Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:27 pm
Hearsay testimony to continue with retired Sgt. Patrick Collins
January 21, 2010 By JOE HOSEY and DAN ROZEK
BOLINGBROOK — Drew Peterson’s stepbrother pieced together the accused wife-killer’s allegedly murderous schemes and revealed how he was supposedly roped into helping dispose of Stacy Peterson’s body. Morphey, whose father is married to Peterson’s mother, told his shocking tale from the witness stand on the second day of a historic hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson’s murder trial. Peterson faces murder charges in connection with the March 2004 apparent bathtub drowning of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Prosecutors are trying to prove he killed Stacy Peterson so she could not testify against him. Stacy Peterson vanished in October 2007. The state police believe she may have been slain and have named Peterson their only suspect in the case but have yet to make an arrest.
Stepbrother testifies
Morphey’s testimony mirrored an exclusive account he gave The Herald-News in March. In that interview, and in court Thursday, Morphey told how Peterson asked him, “Do you love me?’ and when Morphey said he did, continued with, “Enough to kill for me?” When Morphey said he could not live with himself if he killed someone, Peterson asked if he “could live with knowing about it,” to which Morphey replied, “I always assumed you killed Kathleen.” Morphey also told how Peterson dropped him off in a park with a cell phone for about an hour the night after Stacy was last seen alive. He said Peterson told him not to answer the phone when it rang. The phone rang twice, Morphey said, and both times the caller ID showed Stacy’s name. Peterson then picked up Morphey and brought him to the Peterson residence. The two men went inside, Morphey said, and carried a blue plastic barrel weighing about 150 pounds downstairs to Peterson’s sport utility vehicle. Distraught at the notion of aiding Peterson in the murder of his wife, Morphey attempted suicide by overdosing on tranquilizers. The state police interviewed him in the hospital and State’s Attorney James Glasgow granted him immunity for his testimony. Morphey also said Peterson confided that Stacy was cheating on him with two possible lovers, one of whom he wanted to frame for Stacy’s murder. Peterson asked him to drive Stacy’s car to Shorewood, where one of Stacy’s men lived, and leave the car there with the keys in the ashtray in an attempt to lead the cops there, Morphey said. He also said Peterson tried to get him to rent a storage locker in Romeoville. “He said he wanted it in my name, that he would pay me $200 up front to rent it and when that ran out, he (would give) me more money. Concerned about a decomposing body beginning stink, Morphey said he asked, “What about the smell?” but Peterson reassured him. “He said a sealed container, he said it would be air-tight,” Morphey said. “He said I should check it from time to time to make sure there was no odor.” “He’d leave the container there for six months until the smoke cleared and then he’d dispose of it,” Morphey said, and “If something happened to him, if he had a heart attack, to dump it in the canal.” Morphey said Peterson told him Stacy was demanding a divorce. She wanted Peterson out of the house in four days, was seeking custody of their two children along with the two born to Savio, who she adopted, and had her eyes on quite a bit of her old man’s assets. “She wanted half his pension, which meant he had to work for the rest of his life,” Morphey said. Peterson was also worried that if Stacy had custody of his kids, her brother, convicted sexual predator Yelton Cales, could get at them, Morphey said.
‘He’s a very ill man’
During the hearing, Glasgow played a telephone conversation between Peterson and Morphey that was taped by the state police. On the tape, Peterson orders Morphey not to talk to the press or the police, and warns him about discussing things on the phone. One of Peterson’s attorneys, George Lenard, raised the issue of Morphey’s drug and alcohol problems, pointed out that he suffers from bipolar disorder and claimed Peterson just wanted to rent the storage locker so he could hide things in it before Stacy filed for divorce. Another of Peterson’s attorneys, Joel Brodsky, attacked Morphey’s credibility during a break in the hearing.
Drew’s son speaks Morphey was followed to the stand by Peterson’s estranged son Eric Peterson. The older of two children born to Peterson’s first wife, Carol Brown, who is neither missing nor murdered, Eric Peterson, 31, recounted a savage tale of domestic abuse he says Drew Peterson perpetrated on Savio in 1993. Eric Peterson and his younger brother, Stephen Peterson, were visiting their father and Savio for the weekend when Drew hauled his wife through the front door by her hair. “She was being dragged and fighting to stop being dragged,” Eric Peterson said, adding that Savio was shouting obscenities at her husband, begging the children to call the police and “screaming for help.” Eric Peterson said his father ordered his sons upstairs and pulled Savio down to the basement. He said the commotion downstairs sounded like a train ran through the house. One of Savio’s sisters and the police later showed up. The next morning, Eric Peterson said, there was no sign of Savio, but the house was strewn with broken glass and overturned furniture. Eric Peterson said it was apparent that Savio was drunk the night Drew Peterson dragged her around. Eric Peterson said he has not spoken to his father since January 2003. “I don’t love him or hate him,” Eric Peterson said of his father. “It’s separate of emotion. It’s indifference.”
Sergeant takes stand
The last witness called Thursday was retired state police Sgt. Patrick Collins, who headed up the Savio death investigation. In his 22 years as a detective, Collins said he had never handled a homicide. And the Savio case would not be his first, as he and two other investigators decided about a half hour after showing up at Savio’s house that her death was likely accidental. Savio’s death would be officially classified as such following a coroner’s inquest that featured testimony from a state police special agent who said investigators found no sign of foul play. Collins said Peterson told the state police that he and Savio had an amiable relationship at the time of her death and did not stand to profit from her dying. “He said basically he would gain nothing because during the divorce Kathy changed some of the paperwork,” said Collins, whose testimony will continue today.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/hearsay-testimony-to-continue-with-retired-sgt-patrick-collins/#more-4462
January 21, 2010 By JOE HOSEY and DAN ROZEK
BOLINGBROOK — Drew Peterson’s stepbrother pieced together the accused wife-killer’s allegedly murderous schemes and revealed how he was supposedly roped into helping dispose of Stacy Peterson’s body. Morphey, whose father is married to Peterson’s mother, told his shocking tale from the witness stand on the second day of a historic hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson’s murder trial. Peterson faces murder charges in connection with the March 2004 apparent bathtub drowning of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Prosecutors are trying to prove he killed Stacy Peterson so she could not testify against him. Stacy Peterson vanished in October 2007. The state police believe she may have been slain and have named Peterson their only suspect in the case but have yet to make an arrest.
Stepbrother testifies
Morphey’s testimony mirrored an exclusive account he gave The Herald-News in March. In that interview, and in court Thursday, Morphey told how Peterson asked him, “Do you love me?’ and when Morphey said he did, continued with, “Enough to kill for me?” When Morphey said he could not live with himself if he killed someone, Peterson asked if he “could live with knowing about it,” to which Morphey replied, “I always assumed you killed Kathleen.” Morphey also told how Peterson dropped him off in a park with a cell phone for about an hour the night after Stacy was last seen alive. He said Peterson told him not to answer the phone when it rang. The phone rang twice, Morphey said, and both times the caller ID showed Stacy’s name. Peterson then picked up Morphey and brought him to the Peterson residence. The two men went inside, Morphey said, and carried a blue plastic barrel weighing about 150 pounds downstairs to Peterson’s sport utility vehicle. Distraught at the notion of aiding Peterson in the murder of his wife, Morphey attempted suicide by overdosing on tranquilizers. The state police interviewed him in the hospital and State’s Attorney James Glasgow granted him immunity for his testimony. Morphey also said Peterson confided that Stacy was cheating on him with two possible lovers, one of whom he wanted to frame for Stacy’s murder. Peterson asked him to drive Stacy’s car to Shorewood, where one of Stacy’s men lived, and leave the car there with the keys in the ashtray in an attempt to lead the cops there, Morphey said. He also said Peterson tried to get him to rent a storage locker in Romeoville. “He said he wanted it in my name, that he would pay me $200 up front to rent it and when that ran out, he (would give) me more money. Concerned about a decomposing body beginning stink, Morphey said he asked, “What about the smell?” but Peterson reassured him. “He said a sealed container, he said it would be air-tight,” Morphey said. “He said I should check it from time to time to make sure there was no odor.” “He’d leave the container there for six months until the smoke cleared and then he’d dispose of it,” Morphey said, and “If something happened to him, if he had a heart attack, to dump it in the canal.” Morphey said Peterson told him Stacy was demanding a divorce. She wanted Peterson out of the house in four days, was seeking custody of their two children along with the two born to Savio, who she adopted, and had her eyes on quite a bit of her old man’s assets. “She wanted half his pension, which meant he had to work for the rest of his life,” Morphey said. Peterson was also worried that if Stacy had custody of his kids, her brother, convicted sexual predator Yelton Cales, could get at them, Morphey said.
‘He’s a very ill man’
During the hearing, Glasgow played a telephone conversation between Peterson and Morphey that was taped by the state police. On the tape, Peterson orders Morphey not to talk to the press or the police, and warns him about discussing things on the phone. One of Peterson’s attorneys, George Lenard, raised the issue of Morphey’s drug and alcohol problems, pointed out that he suffers from bipolar disorder and claimed Peterson just wanted to rent the storage locker so he could hide things in it before Stacy filed for divorce. Another of Peterson’s attorneys, Joel Brodsky, attacked Morphey’s credibility during a break in the hearing.
