Drew Peterson
Encyclopedia
Drew Walter Peterson is a former Bolingbrook, Illinois
, police sergeant who is suspected of killing his third and fourth wives. The story has received national media attention in the United States. Peterson has repeatedly denied involvement in both cases. On May 7, 2009, Peterson was indicted by a Will County, Illinois
grand jury
and charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson currently resides in the Will County Adult Detention Center, Joliet IL, awaiting trial.
in Villa Park, Illinois
, where he ran cross country. After high school graduation, Peterson joined the US Army. In 1974, he briefly attended the College of DuPage
. Peterson later moved to Falls Church, Virginia
, where he trained as a military police officer.
In 1985, Peterson was fired from the Bolingbrook Police Department after the village board of police and fire commissioners found him guilty of disobedience, conducting a self-assigned investigation, failure to report a bribe immediately, and official misconduct. He had been indicted two months earlier on charges of official misconduct and failure to report a bribe. Peterson was working under the auspices of the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad at the time. Indictments alleged he solicited drugs in exchange for information about his agency. The charges later were dropped. Special prosecutor Raymond Bolden said at the time the charges were not provable. Peterson won reinstatement with the department in March 1986. Judge Edwin Grabiec ruled police and fire commissioners lacked sufficient evidence to find Peterson guilty of the charges. Peterson was also accused of using excessive force for allegedly breaking the thumb of an arrestee in May 2007. The charges were later dismissed on the grounds that Peterson was not present during the arrest, nor on duty that day.
Following his fourth wife Stacy's mysterious October 28, 2007, disappearance, Peterson announced his plans to retire as a Bolingbrook police sergeant as of December 2007. On November 15, 2007, the Bolingbrook Police Pension Board voted to allow Peterson to collect his pension of $6,067.71 per month, stating current law gave them no option, as Peterson had not been convicted of a crime.
.
Peterson and Brown met in high school in Villa Park, Illinois, and together attended his senior prom.
during her 10-year marriage to Peterson, as has her daughter who lived in the household during this time, from the age of 8 to 17 years. In 2007, Connolly stated that Peterson "was a legend in his own mind". The couple divorced after Peterson started dating Kathleen Savio, who would later become his third wife. Their divorce was finalized on February 18, 1992, and Peterson married Savio two months later.
However, following Stacy Peterson's disappearance, Savio's body was exhumed and underwent forensic examination on November 16, 2007. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner who conducted the examination at the request of Savio's relatives and Fox News, concluded that she died of drowning following a struggle when her body was placed in the bathtub. The results of the official autopsy ordered by the county have yet to be released to the public. Will County
State's Attorney
James Glasgow told the press that after examining evidence in the case, he believed that the death was a "homicide
staged to look like an accident." On February 21, 2008, Glasgow announced that a pathologist determined that Savio's death was a homicide, adding that the death had been investigated as such reopening the case following the exhumation.
Rev. Neil Schori, a pastor at Stacy Peterson's church, reported that Stacy had told him that Drew had killed Kathleen Savio and had made it look like an accident and that she was fearful of her husband. Stacy had provided Drew's alibi for his whereabouts on the evening that Kathleen Savio died.
.
The last recorded words from Stacy Peterson were left on a voicemail
on her father's answering machine on October 17 at 12:37 p.m., 11 days before she disappeared. The message said, "Hey dad! It's me, Stacy, I just wanted to call you and tell you I love you. I also wanted to give you my new phone number. OK, love you."
with FBI involvement. Four search warrants have been issued and carried on Drew Peterson's property following Stacy's disappearance, including seizure of his vehicle and Stacy's vehicle, and Drew's firearms.
