluded. In talking about the appeal, he pointed to a June 24 Illinois Supreme Court ruling that upheld the conviction of a Naperville man in the 2005 slayings of four family members. The court unanimously rejected the man's argument that hearsay statements from his sister shouldn't be allowed.

"As State's Attorney, I am obligated to appeal the judge's ruling to ensure that every legally admissible statement may be presented at trial," Glasgow said in a written statement.

Peterson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Savio's death and has denied involvement in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who has not been seen since October 2007.

The appeal could mean Peterson will be released from jail. Glasgow said Illinois law doesn't allow a defendant to be held during such an appeal unless there are "compelling reasons" to do so, and Peterson's attorneys said they'll seek his release.

Savio's death originally was ruled an accident after her body was found in an empty bathtub. Her body was exhumed after Stacy Peterson disappeared, and Savio's death was ruled a homicide.

Peterson was arrested and charged in Savio's death in May 2009. He's been named a suspect but not charged in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Peterson's attorneys said the appeal didn't come as a surprise and they believe the case eventually will be dismissed.

"They chickened out. They knew they didn't have a case," said Joseph Lopez, one of Peterson's defense attorneys. "They're telling the appellate court, we don't have a case without this hearsay."

Hearsay evidence — statements not based on a witness' direct knowledge — are allowed in trials under a new state law if prosecutors can prove a defendant may have killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. The law was so closely linked to the Peterson case that some have dubbed it "Drew's law."

A hearing was held earlier this year to determine what hearsay evidence a jury would be allowed to hear.

A person familiar with the case told The Associated Press that among the statements White ruled a jury can't hear was one from Stacy Peterson's pastor, who said she told him she'd given Peterson a false alibi the weekend of Savio's death. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the judge's orders have been sealed.

That person said the pastor, Neil Schori, will still be allowed to testify about other conversations with Stacy Peterson.

For example, Schori can testify Stacy Peterson told him of seeing her husband, dressed all in black, dumping his clothes and women's clothing that did not belong to Stacy into their washing machine the night before Savio's body was found in her bathtub, the source said.

The person also said White ruled one of Savio's co-workers couldn't testify. During the hearing to determine what hearsay testimony would be allowed at trial, Issam Karam said Savio told him about a night at her home when Peterson, armed with a knife, allegedly grabbed her throat and told her there was nothing she could do to protect herself from him.

White did rule, however, that he would allow a letter to a then-assistant state's attorney in which Savio outlined allegations that Peterson has physically abused her. During the hearing, the former prosecutor testified that she did not remember receiving the letter, the source said.

But the appeal likely signals that the prosecution's case could be in trouble, said Terry Sullivan, a Chicago attorney and former prosecutor who has followed the case.

"It signals to me that without the hearsay they're in trouble," Sullivan said. "Now it's pretty well an admission that shows they don't want to go to trial without that hearsay testimony. You can read whatever you want into it."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbfkKdZZEPQinpLBXO6Df3-5s2SwD9GQF65G0
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« Reply #199 on: July 08, 2010, 10:29:15 AM »

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/foxvalleysun/news/2471482,4_1_JO07_PETERSON_S1-100707.article
Will Drew Peterson get his chance to speak?
July 7, 2010

 JOLIET -- Drew Peterson's mouth ran for more than a year and a half after his fourth wife vanished.

All this stopped 14 months ago when he was jailed on charges he murdered his third wife. But with his eagerly anticipated trial set to start tomorrow, will Peterson's lawyers give him the chance to talk his way out of it?
Joel Brodsky, the longest-serving of Peterson's six attorneys, won't say if his client will take the stand. In fact, Brodsky is not sure who he will call to testify.

"It depends what evidence the state puts on," said Brodsky, who is trying his first-ever murder case with the eyes of the world watching.

Brodsky said he will make the first impression on the jury after it is seated, as he is tasked with the opening argument. And he claims to have some tricks up his sleeve.

"There's going to be some surprises in my opening. It will be informative and entertaining," said Brodsky, who predicted that he is going to get under the skin of his adversary, State's Attorney James Glasgow.

"You'll probably hear him grunt and groan," Brodsky said.

Glasgow's spokesman, Charles B. Pelkie, said the state's attorney is "ready to go to trial" along with a prosecution team comprised of seven assistant state's attorneys. Peterson has six attorneys of his own, four of which joined after an acrimonious split between Brodsky and East Lansing, Mich., attorney Andrew Abood. Abood's departure led to Joliet lawyer George Lenard leaving the case as well.

"I'm sorry we lost George," Brodsky said. "I'm not sorry we lost Andrew."

Along with Brodsky and the four new additions to the defense Team, Peterson is also represented by Brodsky's law partner, Reem Odeh. While Odeh has been out of the picture in recent months, she insists she is still a vital part of Drew Peterson's defense.

"We have hundreds of other cases at this office," she said, pointing out that someone has to tend to her law firm's day-to-day affairs while Brodsky is down in Joliet taking care of the Peterson case.

Odeh did say that once the trial starts, she will be tabbed to question the two teenage sons Peterson and his slain third wife, Kathleen Savio, had together, noting that she and the boys, Thomas and Kristopher Peterson, have a solid relationship.

"Yes, I do," she said. "I've worked very closely with them since the beginning of the case."
Savio's death
Peterson is charged with murdering Savio in March 2004. The state police investigated Savio's death and quickly determined she was the victim of a freak bathtub accident.

Three and a half years later, the state police were forced to revisit their investigation of Savio's death after Peterson's next wife, Stacy Peterson, mysteriously disappeared in October 2007.

Stacy's unexplained absence prompted the police to reclassify Savio's death as a homicide and to identify Peterson as the sole subject in their investigation. They got around to arresting him about 17 months later.

The five-plus years between Savio's death and Peterson's arrest -- along with the lack of physical evidence the state police collected when they first had the case -- will be a big advantage to the defense, Brodsky believes.

"You don't have an eyewitness, you don't have a murder weapon, you don't have fingerprints, you don't have DNA," Brodsky said.

But the prosecution does have motive -- Peterson was due to lose a staggering amount of the couple's assets to Savio when the financial issues of their divorce were finally settled, and a court date to finalize the matter was looming when she died. Equally compelling is the vital hearsay evidence they have tying Peterson to the crime.
Hearsay decision
Various, contradictory accounts of what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's trial have been reported. Brodsky called all the versions "inaccurate."

"I think even the prosecution is saying the reports are inaccurate," he said.

Prosecutors have asked Judge Stephen White to reconsider his decision on what hearsay evidence will be allowed in regard to a recent Illinois Supreme Court decision, apparently in hopes of getting all that they asked for admitted at trial.

On top of the clear motive and potential hearsay evidence, Peterson's attorneys also must overcome what seems to be a universal dislike of Peterson, who never hesitated to cultivate his image as a crass womanizer.

"Is a jury going to convict a man even when the evidence shows he's innocent, just because they don't like him?" asked an incredulous Brodsky.

"Maybe in Nazi Germany," he said. "I don't think the people of Will County will do that."
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  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
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