Drew’s son speaks Morphey was followed to the stand by Peterson’s estranged son Eric Peterson. The older of two children born to Peterson’s first wife, Carol Brown, who is neither missing nor murdered, Eric Peterson, 31, recounted a savage tale of domestic abuse he says Drew Peterson perpetrated on Savio in 1993. Eric Peterson and his younger brother, Stephen Peterson, were visiting their father and Savio for the weekend when Drew hauled his wife through the front door by her hair. “She was being dragged and fighting to stop being dragged,” Eric Peterson said, adding that Savio was shouting obscenities at her husband, begging the children to call the police and “screaming for help.” Eric Peterson said his father ordered his sons upstairs and pulled Savio down to the basement. He said the commotion downstairs sounded like a train ran through the house. One of Savio’s sisters and the police later showed up. The next morning, Eric Peterson said, there was no sign of Savio, but the house was strewn with broken glass and overturned furniture. Eric Peterson said it was apparent that Savio was drunk the night Drew Peterson dragged her around. Eric Peterson said he has not spoken to his father since January 2003. “I don’t love him or hate him,” Eric Peterson said of his father. “It’s separate of emotion. It’s indifference.”
Sergeant takes stand
The last witness called Thursday was retired state police Sgt. Patrick Collins, who headed up the Savio death investigation. In his 22 years as a detective, Collins said he had never handled a homicide. And the Savio case would not be his first, as he and two other investigators decided about a half hour after showing up at Savio’s house that her death was likely accidental. Savio’s death would be officially classified as such following a coroner’s inquest that featured testimony from a state police special agent who said investigators found no sign of foul play. Collins said Peterson told the state police that he and Savio had an amiable relationship at the time of her death and did not stand to profit from her dying. “He said basically he would gain nothing because during the divorce Kathy changed some of the paperwork,” said Collins, whose testimony will continue today.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/hearsay-testimony-to-continue-with-retired-sgt-patrick-collins/#more-4462
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:29 pm
Experts: Police botched 1st Peterson investigation
By MICHAEL TARM and DON BABWIN
The Associated Press
Saturday, January 23, 2010; 1:57 PM
JOLIET, Ill. — From nearly the moment the lead investigator stepped into the suburban Chicago area home where former policeman Drew Peterson’s third wife was found dead in a dry bathtub, he treated her death as a tragic accident.
Illinois State Police Sgt. Patrick Collins collected no forensics evidence from the scene – not fingerprints, unfinished drinks or clothes. Most disturbingly, say experts, Collins let Peterson sit in on what may have been a vital interview.
Six years later, as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for Peterson’s trial on charges of murdering Kathleen Savio, one thing has become clear: Police blew the initial investigation, undermining prosecutors’ ability to prove their case.
“The incompetency that comes out is somewhat unbelievable,” said Richard Brzeczek, a former Chicago police superintendent who now works in private criminal defense. “It seems that, pretty fundamentally, what should have been done was not done.”
Among the litany of mistakes: Collins said he never asked anyone whether Savio’s body had been touched or moved, he never tried to account for her body being bent forward, and he never interviewed her relatives. And when he left the house, he didn’t seal it, meaning someone could walk in and take, move or even clean something.
“They could have had the evidence with a proper investigation,” Brzeczek said. “A prosecution’s extremely more difficult now.”
The now-retired Collins testified Thursday and Friday at a pretrial hearing meant to determine what, if any, “hearsay” evidence prosecutors can use during Peterson’s murder trial.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys hit Collins with tough questions, with prosecutors trying to show he could have gathered evidence pointing to Peterson’s involvement in Savio’s death. The defense, which has long claimed Savio’s death was an accident, argued that even if someone had killed her, the investigation was so shoddy it would be impossible to determine who that was.
Peterson has pleaded not guilty in Savio’s 2004 death. Officials exhumed her body and ruled her death a homicide only after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007. He hasn’t been charged in her disappearance, but authorities say he’s the only suspect.
Brzeczek says one of the glaring examples of Collins’ poor judgment was permitting Peterson to attend an interview of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, in which she was asked about her husband’s whereabouts the day Savio died. Peterson and Savio had divorced and Peterson married Stacy Peterson before Savio died.
Collins testified that Peterson not only sat in on the interview, he answered a question put to his wife about what they ate for breakfast that day.
“Collins should have said, ‘I’m sorry there are serious considerations here, we have a death investigation, and at this point there will be no profession courtesies,’” Brzeczek said. “You just cannot do those kind of things.”
There’s quite a bit more to this story.
Read the rest of the story at the Washington Post.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/experts-say-kathleen-savio-investigation-botched/#more-4479
By MICHAEL TARM and DON BABWIN
The Associated Press
Saturday, January 23, 2010; 1:57 PM
JOLIET, Ill. — From nearly the moment the lead investigator stepped into the suburban Chicago area home where former policeman Drew Peterson’s third wife was found dead in a dry bathtub, he treated her death as a tragic accident.
Illinois State Police Sgt. Patrick Collins collected no forensics evidence from the scene – not fingerprints, unfinished drinks or clothes. Most disturbingly, say experts, Collins let Peterson sit in on what may have been a vital interview.
Six years later, as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for Peterson’s trial on charges of murdering Kathleen Savio, one thing has become clear: Police blew the initial investigation, undermining prosecutors’ ability to prove their case.
“The incompetency that comes out is somewhat unbelievable,” said Richard Brzeczek, a former Chicago police superintendent who now works in private criminal defense. “It seems that, pretty fundamentally, what should have been done was not done.”
Among the litany of mistakes: Collins said he never asked anyone whether Savio’s body had been touched or moved, he never tried to account for her body being bent forward, and he never interviewed her relatives. And when he left the house, he didn’t seal it, meaning someone could walk in and take, move or even clean something.
“They could have had the evidence with a proper investigation,” Brzeczek said. “A prosecution’s extremely more difficult now.”
The now-retired Collins testified Thursday and Friday at a pretrial hearing meant to determine what, if any, “hearsay” evidence prosecutors can use during Peterson’s murder trial.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys hit Collins with tough questions, with prosecutors trying to show he could have gathered evidence pointing to Peterson’s involvement in Savio’s death. The defense, which has long claimed Savio’s death was an accident, argued that even if someone had killed her, the investigation was so shoddy it would be impossible to determine who that was.
Peterson has pleaded not guilty in Savio’s 2004 death. Officials exhumed her body and ruled her death a homicide only after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007. He hasn’t been charged in her disappearance, but authorities say he’s the only suspect.
Brzeczek says one of the glaring examples of Collins’ poor judgment was permitting Peterson to attend an interview of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, in which she was asked about her husband’s whereabouts the day Savio died. Peterson and Savio had divorced and Peterson married Stacy Peterson before Savio died.
Collins testified that Peterson not only sat in on the interview, he answered a question put to his wife about what they ate for breakfast that day.
“Collins should have said, ‘I’m sorry there are serious considerations here, we have a death investigation, and at this point there will be no profession courtesies,’” Brzeczek said. “You just cannot do those kind of things.”
There’s quite a bit more to this story.
Read the rest of the story at the Washington Post.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/experts-say-kathleen-savio-investigation-botched/#more-4479
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Estee on Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:49 am
Thank you Snaz....I appreciate you keeping me updated on this...I had a feeling that police "code of silence " had a lot to do with keeping this under wraps...Since it wasn't investigated properly I hope that the so called heresay testimony is allowed and that he will be found guilty of both Kathleen's death and Stacy's disappearance/death ...
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:37 pm
You are welcome, Estee..... and I agree with you 100%. This is one case where hearsay testimony is BEYOND valid and should certainly be admitted..... It will be interesting to see what the judge does with it.
Drew murdered both Kathleen and Stacy, and he needs to pay for it. He thinks he is so smart, he could commit the perfect murder...... JUSTICE needs to prove him wrong.
Drew murdered both Kathleen and Stacy, and he needs to pay for it. He thinks he is so smart, he could commit the perfect murder...... JUSTICE needs to prove him wrong.
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:27 pm
INSIDE STORY: Prosecutors Preview Murder Case Against Drew Peterson
By Jeff Truesdell
Monday January 25, 2010 09:30 AM EST
He stands accused of murdering his third wife, and is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth. But through much of the allegations dating to 2004, ex-cop Drew Peterson has simply fanned the interest with his cocky confidence and attention-embracing behavior worthy of a red-carpet celebrity.
His kids – including two apiece with each of his wives in the twin mysteries – issued a statement of support when Peterson, now 56, was arrested in May ‘09 and pleaded not guilty to killing Kathleen Savio, 40, whose bathtub drowning was staged to look like an accident, according to Illinois prosecutors. He had replaced the still-missing Stacy Peterson with a 24-year-old fiancée, although the woman later described the engagement as a stunt. Even his defense team has raised eyebrows, enlisting model-turned-lawyer Reem Odeh and issuing a news release headlined "Not Just Another Pretty Face," which states: "Reem wants the public to know that beyond her stunning good looks is a hard-nosed attorney who is detail-oriented and brings keen analytical skills to Team Peterson."
The families of Savio and Stacy Peterson have not laughed. But back in court last week for a hearing that will help decide his future (testimony resumes Monday), the smiles were gone from Peterson's face as well.