Rick Mims, Peterson's long-time friend, has admitted that Drew Peterson and Mims bought three blue containers from a cable company, where they both worked part-time in 2003, and has provided photos of the containers to police. Mims had also sold his story to the tabloids for an undisclosed sum of money. Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, who has a history of drug and alcohol addiction, attempted suicide two days after allegedly helping Drew carry a large blue plastic container from Peterson's Bolingbrook home to his sport utility vehicle, fearing he may have helped dispose of the body of Stacy Peterson. Neighbors reported seeing Peterson and another man hauling a 55-gallon barrel, large enough to hold a person, out of the house shortly after Stacy's disappearance. Cassandra Cales, Stacy's sister, said she wanted Drew Peterson to take a lie detector test about his knowledge of a blue barrel or container that she said she saw in their garage two days before Stacy disappeared. Joel Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, has denied any container is missing from the home. There were also reports of truckers referring to the containers, but their stories were treated as not credible, after it was found they were not in the Bolingbrook area at the times they claimed.
was set at $20 million. While being arrested, Peterson joked, "I guess I should have returned those library books".
In October 2009, Peterson sued JP Morgan Chase for revoking a home equity credit line that he wanted to use to pay legal expenses. His income of "nearly $109,000 per year" from his pension and Social Security was not sufficient. In July 2010, Judge Stephen White ruled that Peterson would remain in the Will County Jail for the remainder of his trial and appeals process. Prosecutors argued he could pose a danger if released.
On July 21, 2010 it was revealed hearsay statements indicating Drew Peterson killed two of his wives are not reliable enough for a jury to hear at his trial. After presiding over a lengthy hearsay hearing, Judge Stephen White issued a four-page sealed ruling in May obtained by the Daily Herald. White ruled prosecutors proved Peterson killed both Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson "by a preponderance of the evidence," but nearly all statements attributed to Stacy Peterson "do not provide sufficient safeguards of reliability." Stacy Peterson's statements are crucial to the prosecution's case, since it lacks other evidence.
on April 11, 2008. His lawyer was present as an adviser regarding which questions Peterson should answer. The interview reran on May 9, 2009, two days after Peterson's arrest. Peterson also has made guest appearances (including one from county jail) on radio station WLS
with Mancow Muller
.
After the appearance on WLS, Will County Judge Stephen White severely limited Peterson's access to the media. Peterson circumvented that access by going online, creating a Twitter account, connecting with the media.
Bolingbrook, Illinois
Bolingbrook is a large village in Will and DuPage Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 US Census, the population is 73,366...
, police sergeant who is suspected of killing his third and fourth wives. The story has received national media attention in the United States. Peterson has repeatedly denied involvement in both cases. On May 7, 2009, Peterson was indicted by a Will County, Illinois
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...
grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
and charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson currently resides in the Will County Adult Detention Center, Joliet IL, awaiting trial.
Early life
In 1972, Drew Peterson graduated from Willowbrook High SchoolWillowbrook High School
Willowbrook High School is a public four-year high school located approximately half a mile North of Illinois Route 38 on Ardmore Ave in Villa Park, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is part of School District 88, which also includes Addison Trail High School...
in Villa Park, Illinois
Villa Park, Illinois
Villa Park is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 22,075 at the 2000 census. A special census in 2003 set the population at 22,517...
, where he ran cross country. After high school graduation, Peterson joined the US Army. In 1974, he briefly attended the College of DuPage
College of DuPage
College of DuPage, or COD, is a two-year community college in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The college also owns and operates facilities in the Illinois communities of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Naperville, West Chicago, and Westmont...
. Peterson later moved to Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
, where he trained as a military police officer.
Police career
Drew Peterson had a 29-year career as a police officer. He began working with the Bolingbrook Police Department in Illinois in 1977. In 1978, he was assigned to Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad, and in 1979, he received a "Police Officer of the Year" award from the department.In 1985, Peterson was fired from the Bolingbrook Police Department after the village board of police and fire commissioners found him guilty of disobedience, conducting a self-assigned investigation, failure to report a bribe immediately, and official misconduct. He had been indicted two months earlier on charges of official misconduct and failure to report a bribe. Peterson was working under the auspices of the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad at the time. Indictments alleged he solicited drugs in exchange for information about his agency. The charges later were dropped. Special prosecutor Raymond Bolden said at the time the charges were not provable. Peterson won reinstatement with the department in March 1986. Judge Edwin Grabiec ruled police and fire commissioners lacked sufficient evidence to find Peterson guilty of the charges. Peterson was also accused of using excessive force for allegedly breaking the thumb of an arrestee in May 2007. The charges were later dismissed on the grounds that Peterson was not present during the arrest, nor on duty that day.
