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[Angel Who Cares]

Savio Feared Drew, Boyfriend Tells Court
Updated: Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 5:31 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 5:31 PM CST
<snipped>
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.

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.

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/savio-boyfriend-testifies

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Teen neighbor testifies at Peterson hearsay hearing
Monday, February 1, 2010
<snipped>
Nick Pontarelli testified Monday that Savio told him Peterson once put a knife to her throat, broke into her suburban Chicago house and planted recording devices. Pontarelli says Savio was afraid of Peterson.

More than 30 witnesses have testified about Savio's 2004 death and the 2007 disappearance of Stacy Peterson, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant's fourth wife.

Article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/peterson/2022945,drew-peterson-hearing-neighbor-020110.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson witness had doubts
Testifies usual bathroom items weren't at scene of Savio's death
Febuary 2, 2010
<snipped>
Thomas Pontarelli, a neighbor of Kathleen Savio's, said he was struck by what wasn't in Savio's bathroom when he looked down at her body. "I said 'Look around, where's her clothes? Where's her towel?'," Pontarelli testified he said to Peterson and others who were there. He said he noticed there was no soap scum in the bathtub. Pontarelli and his 19-year-old son, Nick Pontarelli, testified as a hearing to decide what hearsay evidence would be permitted at Peterson's murder trial entered its third week.

Hearsay usually isn't admissible in court. Illinois judges can allow it in murder trials if prosecutors prove a defendant may have killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. There's little available forensic evidence in Savio's case, so prosecutors are expected to rely on statements Savio allegedly made to others saying she feared Peterson could kill her.

Article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/peterson/2024128,CST-NWS-drew02.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Bo Dietl on the Drew Peterson Trial 2/1/10 2:55
Beau Dietl and Associates Founder Bo Dietl on the latest details from the trial of former Illinois police officer Drew Peterson.
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3996540

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Drew Peterson, you have the right to remain silent
February 3, 2010 11:10 a.m. EST
<snipped>
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.

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.

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.
More at link!

Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/03/illinois.drew.peterson.quotes/

 

[Texas Mist]

Witness: Peterson's ex-wife slept with knife

Feb 3, 5:43 PM EST

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- A friend of Drew Peterson's ex-wife testified Wednesday that she was so afraid of her ex-husband that she installed a deadbolt lock on her bedroom door and slept with a knife under her mattress.

Kristin Anderson, who stayed with her family at Kathleen Savio's home for two months in 2003 while her own home was being built, said Savio told her Peterson had dressed in his SWAT uniform, held a knife to her throat on her staircase and threatened to kill her.

"She was so convinced that that's what he was going to do - that he was going to follow through with his threat," said Anderson.

Anderson's testimony came during a hearing to determine what hearsay evidence, if any, will be allowed at Peterson's upcoming murder trial.



more here

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020302655.html

 

[ohiogirl]

JOLIET &#8212; Prosecutors suggested Drew Peterson used his martial arts training to hold down his third wife while he drowned her in a tub.

Brian Hafner, a Bolingbrook police lieutenant who instructs officers in hand-to-hand combat and even trained Peterson when he was on the force, testified Wednesday that third wife Kathleen Savio's body appeared as if it had been placed in a special restraining hold.

More at link.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...27907,Peterson-Savio-hearsay-JO020310.article

 

[fran]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100204/ap_on_re_us/us_drew_peterson_14

Ill. trooper describes Drew Peterson investigation

JOLIET, Ill. – An Illinois State Police trooper involved in the original investigation of the 2004 death of Drew Peterson's ex-wife testified Thursday that he quickly suspected it was a homicide, even though the lead investigator initially believed it was an accident.

..................................snip.....................................

Falat testified that he told the lead investigator that Drew and Stacy Peterson should be questioned again because of what he saw as holes in their accounts of what happened and evasive answers.

"In my opinion it was obvious Stacy was hiding something," Falat said. "(And) she was not telling the truth."

He added that their accounts seemed "eerily similar" and "the two stories seemed like they were scripted."

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<more at link>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Witness: Peterson's ex slept with knife
Published: 2/3/2010 9:46 AM | Updated: 2/3/20 3:00 PM
<snipped>
One of Kathleen Savio's friends says Savio was so afraid that her ex-husband Drew Peterson would kill her that she had a deadbolt lock put on her bedroom door and kept a kitchen knife under her mattress.

Kristin Anderson lived in Savio's house for two months in late 2003. Anderson testified Wednesday at a pretrial hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed when Peterson stands trial in Savio's 2004 death.

Anderson testified that Savio described Peterson -- dressed all in black -- once putting a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her. Earlier witnesses described the same alleged attack.

Anderson says she called investigators after Savio's death, but they didn't call her back.

Article:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=356392&src=2

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Kathleen Savio kept knife under bed for protection from Drew: testimony
February 3, 2010
<snipped>
A Bolingbrook police officer testified Wednesday that the position of Savio&#8217;s body in the bathtub after her March 1, 2004, death didn&#8217;t appear to be consistent with a &#8220;slip and fall&#8221; accidental drowning.