Hearsay Evidence
In an extraordinary court hearing, prosecutors are previewing their murder case by presenting witnesses who recall each woman's fears in the face of threats from Peterson. At issue is a legal milestone – the so-called Drew Peterson Law, adopted by the Illinois legislature after Peterson became a suspect – that allows previously inadmissible hearsay to be used in court against him. Will County Judge Stephen White will hear as many as 60 witnesses over three weeks to decide which statements ultimately may be presented to a jury.
"All it is, is rumor, innuendo and gossip," Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky told the media after a previous hearing. "People had ulterior motives for saying what they said or are out-and-out unreliable people."
Even so, the allegations as Peterson's case regains the spotlight are riveting.
Knife to Throat
Peterson broke into Savio's house, tackled his ex-wife on a staircase and put a knife to her throat, telling Savio "he could kill her right there and then, but it would be too bloody," according to Savio's statements to a co-worker, Issam Karam. "He told her nothing she could say or do would make her safe," Karam testified.
Three months later, in March 2004, Savio's body was discovered in an empty bathtub. The medical examiner initially ruled it drowning by accident. Only after Stacy Peterson, then 23, disappeared in October 2007 – and suspicions again turned to Drew Peterson – did authorities take a second look, exhuming Savio's body and declaring the case a homicide.
Hoping to show a pattern, prosecutors hope to introduce Stacy Peterson's own fears and suspicions about Peterson into the Savio case – although no evidence of Stacy's whereabouts has been revealed, and no one has been charged in her disappearance.
Benefit of a Doubt
Stacy's family doubted Peterson had a role in Savio's death because he told them his ex-wife was mentally unstable, Stacy's uncle Kyle Toutges testified. "We were told Kathy was on drugs and needed to be in a home," Toutges said. "Our family gave Drew the benefit of the doubt."
At a party, however, Toutges overheard Drew Peterson's friends tell Peterson "it looked bad for him, how convenient it was for him for his wife to die at this time." Toutges described Peterson's response as, "Let them prove it."
And repeating an earlier reported comment, Peterson's stepbrother told the judge he helped Peterson move a heavy storage container from Peterson's house on the day Stacy Peterson went missing. But in much more detail, Thomas Morphey testified his assistance followed a conversation in which Peterson had asked him, "How much do you love me?"
When Morphey answered, "I do," Peterson replied, "Enough to kill for me?"
Claims Stacy Cheated on Him
Morphey – who acknowledged his bipolar disorder, manic depression and treatments for substance abuse, and who tried to kill himself after helping Peterson – testified he told Peterson he couldn't live with that. He said he told Peterson, "I always assumed you killed Kathleen," adding that Peterson replied, "No, I would never kill Kathleen. She was a great mother."
But after claiming that Stacy was cheating on him and wanted a divorce, Peterson offered Morphey $200 to rent a storage unit for a container in Morphey's name, with instructions to check on it for six months "to make sure there was no odor," Morphey said. Peterson explained that if anything happened to him, Morphey should take the container and "drop it in the canal," Morphey said.
'This Never Happened'
Even after Morphey declined to participate, Peterson picked him up the next day – Oct. 28, 2007 – to help haul the container out the front door and into Peterson's SUV. When they were finished, Morphey testified, Peterson told him, "This never happened."
Legal experts are waiting to see how many such statements a jury may eventually hear, noting that prosecutors have not identified any eyewitnesses or scientific evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death. A date for the murder trial has not been set.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20339141,00.html
By Jeff Truesdell
Monday January 25, 2010 09:30 AM EST
He stands accused of murdering his third wife, and is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth. But through much of the allegations dating to 2004, ex-cop Drew Peterson has simply fanned the interest with his cocky confidence and attention-embracing behavior worthy of a red-carpet celebrity.
His kids – including two apiece with each of his wives in the twin mysteries – issued a statement of support when Peterson, now 56, was arrested in May ‘09 and pleaded not guilty to killing Kathleen Savio, 40, whose bathtub drowning was staged to look like an accident, according to Illinois prosecutors. He had replaced the still-missing Stacy Peterson with a 24-year-old fiancée, although the woman later described the engagement as a stunt. Even his defense team has raised eyebrows, enlisting model-turned-lawyer Reem Odeh and issuing a news release headlined "Not Just Another Pretty Face," which states: "Reem wants the public to know that beyond her stunning good looks is a hard-nosed attorney who is detail-oriented and brings keen analytical skills to Team Peterson."
The families of Savio and Stacy Peterson have not laughed. But back in court last week for a hearing that will help decide his future (testimony resumes Monday), the smiles were gone from Peterson's face as well.
Hearsay Evidence
In an extraordinary court hearing, prosecutors are previewing their murder case by presenting witnesses who recall each woman's fears in the face of threats from Peterson. At issue is a legal milestone – the so-called Drew Peterson Law, adopted by the Illinois legislature after Peterson became a suspect – that allows previously inadmissible hearsay to be used in court against him. Will County Judge Stephen White will hear as many as 60 witnesses over three weeks to decide which statements ultimately may be presented to a jury.
"All it is, is rumor, innuendo and gossip," Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky told the media after a previous hearing. "People had ulterior motives for saying what they said or are out-and-out unreliable people."
Even so, the allegations as Peterson's case regains the spotlight are riveting.
Knife to Throat
Peterson broke into Savio's house, tackled his ex-wife on a staircase and put a knife to her throat, telling Savio "he could kill her right there and then, but it would be too bloody," according to Savio's statements to a co-worker, Issam Karam. "He told her nothing she could say or do would make her safe," Karam testified.
Three months later, in March 2004, Savio's body was discovered in an empty bathtub. The medical examiner initially ruled it drowning by accident. Only after Stacy Peterson, then 23, disappeared in October 2007 – and suspicions again turned to Drew Peterson – did authorities take a second look, exhuming Savio's body and declaring the case a homicide.
Hoping to show a pattern, prosecutors hope to introduce Stacy Peterson's own fears and suspicions about Peterson into the Savio case – although no evidence of Stacy's whereabouts has been revealed, and no one has been charged in her disappearance.
Benefit of a Doubt
Stacy's family doubted Peterson had a role in Savio's death because he told them his ex-wife was mentally unstable, Stacy's uncle Kyle Toutges testified. "We were told Kathy was on drugs and needed to be in a home," Toutges said. "Our family gave Drew the benefit of the doubt."
At a party, however, Toutges overheard Drew Peterson's friends tell Peterson "it looked bad for him, how convenient it was for him for his wife to die at this time." Toutges described Peterson's response as, "Let them prove it."
And repeating an earlier reported comment, Peterson's stepbrother told the judge he helped Peterson move a heavy storage container from Peterson's house on the day Stacy Peterson went missing. But in much more detail, Thomas Morphey testified his assistance followed a conversation in which Peterson had asked him, "How much do you love me?"
When Morphey answered, "I do," Peterson replied, "Enough to kill for me?"
Claims Stacy Cheated on Him
Morphey – who acknowledged his bipolar disorder, manic depression and treatments for substance abuse, and who tried to kill himself after helping Peterson – testified he told Peterson he couldn't live with that. He said he told Peterson, "I always assumed you killed Kathleen," adding that Peterson replied, "No, I would never kill Kathleen. She was a great mother."
But after claiming that Stacy was cheating on him and wanted a divorce, Peterson offered Morphey $200 to rent a storage unit for a container in Morphey's name, with instructions to check on it for six months "to make sure there was no odor," Morphey said. Peterson explained that if anything happened to him, Morphey should take the container and "drop it in the canal," Morphey said.
'This Never Happened'
Even after Morphey declined to participate, Peterson picked him up the next day – Oct. 28, 2007 – to help haul the container out the front door and into Peterson's SUV. When they were finished, Morphey testified, Peterson told him, "This never happened."
Legal experts are waiting to see how many such statements a jury may eventually hear, noting that prosecutors have not identified any eyewitnesses or scientific evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death. A date for the murder trial has not been set.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20339141,00.html
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:31 pm
Retired sgt. returns to stand in Peterson hearing
January 25, 2010
Updated at 08:41 AM today
(JOLIET, Ill.) (WLS) -- A retired Illinois State Police sergeant who investigated the death of Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, will be back on the witness stand Monday morning during Peterson's pretrial hearing.
Patrick Collins investigation concluded that Savio's 2004 death was an accident. A follow-up investigation determined she was murdered.
Collins testified for several hours Friday about his investigation. He's expected to be cross examined Monday.
A judge must decide of hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's murder trial. He is charged with Savio's murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Friday was the third day of the hearing and both sides went after Collins. The prosecution tried to show how Collins and his investigators could have gathered evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death.
In the meantime, the defense was trying to convince the judge that the investigation was so botched that Savio's killer may never be identified.
Collins left the courthouse with little to say after spending the day detailing why the 2004 death of Peterson's third wife was ruled accidental and not a homicide.
"He's a police officer, 26 years on the force. He knows what blood spatter is, he knows what DNA is, he knows what trace evidence is," said Andrew Abood, Peterson's attorney.
In court, the 26-year veteran lawman appeared confused and unsure and even defensive at times as Peterson's co-defense attorney challenged him about his investigative techniques, asking why certain DNA and trace evidence at the crime scene was not gathered and why Peterson was allowed to sit in on a police interview with Stacy Peterson.
Abood asked Collins, "Would you have done anything differently?"
"Yes, I would have interviewed more people because of this investigation," Collins said. "I'm not going to second guess myself. You could second guess anything."