Following his fourth wife Stacy's mysterious October 28, 2007, disappearance, Peterson announced his plans to retire as a Bolingbrook police sergeant as of December 2007. On November 15, 2007, the Bolingbrook Police Pension Board voted to allow Peterson to collect his pension of $6,067.71 per month, stating current law gave them no option, as Peterson had not been convicted of a crime.
Carol Brown
Peterson was married to his first wife, Carol (Hamilton) Brown, from 1974 to 1980. They divorced after she learned about his infidelityInfidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
.
Peterson and Brown met in high school in Villa Park, Illinois, and together attended his senior prom.
Victoria Connolly
Peterson married his second wife, Victoria (Rutkiewicz) Connolly, in 1982. Connolly has alleged a history of abuseDomestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
during her 10-year marriage to Peterson, as has her daughter who lived in the household during this time, from the age of 8 to 17 years. In 2007, Connolly stated that Peterson "was a legend in his own mind". The couple divorced after Peterson started dating Kathleen Savio, who would later become his third wife. Their divorce was finalized on February 18, 1992, and Peterson married Savio two months later.
Kathleen Savio
Peterson married Kathleen Savio (born June 13, 1963) on May 3, 1992. Their divorce was finalized on October 10, 2003. It was reported that between 2002 and 2004 police were called out to the Peterson house 18 times on domestic disturbance calls, including calls for returning children late after visitation. On March 1, 2004, Kathleen Savio's body was subsequently found in a waterless bathtub. Her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning, by a coroner's jury that included a police officer who personally knew Peterson and assured the other jurors that Peterson was 'a good man who would never hurt his wife'.However, following Stacy Peterson's disappearance, Savio's body was exhumed and underwent forensic examination on November 16, 2007. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner who conducted the examination at the request of Savio's relatives and Fox News, concluded that she died of drowning following a struggle when her body was placed in the bathtub. The results of the official autopsy ordered by the county have yet to be released to the public. Will County
State's Attorney
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
James Glasgow told the press that after examining evidence in the case, he believed that the death was a "homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
staged to look like an accident." On February 21, 2008, Glasgow announced that a pathologist determined that Savio's death was a homicide, adding that the death had been investigated as such reopening the case following the exhumation.
Rev. Neil Schori, a pastor at Stacy Peterson's church, reported that Stacy had told him that Drew had killed Kathleen Savio and had made it look like an accident and that she was fearful of her husband. Stacy had provided Drew's alibi for his whereabouts on the evening that Kathleen Savio died.
Stacy Peterson
Peterson married Stacy Ann Cales (born January 20, 1984) on October 18, 2003. She disappeared on October 28, 2007. Stacy Peterson was officially reported missing in the early hours of October 29, 2007, after her sister, Cassandra Cales, failed to hear from her when expected. Drew Peterson claims that Stacy called him at 9 p.m. on Sunday to tell him that she had left him for another man and that she had left her car at Bolingbrook's Clow International AirportBolingbrook's Clow International Airport
Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport is a public airport in Bolingbrook, a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. Located 29 miles southwest of the Chicago Loop, it is a small general aviation facility catering to private pilots, students, and commuter aircraft...
.
The last recorded words from Stacy Peterson were left on a voicemail
Voicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
on her father's answering machine on October 17 at 12:37 p.m., 11 days before she disappeared. The message said, "Hey dad! It's me, Stacy, I just wanted to call you and tell you I love you. I also wanted to give you my new phone number. OK, love you."