&#8220;It didn&#8217;t look that way to me,&#8221; said Lt. Brian Hafner, who noted that the twisted position of one of Savio&#8217;s arm in the tub could have resulted from a restraining technique commonly used by Bolingbrook police officers.

Anderson testified that Savio told her about keeping a knife under her mattress in the fall of 2003 while her family briefly rented the basement of Savio&#8217;s Bolingbrook home. It was one of a string of precautions Savio took in an effort to protect herself from Peterson as they battled through a bitter divorce, Anderson testified.

Those precautions &#8212; which included Savio changing locks on her outer doors and installing a deadbolt lock on her bedroom door &#8212; followed a confrontation when Peterson allegedly sneaked into her home and threatened her with a knife.

Anderson, 46, said she, her husband and children grew close with the 40-year-old Savio while they shared the home. Savio referred to her family as her &#8220;guardian angels,&#8221; Anderson said. &#8220;While we were living there, Drew stayed away,&#8221; Anderson said.

Article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/peterson/2027859,drew-peterson-savio-knife-020410.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Ill. trooper describes Drew Peterson investigation
Wednesday, Feb. 03, 2010
<snipped>
Master Sgt. Bryan Falat described an investigation in which Peterson's colleagues at the Bolingbrook police department came and went from the home where Kathleen Savio's body was found in a dry bathtub and in which Peterson was allowed to be with his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, as she was questioned.

Falat said he told the lead investigator that Drew and Stacy Peterson should be questioned again because of what he saw as holes in their accounts of what happened and evasive answers.

"In my opinion it was obvious Stacy was hiding something," Falat said. "(And) she was not telling the truth." He added that their accounts seemed "eerily similar" and "the two stories seemed like they were scripted."

Falat is the first investigator to testify that he was suspicious of Drew Peterson in 2004.

Falat testified Thursday that he started telling Collins even as they were leaving Savio's house that night about his concerns with the way Collins was handling the investigation. Falat said, for example, that Peterson should not have been questioned at the Bolingbrook police department as Peterson requested.

Falat also took issue with Collins' decision to allow Peterson to be present when investigators interviewed Stacy Peterson. He said Stacy Peterson hesitated at times and appeared to look to her husband for advice. His testimony also suggested that others at what he saw as a potential crime scene were not concerned about being careful not to disturb what might be evidence.

An Illinois State Police crime scene technician also testified, saying that besides taking photographs and walking around the inside and outside of Savio's house he collected no evidence and did not look for fingerprints - even as he insisted that he did not conclude the death was an accident until later.

Psychic Irene Lalagos testified that Stacy Peterson said Drew Peterson told her that he could kill her and hide her body in a place where no one would ever find it. Lalagos said she read cards for Stacy Peterson once in 2006 and once in 2007.
*Much more at link!

Article:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/photos/story/1000044.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Savio body consistent with police hold
February 4, 2010
<snipped>
Brian Hafner, a Bolingbrook police lieutenant who instructs officers in hand-to-hand combat and even trained Peterson when he was on the force, testified Wednesday that third wife Kathleen Savio's body appeared as if it had been placed in a special restraining hold.

"The position of the hand in the photograph I have seen is consistent with (being in) an arm bar," Hafner said on Day 11 of the crucial hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed during Peterson's upcoming murder trial.

"The position of the hand in the photograph I have seen is consistent with (being in) an arm bar," Hafner said on Day 11 of the crucial hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed during Peterson's upcoming murder trial.

And it looks like Savio was put in just such a hold, Hafner testified. Savio's position was not indicative of her having slipped in the tub and hit her head, he said.

"It didn't look like it to me," Hafner said.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...27907,Peterson-Savio-hearsay-JO020310.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Drew Peterson's Been on His Best Behavior in Court
Updated 3:23 PM CST, Thu, Feb 4, 2010
<snipped>
Peterson arrives at the Joliet courthouse every day in chains and a jumpsuit. His lawyers provide him with a fresh suit and tie. He changes. His chains are reattached, before he enters the courtroom. Then the chains are removed, again, in a show for the court.

He scans the courtroom every time he comes in, and has been known to stop and stare at Cales family members and friends -- Stacy Peterson's relatives -- in an apparent attempt to intimidate them. But that&#8217;s the extent of his showmanship.

It&#8217;s a far cry from his behavior just after his arrest.

But that&#8217;s not what has been keeping Peterson in check during the hearsay trial, Joe Hosey, who authored a book about Peterson and has been attending the hearing, said to CNN.

Hearing former acquaintances, friends and even family members recount tales of murderous intent may have finally cracked Drew&#8217;s jester exterior.

"I think reality has sunk in," Hosey said.