While being questioned, Collins admited shortcomings in the investigation, saying that investigators believed that the death was as a result of a slip and fall. Savio was found dead in a bathtub in her home.
Collins went so far as to describe himself as a naive first-year investigator who never considered Drew Peterson a person of interest simply because "we had no information he was a suspect at the time."
It was the first time that prosecutors tried to connect Drew Peterson to the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Peterson has not been charged in the disappearance, but authorities say he's their only suspect.
Sharon Bychowski, a longtime friend and next-door neighbor of Stacy Peterson, told Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow that Drew told her that Stacy called him and said, "I met another man and I'm not coming back."
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7237493
January 25, 2010
Updated at 08:41 AM today
(JOLIET, Ill.) (WLS) -- A retired Illinois State Police sergeant who investigated the death of Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, will be back on the witness stand Monday morning during Peterson's pretrial hearing.
Patrick Collins investigation concluded that Savio's 2004 death was an accident. A follow-up investigation determined she was murdered.
Collins testified for several hours Friday about his investigation. He's expected to be cross examined Monday.
A judge must decide of hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's murder trial. He is charged with Savio's murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Friday was the third day of the hearing and both sides went after Collins. The prosecution tried to show how Collins and his investigators could have gathered evidence linking Peterson to Savio's death.
In the meantime, the defense was trying to convince the judge that the investigation was so botched that Savio's killer may never be identified.
Collins left the courthouse with little to say after spending the day detailing why the 2004 death of Peterson's third wife was ruled accidental and not a homicide.
"He's a police officer, 26 years on the force. He knows what blood spatter is, he knows what DNA is, he knows what trace evidence is," said Andrew Abood, Peterson's attorney.
In court, the 26-year veteran lawman appeared confused and unsure and even defensive at times as Peterson's co-defense attorney challenged him about his investigative techniques, asking why certain DNA and trace evidence at the crime scene was not gathered and why Peterson was allowed to sit in on a police interview with Stacy Peterson.
Abood asked Collins, "Would you have done anything differently?"
"Yes, I would have interviewed more people because of this investigation," Collins said. "I'm not going to second guess myself. You could second guess anything."
While being questioned, Collins admited shortcomings in the investigation, saying that investigators believed that the death was as a result of a slip and fall. Savio was found dead in a bathtub in her home.
Collins went so far as to describe himself as a naive first-year investigator who never considered Drew Peterson a person of interest simply because "we had no information he was a suspect at the time."
It was the first time that prosecutors tried to connect Drew Peterson to the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Peterson has not been charged in the disappearance, but authorities say he's their only suspect.
Sharon Bychowski, a longtime friend and next-door neighbor of Stacy Peterson, told Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow that Drew told her that Stacy called him and said, "I met another man and I'm not coming back."
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7237493
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:33 pm
Stacy said Drew was going to kill her, neighbor testifies
January 25, 2010 11:21 AM
Erika Slife
Shortly before she disappeared, Stacy Peterson told a neighbor that if she did disappear, it was because husband Drew Peterson had killed her, the neighbor testified this morning.
Testimony continued this morning at a hearing in Will County to determine what hearsay testimony can be presented as evidence at the future murder trial for Peterson, charged with slaying his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
In resuming testimony that she began Friday, neighbor Sharon Bychowski recounted how eight days before Stacy's went missing in October 2007, Bychowski came home from a trip to Galena to find Tracy sobbing on the parkway outside her home.
She said she asked Stacy what was wrong.
"She told me Drew wouldn't go," Bychowski testified. "She wouldn't leave and that having sex with him would make her skin crawl."
As Bychowski started to leave, she continued, Stacy told her that she wanted to divorce Peterson and had packed 10 boxes of his belongings that she had put in the garage. At that point, Stacy took Bychowski to the garage, showed her the boxes and said: "If I disappear Sharon, it's not an accident. He killed me," Bychowski said.
At that point, Bychowski said she urged Stacy to start "writing things down."
Stacy responded: "It doesn't matter. He's going to kill me," Bychowski testified.
Bychowski also testified to another conversation she had with Stacy two days later in which Stacy showed her a ring that Peterson had recently given her and commented: "He thinks it's going to keep me. No way."
She said Stacy then talked again about divorce and said she definitely would take the couple's two youngest children, which were biologically Stacy's, but wasn't sure about what would be best for the two oldest children.
Peterson has not been charged in Peterson's disappearance.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/peterson-neighbor-to-testify-today-in-hearsay-proceeding.html
January 25, 2010 11:21 AM
Erika Slife
Shortly before she disappeared, Stacy Peterson told a neighbor that if she did disappear, it was because husband Drew Peterson had killed her, the neighbor testified this morning.
Testimony continued this morning at a hearing in Will County to determine what hearsay testimony can be presented as evidence at the future murder trial for Peterson, charged with slaying his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
In resuming testimony that she began Friday, neighbor Sharon Bychowski recounted how eight days before Stacy's went missing in October 2007, Bychowski came home from a trip to Galena to find Tracy sobbing on the parkway outside her home.
She said she asked Stacy what was wrong.
"She told me Drew wouldn't go," Bychowski testified. "She wouldn't leave and that having sex with him would make her skin crawl."
As Bychowski started to leave, she continued, Stacy told her that she wanted to divorce Peterson and had packed 10 boxes of his belongings that she had put in the garage. At that point, Stacy took Bychowski to the garage, showed her the boxes and said: "If I disappear Sharon, it's not an accident. He killed me," Bychowski said.
At that point, Bychowski said she urged Stacy to start "writing things down."
Stacy responded: "It doesn't matter. He's going to kill me," Bychowski testified.
Bychowski also testified to another conversation she had with Stacy two days later in which Stacy showed her a ring that Peterson had recently given her and commented: "He thinks it's going to keep me. No way."
She said Stacy then talked again about divorce and said she definitely would take the couple's two youngest children, which were biologically Stacy's, but wasn't sure about what would be best for the two oldest children.
Peterson has not been charged in Peterson's disappearance.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/peterson-neighbor-to-testify-today-in-hearsay-proceeding.html
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:37 pm
Testimony right out of "Fatal Vows" book
January 22, 2010
Sharon Bychowski's testimony likely sounded very familiar to readers of "Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson." Herald-News reporter Joe Hosey conducted many interviews while researching the book. Bychowski was one of his subjects. Her answers on the stand were so similar to her interview with Hosey that some passages in the 2008 release are nearly word-for-word replicas of Friday's testimony.
"Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson." authored by Herald-News reporter Joe Hosey.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/peterson/2006815,Peterson-testimony-Fatal-Vows-JO012210.article
January 22, 2010
Sharon Bychowski's testimony likely sounded very familiar to readers of "Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson." Herald-News reporter Joe Hosey conducted many interviews while researching the book. Bychowski was one of his subjects. Her answers on the stand were so similar to her interview with Hosey that some passages in the 2008 release are nearly word-for-word replicas of Friday's testimony.
"Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson." authored by Herald-News reporter Joe Hosey.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/peterson/2006815,Peterson-testimony-Fatal-Vows-JO012210.article
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:42 pm
Peterson Lawyer Disses Hearsay Evidence
It's Considered Vital; Ex-Cop: I Went Easy On Peterson, Never Mulled Murder as Possibility in Death of Peterson's 3rd Wife
Jan. 23, 2010
Drew Peterson as he was booked in May as suspect in death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio (AP Photo)
(CBS) The lead investigator in the death of Drew Peterson's third wife said he never collected any forensics evidence from the home where her body was found in a dry bathtub, telling a pretrial hearing Friday he never considered the possibility she was murdered.
Retired Illinois State Police Sgt. Patrick Collins, testifying at a hearing to determine what, if any, "hearsay" evidence prosecutors can use to try to prove allegations that Peterson killed Kathleen Savio, also said he granted Peterson favors during the investigation because he was a fellow police officer.
Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police officer, has pleaded not guilty in Savio's 2004 death. Officials exhumed her body and ruled her death a homicide only after Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007. He hasn't been charged in her disappearance, but authorities say he's the only suspect.
The hearsay evidence -- statements Savio supposedly made to others about fearing Peterson would kill her -- is considered key to the prosecution's case.
But Peterson's lawyer, Joel Brodsky, insisted to "Early Show Saturday Edition" co-anchor Chris Wragge that hearsay evidence "absolutely" shouldn't be allowed. "Somebody doesn't wake up yesterday morning and say, 'Gee, whiz. Let's exclude hearsay,' Brodsky remarked. "It's something that's developed over hundreds of years of jurisprudence, and the reason is because we've learned over those hundreds of years that hearsay is inherently unreliable. And to let it in (as evidence) is just plain wrong. Not only wrong, but unconstitutional."
Although the hearing is intended to focus on that "hearsay" evidence, Collins was the latest witness to focus on direct evidence that had nothing to do with "hearsay." Prosecutors haven't explained why they have called such witnesses.
On Friday, Collins said he even allowed Peterson to sit in on the questioning of Stacy Peterson as investigators inquired about Drew Peterson's whereabouts the day Savio died - something Collins acknowledged was unusual. He said Drew Peterson even spoke up to answer one question to his then-wife about what he and Stacy had eaten for breakfast that day.
At Thursday's hearing, Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, described how he believed he might have helped Drew Peterson dispose of Stacy's body in a large blue barrel. She has not been seen for more than two years.