Engagement to Christina Raines
In December 2008, Drew Peterson's publicist Glenn Selig confirmed that Peterson was engaged to a 23-year-old mother of two, Christina Raines; she would be his fifth wife. On January 30, 2009, it was made public that Raines had moved out of Peterson's house. Her father, Ernie Raines, had issued an ultimatum, having her choose between him or Peterson. Raines had issued the ultimatum to his daughter because he didn't like the way Peterson began to control Christina; he was also scared that she would disappear as Stacy had. Raines moved out of Peterson's home "when she came to her senses", calling the engagement a publicity stunt designed to keep Peterson in the media spotlight. Then, in February 2009, Christina Raines and Peterson appeared on NBC's Today Show, confirming that she had moved back in with Peterson. Though his divorce from his fourth wife Stacy is not yet final, Peterson said he hopes to marry "as soon as possible". Christina Raines said her father made it clear he would not attend their wedding; she also admitted none of her friends or family support the relationship. When asked by NBC's Amy Robach if they would like to have more children, Peterson responded, "We have enough, we have 8 between us" (apparently including in the count his adult children, as there are only 6 children living in the home: the two he had with Kathleen Savio, the two he had with Stacy, and Christina's own two). Christina Raines replied, in a question-like tone, "Maybe one more?" When asked why she is with Peterson, Raines said "I love him, he makes me laugh" and claimed to have no concern for her safety.Disappearance of Stacy Peterson
Several leads have been followed in the investigation by Illinois State PoliceIllinois State Police
The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which were constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to...
with FBI involvement. Four search warrants have been issued and carried on Drew Peterson's property following Stacy's disappearance, including seizure of his vehicle and Stacy's vehicle, and Drew's firearms.
Rick Mims, Peterson's long-time friend, has admitted that Drew Peterson and Mims bought three blue containers from a cable company, where they both worked part-time in 2003, and has provided photos of the containers to police. Mims had also sold his story to the tabloids for an undisclosed sum of money. Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, who has a history of drug and alcohol addiction, attempted suicide two days after allegedly helping Drew carry a large blue plastic container from Peterson's Bolingbrook home to his sport utility vehicle, fearing he may have helped dispose of the body of Stacy Peterson. Neighbors reported seeing Peterson and another man hauling a 55-gallon barrel, large enough to hold a person, out of the house shortly after Stacy's disappearance. Cassandra Cales, Stacy's sister, said she wanted Drew Peterson to take a lie detector test about his knowledge of a blue barrel or container that she said she saw in their garage two days before Stacy disappeared. Joel Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, has denied any container is missing from the home. There were also reports of truckers referring to the containers, but their stories were treated as not credible, after it was found they were not in the Bolingbrook area at the times they claimed.
Murder of Kathleen Savio
On May 7, 2009, Peterson was indicted by the Will County Grand Jury and arrested for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. BailBail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
was set at $20 million. While being arrested, Peterson joked, "I guess I should have returned those library books".
In October 2009, Peterson sued JP Morgan Chase for revoking a home equity credit line that he wanted to use to pay legal expenses. His income of "nearly $109,000 per year" from his pension and Social Security was not sufficient. In July 2010, Judge Stephen White ruled that Peterson would remain in the Will County Jail for the remainder of his trial and appeals process. Prosecutors argued he could pose a danger if released.
On July 21, 2010 it was revealed hearsay statements indicating Drew Peterson killed two of his wives are not reliable enough for a jury to hear at his trial. After presiding over a lengthy hearsay hearing, Judge Stephen White issued a four-page sealed ruling in May obtained by the Daily Herald. White ruled prosecutors proved Peterson killed both Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson "by a preponderance of the evidence," but nearly all statements attributed to Stacy Peterson "do not provide sufficient safeguards of reliability." Stacy Peterson's statements are crucial to the prosecution's case, since it lacks other evidence.
Media appearances
Drew Peterson appeared on Larry King LiveLarry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
on April 11, 2008. His lawyer was present as an adviser regarding which questions Peterson should answer. The interview reran on May 9, 2009, two days after Peterson's arrest. Peterson also has made guest appearances (including one from county jail) on radio station WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
with Mancow Muller
Mancow Muller
Matthew Erich "Mancow" Muller is an American radio and television personality. He is best known for Mancow's Morning Madhouse, formerly on Rock 103.5 and WKQX-FM , both Chicago-based radio shows that have been nationally syndicated mostly in small markets by Talk Radio Network...
.
After the appearance on WLS, Will County Judge Stephen White severely limited Peterson's access to the media. Peterson circumvented that access by going online, creating a Twitter account, connecting with the media.