He said Peterson suggested when they talked on Oct. 27, 2007, that he intended to kill his fourth wife because she planned to divorce him, win custody of their children and take Peterson's money.
Morphey stopped short of saying Peterson directly admitted murdering Stacy and he said the two men never talked about what was in the barrel. Morphey also testified that he had told Peterson that he always assumed he had killed Savio, but that Peterson denied it.
Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, told Morphey's "statements are inconsistent, and that inconsistency is going to make those statements inadmissible. ... His description of the barrel changed so many times that I'm not worried about him telling that to a jury."
Collins testified Friday that, among the potential evidence crime technicians failed to collect from Savio's home was a glass of orange juice left on a counter and the clothes she had been wearing that day. He said he also never interviewed members of Savio's family.
One of the things Collins said led him to believe Savio's death was accidental was that he found no defensive wounds on her body.
But when someone else at the scene suggested Savio may have received a gash on her head by accidentally hitting the back if the tub, Collins said he never tried to verify that. Collins also didn't attempt to account for why her body was slumped forward when investigators arrived; he said he didn't ask if anyone had touched or moved her body.
Collins also said it never occurred to him that the scene in the bathroom might have been staged. After Stacy Peterson's disappearance, authorities said they did believe Savio's death was a homicide staged to look like an accident.
Collins stopped short of admitting he was ever wrong to believe Savio's death could only be accidental, though he conceded his investigation could have been more thorough.
"If I had to do certain things over, yes, I would," he said.
Both prosecutors and the defense hit Collins with tough questions, with prosecutors trying to show he could have gathered evidence pointing to Peterson's involvement in Savio's death. For their part, the defense appeared to want to demonstrate that the investigation was so shoddy that it would be impossible to discover the identity of any killer now.
On a few occasions, an otherwise calm Collins appeared defensive on the stand, saying at one point in response to questions about the initial Savio investigation, "I'm not going to beat myself up right now."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/23/earlyshow/saturday/main6133224.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea
It's Considered Vital; Ex-Cop: I Went Easy On Peterson, Never Mulled Murder as Possibility in Death of Peterson's 3rd Wife
Jan. 23, 2010
Drew Peterson as he was booked in May as suspect in death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio (AP Photo)
(CBS) The lead investigator in the death of Drew Peterson's third wife said he never collected any forensics evidence from the home where her body was found in a dry bathtub, telling a pretrial hearing Friday he never considered the possibility she was murdered.
Retired Illinois State Police Sgt. Patrick Collins, testifying at a hearing to determine what, if any, "hearsay" evidence prosecutors can use to try to prove allegations that Peterson killed Kathleen Savio, also said he granted Peterson favors during the investigation because he was a fellow police officer.
Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police officer, has pleaded not guilty in Savio's 2004 death. Officials exhumed her body and ruled her death a homicide only after Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007. He hasn't been charged in her disappearance, but authorities say he's the only suspect.
The hearsay evidence -- statements Savio supposedly made to others about fearing Peterson would kill her -- is considered key to the prosecution's case.
But Peterson's lawyer, Joel Brodsky, insisted to "Early Show Saturday Edition" co-anchor Chris Wragge that hearsay evidence "absolutely" shouldn't be allowed. "Somebody doesn't wake up yesterday morning and say, 'Gee, whiz. Let's exclude hearsay,' Brodsky remarked. "It's something that's developed over hundreds of years of jurisprudence, and the reason is because we've learned over those hundreds of years that hearsay is inherently unreliable. And to let it in (as evidence) is just plain wrong. Not only wrong, but unconstitutional."
Although the hearing is intended to focus on that "hearsay" evidence, Collins was the latest witness to focus on direct evidence that had nothing to do with "hearsay." Prosecutors haven't explained why they have called such witnesses.
On Friday, Collins said he even allowed Peterson to sit in on the questioning of Stacy Peterson as investigators inquired about Drew Peterson's whereabouts the day Savio died - something Collins acknowledged was unusual. He said Drew Peterson even spoke up to answer one question to his then-wife about what he and Stacy had eaten for breakfast that day.
At Thursday's hearing, Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, described how he believed he might have helped Drew Peterson dispose of Stacy's body in a large blue barrel. She has not been seen for more than two years.
He said Peterson suggested when they talked on Oct. 27, 2007, that he intended to kill his fourth wife because she planned to divorce him, win custody of their children and take Peterson's money.
Morphey stopped short of saying Peterson directly admitted murdering Stacy and he said the two men never talked about what was in the barrel. Morphey also testified that he had told Peterson that he always assumed he had killed Savio, but that Peterson denied it.
Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, told Morphey's "statements are inconsistent, and that inconsistency is going to make those statements inadmissible. ... His description of the barrel changed so many times that I'm not worried about him telling that to a jury."
Collins testified Friday that, among the potential evidence crime technicians failed to collect from Savio's home was a glass of orange juice left on a counter and the clothes she had been wearing that day. He said he also never interviewed members of Savio's family.
One of the things Collins said led him to believe Savio's death was accidental was that he found no defensive wounds on her body.
But when someone else at the scene suggested Savio may have received a gash on her head by accidentally hitting the back if the tub, Collins said he never tried to verify that. Collins also didn't attempt to account for why her body was slumped forward when investigators arrived; he said he didn't ask if anyone had touched or moved her body.
Collins also said it never occurred to him that the scene in the bathroom might have been staged. After Stacy Peterson's disappearance, authorities said they did believe Savio's death was a homicide staged to look like an accident.
Collins stopped short of admitting he was ever wrong to believe Savio's death could only be accidental, though he conceded his investigation could have been more thorough.
"If I had to do certain things over, yes, I would," he said.
Both prosecutors and the defense hit Collins with tough questions, with prosecutors trying to show he could have gathered evidence pointing to Peterson's involvement in Savio's death. For their part, the defense appeared to want to demonstrate that the investigation was so shoddy that it would be impossible to discover the identity of any killer now.
On a few occasions, an otherwise calm Collins appeared defensive on the stand, saying at one point in response to questions about the initial Savio investigation, "I'm not going to beat myself up right now."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/23/earlyshow/saturday/main6133224.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:44 am
Drew Peterson hearsay hearings – day 4
January 25, 2010
Today’s proceedings begin with the cross-examination of Sharon Bychowski, neighbor and friend of Stacy Peterson and then moved on to Bruce Zidarich who was questioned about his plans to paint with Stacy the day she disappeared..
Rescueapet is attending the public hearing today and has shared with us some of her observations from this morning. Sorry they are mostly in note form:
* Drew Peterson is wearing a suit in court today. He stood and scanned the whole courtroom before taking a seat.
* George Lenard was doing the cross examination of Sharon. He asked her if she disliked Drew Peterson and the State objected. Sharon went on to say that she and Drew would speak and that she disliked what she believes he did to Stacy.
* Lenard asked her about an incidence of a group at her house playing loud music on an ipod, specifically the song “Bad Boys” outside her house. She answered that there was music being played and that was one of the songs among others, that it could be heard in the driveway and that Drew was standing at the end of the driveway.
* Sharon stated that she was very close to Stacy. Lenard asked if Stacy trusted her enough to talk to her about her menstrual cycle. Sharon asked what he meant and he said, “Did Stacy trust you?” Sharon replied that she assumed Stacy trusted her but that he was asking her to say what Stacy thought and that she couldn’t do that.
* She was asked if she had any contracts for books or any other sort of media contract and she replied that she did not. She stated that when Joe Hosey interviewed her and later used that interview in a book, she wasn’t aware that it would be used in that way. Also said that she has made no money.
* She was questioned about Avon a lot. Lenard seemed to be trying to show that Sharon’s interest in the case might be somehow tied to promoting Avon. He asked “Hasn’t this been good for Avon?” and Sharon stated “I never mention Avon.” Stacy did some Avon work for Sharon and they did contact her to make sure that Stacy had not been on an Avon errand at the time she went missing. Because of liability issues, perhaps?
* Sharon was questioned about the incident of Greta Van Susteren changing clothes in her bathroom. She was asked, “Did Greta being in your house make you feel special?” She replied that since this all began “nothing makes me feel special”.
* Sharon testified that the search boat is in storage in Ottowa and that it will be donated to a missing persons group.
* Lenard asked Sharon about what Stacy had told her about her mother (Christie Cales). Sharon said that Stacy told her her mother had left for church one day and never came home and that she loved her mother.
* Sharon stated that Stacy told her that the money she withdrew the week before she disappeared was used to pay off a loan for a motorcycle.
* Sharon testified that Stacy told her having sex with Drew made her skin crawl and that she wanted a divorce, had packed up boxes of his things.
* Lenard tried to nail down whether Stacy was planning on keeping all four chikdren with her after she and Drew split or just the two youngest, and Sharon answered that Stacy was interested in the safety of all the children.
* Lenard said, “Stacy was a flirt, wasn’t she?” To which Sharon answered that Stacy was outgoing. (I think that’s what she said – we’ll have to confirm that later).
* As for Bruce Zidarich’s testimony there was very little. He confirmed the paint date and text messages between Stacy and Bruce from October 27th were projected on a screen.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-4/#more-4497
January 25, 2010
Today’s proceedings begin with the cross-examination of Sharon Bychowski, neighbor and friend of Stacy Peterson and then moved on to Bruce Zidarich who was questioned about his plans to paint with Stacy the day she disappeared..
Rescueapet is attending the public hearing today and has shared with us some of her observations from this morning. Sorry they are mostly in note form:
* Drew Peterson is wearing a suit in court today. He stood and scanned the whole courtroom before taking a seat.
* George Lenard was doing the cross examination of Sharon. He asked her if she disliked Drew Peterson and the State objected. Sharon went on to say that she and Drew would speak and that she disliked what she believes he did to Stacy.
* Lenard asked her about an incidence of a group at her house playing loud music on an ipod, specifically the song “Bad Boys” outside her house. She answered that there was music being played and that was one of the songs among others, that it could be heard in the driveway and that Drew was standing at the end of the driveway.
* Sharon stated that she was very close to Stacy. Lenard asked if Stacy trusted her enough to talk to her about her menstrual cycle. Sharon asked what he meant and he said, “Did Stacy trust you?” Sharon replied that she assumed Stacy trusted her but that he was asking her to say what Stacy thought and that she couldn’t do that.
* She was asked if she had any contracts for books or any other sort of media contract and she replied that she did not. She stated that when Joe Hosey interviewed her and later used that interview in a book, she wasn’t aware that it would be used in that way. Also said that she has made no money.
* She was questioned about Avon a lot. Lenard seemed to be trying to show that Sharon’s interest in the case might be somehow tied to promoting Avon. He asked “Hasn’t this been good for Avon?” and Sharon stated “I never mention Avon.” Stacy did some Avon work for Sharon and they did contact her to make sure that Stacy had not been on an Avon errand at the time she went missing. Because of liability issues, perhaps?
* Sharon was questioned about the incident of Greta Van Susteren changing clothes in her bathroom. She was asked, “Did Greta being in your house make you feel special?” She replied that since this all began “nothing makes me feel special”.
* Sharon testified that the search boat is in storage in Ottowa and that it will be donated to a missing persons group.
* Lenard asked Sharon about what Stacy had told her about her mother (Christie Cales). Sharon said that Stacy told her her mother had left for church one day and never came home and that she loved her mother.
* Sharon stated that Stacy told her that the money she withdrew the week before she disappeared was used to pay off a loan for a motorcycle.
* Sharon testified that Stacy told her having sex with Drew made her skin crawl and that she wanted a divorce, had packed up boxes of his things.
* Lenard tried to nail down whether Stacy was planning on keeping all four chikdren with her after she and Drew split or just the two youngest, and Sharon answered that Stacy was interested in the safety of all the children.
* Lenard said, “Stacy was a flirt, wasn’t she?” To which Sharon answered that Stacy was outgoing. (I think that’s what she said – we’ll have to confirm that later).
* As for Bruce Zidarich’s testimony there was very little. He confirmed the paint date and text messages between Stacy and Bruce from October 27th were projected on a screen.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-4/#more-4497
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:06 pm
Drew Peterson hearsay hearings – Day 5
January 26, 2010
Pastor Neil Schori testifies – Defense argues that conversations were privileged.
The judge in the Drew Peterson hearsay hearing issued a recess Tuesday after the defense called into question whether pastor Neil Schori’s conversations with Stacy Peterson were privileged.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-5/
January 26, 2010
Pastor Neil Schori testifies – Defense argues that conversations were privileged.
The judge in the Drew Peterson hearsay hearing issued a recess Tuesday after the defense called into question whether pastor Neil Schori’s conversations with Stacy Peterson were privileged.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-5/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:08 pm
Drew Peterson hearsay hearings – Day 6
January 27, 2010
RECAP: Pastor Neil Schori testifies – Defense argues that conversations were privileged.
…But arguments over whether his conversations with the accused wife killer and missing mom Stacy are privileged kept him from testifying.
Judge Stephen White closed the courtroom and heard what Schori had to say about his interaction with Drew and Stacy Peterson. Schori will return to the witness stand Wednesday but it is not known if he will testify in open court.
Drew Peterson’s attorneys questioned whether Schori would be violating his privilege as a clergyman if he repeated what Stacy and Drew Peterson told him while he was providing counseling. The couple went to Schori to try to save their failing marriage.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-6/
January 27, 2010
RECAP: Pastor Neil Schori testifies – Defense argues that conversations were privileged.
…But arguments over whether his conversations with the accused wife killer and missing mom Stacy are privileged kept him from testifying.
Judge Stephen White closed the courtroom and heard what Schori had to say about his interaction with Drew and Stacy Peterson. Schori will return to the witness stand Wednesday but it is not known if he will testify in open court.
Drew Peterson’s attorneys questioned whether Schori would be violating his privilege as a clergyman if he repeated what Stacy and Drew Peterson told him while he was providing counseling. The couple went to Schori to try to save their failing marriage.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-6/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:06 pm
Drew Peterson hearsay hearings – Day 7
January 28, 2010
Hearings resumed today to determine which statements will be admissable in the trial of Drew Peterson for the murder of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio. Cassandra Cales, sister of Stacy Peterson, took the stand this morning.
“She just looked at me with this blank face,” Cales testified. “She said she feared for her life and that if anything ever happened to her, Drew did something to her.”
Herald-News reporter, Joseph Hosey, tweeted that Jeffrey Pachter, of Braidwood, testified today and said Drew Peterson asked him to find someone from the Hill neighborhood on Joliet’s east side to kill Savio. He said, “He asked me because of the area that I worked (in) if I knew anyone who could have his ex-wife taken care of.”
Fox’s Craig Wall tweeted that Peterson “wanted to know when to set up alibi.” Kathleen was found dead in her bathtub March 1, 2004. Pachter says he called Drew in July of 2004 and Peterson told him, “The favor I asked you to do — I don’t need it anymore.”
2:45pm – Court is over for the day.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-7/
January 28, 2010
Hearings resumed today to determine which statements will be admissable in the trial of Drew Peterson for the murder of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio. Cassandra Cales, sister of Stacy Peterson, took the stand this morning.
“She just looked at me with this blank face,” Cales testified. “She said she feared for her life and that if anything ever happened to her, Drew did something to her.”
Herald-News reporter, Joseph Hosey, tweeted that Jeffrey Pachter, of Braidwood, testified today and said Drew Peterson asked him to find someone from the Hill neighborhood on Joliet’s east side to kill Savio. He said, “He asked me because of the area that I worked (in) if I knew anyone who could have his ex-wife taken care of.”
Fox’s Craig Wall tweeted that Peterson “wanted to know when to set up alibi.” Kathleen was found dead in her bathtub March 1, 2004. Pachter says he called Drew in July of 2004 and Peterson told him, “The favor I asked you to do — I don’t need it anymore.”
2:45pm – Court is over for the day.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-7/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:08 pm
Drew Peterson hearsay hearing – Day 8: Neil Schori on stand
January 29, 2010
Stacy Peterson’s pastor and counselor, Neil Schori has taken the stand today in the hearsay hearings of Drew Peterson, on trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. The Pastor has testified that Stacy met him in August of 2007 for a counseling session. She tearfully confided in him that she wanted to have an affair but that Drew told her she would never be with another man. She described to him how she awoke one night to find herself alone and how she called Drew’s cell phone but that he never answered. She then told him that Drew did return home in the early morning dressed in black, and that he began to feed women’s clothing into the washing machine. Stacy told Schori that Drew then spent two hour coaching her on what she needed to tell the police.
Schori has stated in the one public interview that he granted to Greta Van Susteren in December of 2007, that Stacy Peterson told him Drew Peterson confessed to killing Savio. But on Friday, Schori was not asked that, nor did he testify to that. Schori did testify that when he returned home after his meeting with Stacy, there was a message from Drew waiting for him on his answering machine: “I know you just met with my wife. How about meeting with me now. We could go for a ride in my airplane.”
Scott Rossetto testified this afternoon that Stacy told him a secret: Drew told Stacy if anyone ever asked where he was the night Kathy Savio died to say he was at home with her.
As usual, we’ll be posting updates here as we see them. Please see the Comments Thread for all the latest!
Many thanks to the members of the press who send out tweets throughout the day and keep us informed!
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearing-day-8-neil-schori-to-testify/
January 29, 2010
Stacy Peterson’s pastor and counselor, Neil Schori has taken the stand today in the hearsay hearings of Drew Peterson, on trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. The Pastor has testified that Stacy met him in August of 2007 for a counseling session. She tearfully confided in him that she wanted to have an affair but that Drew told her she would never be with another man. She described to him how she awoke one night to find herself alone and how she called Drew’s cell phone but that he never answered. She then told him that Drew did return home in the early morning dressed in black, and that he began to feed women’s clothing into the washing machine. Stacy told Schori that Drew then spent two hour coaching her on what she needed to tell the police.
Schori has stated in the one public interview that he granted to Greta Van Susteren in December of 2007, that Stacy Peterson told him Drew Peterson confessed to killing Savio. But on Friday, Schori was not asked that, nor did he testify to that. Schori did testify that when he returned home after his meeting with Stacy, there was a message from Drew waiting for him on his answering machine: “I know you just met with my wife. How about meeting with me now. We could go for a ride in my airplane.”
Scott Rossetto testified this afternoon that Stacy told him a secret: Drew told Stacy if anyone ever asked where he was the night Kathy Savio died to say he was at home with her.
As usual, we’ll be posting updates here as we see them. Please see the Comments Thread for all the latest!
Many thanks to the members of the press who send out tweets throughout the day and keep us informed!
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearing-day-8-neil-schori-to-testify/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:43 pm
Drew Peterson hearsay hearing – Day 9: Neighbors testify
February 1, 2010
Hearings resume today to determine which statements will be admissable in the trial of Drew Peterson for the murder of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio.
Nick Pontarelli, 19, took the stand this morning. At the time of Kathleen Savio’s death, he lived next door to the Savio home with his parents, Mary and Thomas Pontarelli. Nick was one of the people Drew Peterson sent into Kathleen’s home the night her body was discovered.
Pontarelli said that Kathleen Savio was like a second mom to him and that she confided in him about her fear that Drew would kill her. She showed him evidence of Drew breaking into the house and possibly recording her phone conversations.
Thomas Pontarelli, Nick’s father, testified about Drew’s demeanor once Kathleen’s body was discovered as well as the absence of towels and clothing from the bathroom. Pontarelli also stated that Drew left a .38 caliber bullet on his driveway as a warning and told him that any friend of Savio’s was an enemy of his.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearing-day-9/
February 1, 2010
Hearings resume today to determine which statements will be admissable in the trial of Drew Peterson for the murder of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio.
Nick Pontarelli, 19, took the stand this morning. At the time of Kathleen Savio’s death, he lived next door to the Savio home with his parents, Mary and Thomas Pontarelli. Nick was one of the people Drew Peterson sent into Kathleen’s home the night her body was discovered.
Pontarelli said that Kathleen Savio was like a second mom to him and that she confided in him about her fear that Drew would kill her. She showed him evidence of Drew breaking into the house and possibly recording her phone conversations.
Thomas Pontarelli, Nick’s father, testified about Drew’s demeanor once Kathleen’s body was discovered as well as the absence of towels and clothing from the bathroom. Pontarelli also stated that Drew left a .38 caliber bullet on his driveway as a warning and told him that any friend of Savio’s was an enemy of his.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearing-day-9/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:45 pm
Drew Peterson Hearsay hearing – day 10: Kathleen’s boyfriend on stand
February 2, 2010
The hearsay hearing of Drew Peterson for the murder of Kathleen Savio continues.
Steve Maniaci, Kathleen’s boyfriend at the time of her death was on the stand this morning. A neighbor of Drew and Stacy’s testified that Drew behaved strangely on what would have been the day before her body was found. Kathleen’s sister, Sue Doman will testify this afternoon.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/emotional-testimony-photos-in-kathleen-savio-murder-hearing/
February 2, 2010
The hearsay hearing of Drew Peterson for the murder of Kathleen Savio continues.
Steve Maniaci, Kathleen’s boyfriend at the time of her death was on the stand this morning. A neighbor of Drew and Stacy’s testified that Drew behaved strangely on what would have been the day before her body was found. Kathleen’s sister, Sue Doman will testify this afternoon.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/emotional-testimony-photos-in-kathleen-savio-murder-hearing/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:48 pm
Drew Peterson, you have the right to remain silent
By Stephanie Chen, CNN
February 3, 2010 11:10 a.m. EST
Drew Peterson is keeping a low profile at his pretrial hearings after repeated media appearances in the past.
(CNN) -- Drew Peterson may be fighting to keep what his missing wife and slain ex-wife allegedly said about him out of his murder trial, but he's always had plenty to say about the case.
Peterson, 56, has been charged with the murder of third wife Kathleen Savio. The charges came amid an investigation into the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and denied involvement in Stacy's disappearance.
In court, Peterson has kept a low profile as some 40 witnesses have testified during pretrial hearings.
But in the past, the former police sergeant from Bolingbrook, Illinois, has spoken many of times to CNN's "Larry King Live," NBC's "Today Show," Fox News, the "Dr. Phil" show and local media outlets.
A critical part of his trial, now the subject of a month of hearings, hinges upon whether hearsay evidence can be used against him. Hearsay involves statements heard by third parties and jurors are rarely allowed to consider them because the original speaker can't be cross-examined.
Stacy Peterson and Savio both told others that they feared Drew Peterson and felt that their lives were threatened by him, according to testimony at the hearings. The defense is fighting to keep those statements, and others, out of his murder trial.
Peterson maintained his style of police humor, even after he was charged with Savio's 2004 murder. As he was escorted from the jail to the courthouse for his arraignment in May, he snapped his gum and made wisecracks.
Asked how he was doing, Peterson quipped: "Three squares a day and a spiffy outfit."
And I got the bling," he added, holding up his shackles. "Can't complain."
Peterson calls himself "comical." But his behavior has dismayed the families of Savio and his missing fourth wife, Stacy. Some people accuse him of being authoritarian, smug and narcissistic. At times, his comments have hardly seemed to be those of a worried spouse whose wife is missing, critics say.
"He's an idiot," Savio's sister, Susan Doman, said in May on "Good Morning America," in reference to some of Peterson's jokes.
Investigators began looking at Peterson in October 2007 when Stacy, then 23, vanished. According to Peterson, his young wife dumped him for another man.
He appeared on NBC's "Today Show" about a month after her disappearance. When anchor Matt Lauer questioned him about their relationship, he responded, "I'm not trying to be funny here, but Stacy Peterson would ask me for a divorce after her sister died on a regular basis, and it was based on her menstrual cycle."
But Peterson was in tears during a December 2007 interview on NBC's Dateline. This time, the topic was his children.
"I just want to be there for them," he said.
In Peterson's defense, his attorneys say that many of his more controversial comments have been provoked by journalists looking for sensational sound bites.
Camera crews swarmed his suburban Illinois home after his wife's disappearance. They descended on him early in the morning and were so loud they disturbed his family, Peterson has said.
In the midst of the media frenzy in 2008, Peterson turned his own hand-held mini-video camera on news crews. "I'm going to camp myself in front of your house and see how you like it," he said with a wide smile.
Also in 2008, Peterson planned on participating in a contest on Chicago's WJMK-FM radio station: "Win a Date with Drew Peterson." The station eventually canceled the contest.
A defensive Peterson appeared on Phil McGraw's daytime talk show to explain himself in November 2008. He attributed his gallows humor to a reaction to a difficult situation: He had gone from a happily married man to a single father, he said. He added that humor is his coping mechanism, as it is for many police officers.
"When people look at me and say, 'You did this to your wife,' I look at them and laugh," Peterson said. "I say, 'Thank you, go screw yourself.' I normally have a smart-ass remark for people like that."
Then a month later came his reported engagement to a young woman who would have been the fifth Mrs. Drew Peterson. The engagement to Christina Raines, then 24, was called off after just a few weeks.
Meanwhile, prosecutors continued building their case. They re-examined the death of Savio, who was found naked in an empty bathtub. Although the initial autopsy found that her death was accidental, the state's second examination pointed to lacerations and bruises on her body. Authorities concluded that her death was homicide.
The evidence prosecutors have gathered against Peterson is largely circumstantial. No physical evidence or witnesses link Peterson to the crime, Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky has said. Brodsky has often appeared alongside Peterson on the numerous media appearances.
"He wanted to proclaim his innocence," Brodsky aid. "He had nothing to hide. He didn't feel like he should jut go into a dark corner," he added, explaining Peterson's many media appearances.
As for his client's demeanor, "He likes being out. He likes the people, he likes the interaction. His humor has always been his personality."
Peterson has argued many times that he was unfairly portrayed by the media -- and prematurely found guilty in the court of public opinion.
"There is no book written on how I'm supposed to act," he said in May in a phone call from jail with NBC's "Today Show." "Would it be better if I hid my head down hunched over and had tears in my eyes?"
And later that month, he was back on a Chicago radio show, joking about the jail's food and bathrooms.
"Hey, Mancow," Peterson teased host Mancow Muller. "I know we can't do the date with Drew. I'm thinking we should do 'Win a conjugal visit with Drew.' "
His remarks caused Will County Judge Stephen White to limit Peterson's contacts with the media last spring. Now he can call only a list of family members, friends and his attorneys.
Joe Hosey, author of "Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson," has been attending the pretrial hearings that began last month. Peterson has been speaking only to his attorneys. He's not smiling and laughing like before.
"I think reality has sunk in," Hosey said.
Peterson is finally exercising his right to remain silent.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/03/illinois.drew.peterson.quotes/
By Stephanie Chen, CNN
February 3, 2010 11:10 a.m. EST
Drew Peterson is keeping a low profile at his pretrial hearings after repeated media appearances in the past.
(CNN) -- Drew Peterson may be fighting to keep what his missing wife and slain ex-wife allegedly said about him out of his murder trial, but he's always had plenty to say about the case.
Peterson, 56, has been charged with the murder of third wife Kathleen Savio. The charges came amid an investigation into the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and denied involvement in Stacy's disappearance.
In court, Peterson has kept a low profile as some 40 witnesses have testified during pretrial hearings.
But in the past, the former police sergeant from Bolingbrook, Illinois, has spoken many of times to CNN's "Larry King Live," NBC's "Today Show," Fox News, the "Dr. Phil" show and local media outlets.
A critical part of his trial, now the subject of a month of hearings, hinges upon whether hearsay evidence can be used against him. Hearsay involves statements heard by third parties and jurors are rarely allowed to consider them because the original speaker can't be cross-examined.
Stacy Peterson and Savio both told others that they feared Drew Peterson and felt that their lives were threatened by him, according to testimony at the hearings. The defense is fighting to keep those statements, and others, out of his murder trial.
Peterson maintained his style of police humor, even after he was charged with Savio's 2004 murder. As he was escorted from the jail to the courthouse for his arraignment in May, he snapped his gum and made wisecracks.
Asked how he was doing, Peterson quipped: "Three squares a day and a spiffy outfit."
And I got the bling," he added, holding up his shackles. "Can't complain."
Peterson calls himself "comical." But his behavior has dismayed the families of Savio and his missing fourth wife, Stacy. Some people accuse him of being authoritarian, smug and narcissistic. At times, his comments have hardly seemed to be those of a worried spouse whose wife is missing, critics say.
"He's an idiot," Savio's sister, Susan Doman, said in May on "Good Morning America," in reference to some of Peterson's jokes.
Investigators began looking at Peterson in October 2007 when Stacy, then 23, vanished. According to Peterson, his young wife dumped him for another man.
He appeared on NBC's "Today Show" about a month after her disappearance. When anchor Matt Lauer questioned him about their relationship, he responded, "I'm not trying to be funny here, but Stacy Peterson would ask me for a divorce after her sister died on a regular basis, and it was based on her menstrual cycle."
But Peterson was in tears during a December 2007 interview on NBC's Dateline. This time, the topic was his children.
"I just want to be there for them," he said.
In Peterson's defense, his attorneys say that many of his more controversial comments have been provoked by journalists looking for sensational sound bites.
Camera crews swarmed his suburban Illinois home after his wife's disappearance. They descended on him early in the morning and were so loud they disturbed his family, Peterson has said.
In the midst of the media frenzy in 2008, Peterson turned his own hand-held mini-video camera on news crews. "I'm going to camp myself in front of your house and see how you like it," he said with a wide smile.
Also in 2008, Peterson planned on participating in a contest on Chicago's WJMK-FM radio station: "Win a Date with Drew Peterson." The station eventually canceled the contest.
A defensive Peterson appeared on Phil McGraw's daytime talk show to explain himself in November 2008. He attributed his gallows humor to a reaction to a difficult situation: He had gone from a happily married man to a single father, he said. He added that humor is his coping mechanism, as it is for many police officers.
"When people look at me and say, 'You did this to your wife,' I look at them and laugh," Peterson said. "I say, 'Thank you, go screw yourself.' I normally have a smart-ass remark for people like that."
Then a month later came his reported engagement to a young woman who would have been the fifth Mrs. Drew Peterson. The engagement to Christina Raines, then 24, was called off after just a few weeks.
Meanwhile, prosecutors continued building their case. They re-examined the death of Savio, who was found naked in an empty bathtub. Although the initial autopsy found that her death was accidental, the state's second examination pointed to lacerations and bruises on her body. Authorities concluded that her death was homicide.
The evidence prosecutors have gathered against Peterson is largely circumstantial. No physical evidence or witnesses link Peterson to the crime, Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky has said. Brodsky has often appeared alongside Peterson on the numerous media appearances.
"He wanted to proclaim his innocence," Brodsky aid. "He had nothing to hide. He didn't feel like he should jut go into a dark corner," he added, explaining Peterson's many media appearances.
As for his client's demeanor, "He likes being out. He likes the people, he likes the interaction. His humor has always been his personality."
Peterson has argued many times that he was unfairly portrayed by the media -- and prematurely found guilty in the court of public opinion.
"There is no book written on how I'm supposed to act," he said in May in a phone call from jail with NBC's "Today Show." "Would it be better if I hid my head down hunched over and had tears in my eyes?"
And later that month, he was back on a Chicago radio show, joking about the jail's food and bathrooms.
"Hey, Mancow," Peterson teased host Mancow Muller. "I know we can't do the date with Drew. I'm thinking we should do 'Win a conjugal visit with Drew.' "
His remarks caused Will County Judge Stephen White to limit Peterson's contacts with the media last spring. Now he can call only a list of family members, friends and his attorneys.
Joe Hosey, author of "Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson," has been attending the pretrial hearings that began last month. Peterson has been speaking only to his attorneys. He's not smiling and laughing like before.
"I think reality has sunk in," Hosey said.
Peterson is finally exercising his right to remain silent.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/03/illinois.drew.peterson.quotes/
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:56 pm
Savio Feared Drew, Boyfriend Tells Court
Updated: Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 5:31 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 5:31 PM CST
Kathleen Savio's boyfriend Steve Maniaci told the state police the morning after Savio was found dead that she lived in fear of her ex-husband Drew Peterson and that Peterson had broken into her home.
Savio also told Manici that and she and Peterson were involved in domestic disputes.
Maniaci revealed this during testimony Tuesday in the ongoing pre-trial hearing for Drew Peterson in which a Will County judge will decide what hearsay evidence will be allowed into the actual murder trial. Peterson is awaiting trial for the murder of Savio, his third wife.
The state police did nothing with that information and did not even include it in their report. At Savio's house after she was found dead, he says Peterson told him "She would have lost anyway" in the divorce settlement. Maniaci said Savio told him she was afraid Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident.
Jacqueline Mitchem, a neighbor of Drew Peterson and fourth wife Stacy, said Peterson appeared distracted and preoccupied the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004.
It was the only time she saw Peterson behave that way. It was the night after prosecutor's allege Peterson killed Savio. Mitchem said the state police never spoke to her or any of Drew and Stacy's other neighbors after Savio was found dead. Savio's sister, Susan, is scheduled to testify this afternoon.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/savio-boyfriend-testifies
Updated: Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 5:31 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 5:31 PM CST
Kathleen Savio's boyfriend Steve Maniaci told the state police the morning after Savio was found dead that she lived in fear of her ex-husband Drew Peterson and that Peterson had broken into her home.
Savio also told Manici that and she and Peterson were involved in domestic disputes.
Maniaci revealed this during testimony Tuesday in the ongoing pre-trial hearing for Drew Peterson in which a Will County judge will decide what hearsay evidence will be allowed into the actual murder trial. Peterson is awaiting trial for the murder of Savio, his third wife.
The state police did nothing with that information and did not even include it in their report. At Savio's house after she was found dead, he says Peterson told him "She would have lost anyway" in the divorce settlement. Maniaci said Savio told him she was afraid Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident.
Jacqueline Mitchem, a neighbor of Drew Peterson and fourth wife Stacy, said Peterson appeared distracted and preoccupied the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004.
It was the only time she saw Peterson behave that way. It was the night after prosecutor's allege Peterson killed Savio. Mitchem said the state police never spoke to her or any of Drew and Stacy's other neighbors after Savio was found dead. Savio's sister, Susan, is scheduled to testify this afternoon.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/savio-boyfriend-testifies
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Dis on Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:21 pm
We have known for a long time that the police didn't handle the "accidental death" of Kathleen right. They flat out covered up a murder IMO. That really infuriates me!!!!! 
Thank you Snaz for keeping us up to date with this case. I hope justice prevails.
The A's need to take a page from the step-brothers book.
Thank you Snaz for keeping us up to date with this case. I hope justice prevails.
The A's need to take a page from the step-brothers book.
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Re: Kathleen Savio -- Found Deceased 3/1/04
by Snaz on Mon Feb 08, 2010 10:58 am
Drew Peterson Hearsay Hearings – Day 11: Anna Doman and friend testify
February 3, 2010
The hearsay hearing of Drew Peterson for the murder of Kathleen Savio continues. This morning Anna Doman wrapped up her testimony and a friend of Kathleen’s, Kristin Anderson took the stand.
Anderson testified that the two became friends after she rented Kathleen’s basement for a few months while some work was being done on her house. She testified that Kathleen told her about the time that Drew held a knife to her throat and also showed her a briefcase where she kept police reports and letters. Anderson said that these documents were kept as a paper trail in case Drew killed Kathleen, there would be something to point at who did it.
Anderson stated that Kathleen seemed “almost resigned” to the thought that Drew Peterson would kill her and make her death appear accidental.
Bolingbrook Police Officer, Lt. Brian Hafner also took the stand and testified that in death scene photos Kathleen’s body looked like she had been positioned in a police arm lock he had taught Drew to use.
Attorney Karen Conti who has helped us out so much with legal facts and insight about the case will be on Fox Chicago tomorrow at around 8:25 am discussing the hearsay hearings.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-11/
February 3, 2010
The hearsay hearing of Drew Peterson for the murder of Kathleen Savio continues. This morning Anna Doman wrapped up her testimony and a friend of Kathleen’s, Kristin Anderson took the stand.
Anderson testified that the two became friends after she rented Kathleen’s basement for a few months while some work was being done on her house. She testified that Kathleen told her about the time that Drew held a knife to her throat and also showed her a briefcase where she kept police reports and letters. Anderson said that these documents were kept as a paper trail in case Drew killed Kathleen, there would be something to point at who did it.
Anderson stated that Kathleen seemed “almost resigned” to the thought that Drew Peterson would kill her and make her death appear accidental.
Bolingbrook Police Officer, Lt. Brian Hafner also took the stand and testified that in death scene photos Kathleen’s body looked like she had been positioned in a police arm lock he had taught Drew to use.
Attorney Karen Conti who has helped us out so much with legal facts and insight about the case will be on Fox Chicago tomorrow at around 8:25 am discussing the hearsay hearings.
http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-day-11/
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