Article:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Drew-Petersons-Been-on-His-Best-Behavior-83576237.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Psychic: Stacy Peterson feared husband would carry out threat
Published: 2/4/20 8:07 PM | Updated: 2/4/2010 11:18 PM
<snipped>
Self-professed psychic Irene Lalagos testified Thursday that Stacy Peterson feared her police sergeant husband would carry out a murderous threat if she ended their troubled marriage. Nearly five months later, the 23-year-old Bolingbrook woman vanished without a trace. "She told me that Drew told her he was a cop. He could kill her, hide her body and no one would ever find her," said Lalagos, of Glendale Heights. "She was afraid for her life."

Also Thursday, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Bryan Falat described how his concerns that Drew Peterson be treated as a suspect in Savio's death fell on deaf ears. Falat is the only state police official to testify who said he suspected foul play.

Falat, then just a trooper assigned to the case less than two weeks, said the lead investigator, Sgt. Patrick Collins, violated proper police procedure when he allowed Peterson to be questioned in the Bolingbrook police department's lunchroom and to also be present that next day when Stacy provided her husband with an alibi. Neither hesitated when recounting specifics. In fact, Falat said, the husband became "sort of cocky and arrogant" when probed further.

Falat said he wanted to do follow-up interviews with the witnesses who found Savio's body, including Drew Peterson, as well as bring Stacy and the children before a grand jury, but none of his suggestions were pursued. Falat also said he requested Bolingbrook police provide reports of prior domestic violence calls between Savio and her husband but, "I've never seen them."

Lalagos, though, is the first witness to testify that Stacy quoted Peterson suggesting he could hide her body. Lalagos said her loyalty to Peterson's mother, Betty, a lifelong friend, kept her from coming forward. She did so after authorities subpoenaed her.

Article:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=356907

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Witness calls Drew Peterson "A big ego with a gun"
February 5, 2010
<snipped>
Though she feared for her life, Kathleen Savio refused to move out of Bolingbrook because she believed she could not escape Drew Peterson's clutches, a former nursing classmate testified this morning.

"He had friends everywhere," said Mary Parks, who took classes with Savio in 2002 and 2003. "She would not be able to hide."

Parks testified that Savio showed her red marks on Savio's neck in the fall of 2003 and told her Peterson had choked her. Savio said as Peterson pinned her down he asked, "Why don't you just die?"

By late 2003--just a few months before her death--Savio had grown thin and pale, Parks said, adding Savio had trouble sleeping and became obsessed with making sure her doors were locked. Savio was convinced that her ex-husband planned to kill her, Parks said.

Video: Witness calls Drew Peterson "A big ego with a gun" 0:33
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=0bf67d05-779e-489a-91c4-3eb8522a7f5d

Video: Peterson Hearsay Trial Continues 0:36
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=f3539085-a294-4c4f-a549-60bf1a76830e

Video: State Police Testifies In Peterson Hearing 0:26
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=7427e5cc-f33c-4946-aafb-c504369d717d

Video: Peterson Hearing Continues 0:30
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=d1b58d5e-44da-4596-abdf-79f47587d6ad

Video: List Of Witnesses Growing Who Say Peterson Threatened To Kill Savio 0:32
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=cafcf0ee-2b08-4a84-863e-28eadac4dc3d

Video: List Of Witnesses Growing Who Say Peterson Threatened To Kill Savio 1:26
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=5b983586-899c-41ed-afb0-e8cb026838c8

Article:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-peterson-hearsay-hearing-february05,0,4801861.story

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Evidence not gathered in bathtub drowning
Published: Feb. 5, 2010 at 10:44 AM
<snipped>
Robert Deel testified at a pretrial hearing he had only been handling crime scene investigations for about a year when he was sent to Savio's suburban Chicago home, the Joliet (Ill.) Herald News reports.

Deal said he did not test for the presence of blood in the bathroom, dust for fingerprints or take a glass of orange juice into evidence.

He also said he failed to collect a bottle of cleaning fluid that was on Savio's dresser.

Deel said Will County prosecutors asked him never again to process a crime scene in their county after the 2007 disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife Stacy.

Article:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010...hered-in-bathtub-drowning/UPI-12701265384653/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Pathologist testifies Peterson's third wife was murdered
Published: 2/5/2010 2:24 PM | Updated: 2/5/2010 9:55 PM
<snipped>
Dr. Larry Blum testified the pattern of Savio's injuries, the position in which her body was found and the scene of her death led him to rule out an accidental drowning due to a single fall. "There was no blood, hair or tissue to show she hit her head on the tub," said Blum, in his first public comments about Savio's 2004 death. "The evidence doesn't really bear that out." "That is my opinion, that it was homicidal."

Blum testified at a Will County pretrial hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's upcoming murder trial. The hearing, which has included testimony of 55 prosecution witnesses, may end next week.

As Blum detailed Savio's injuries, Peterson focused intently on photos of her decomposed remains - which showed a gash on the back of her head, about a half-dozen small bruises, and several cuts and scratches along her extremities, abdominal area and buttocks. Peterson even changed chairs at the defense table to view the photos, shown on a television monitor turned away from the courtroom gallery of spectators.

Blum said Savio tested negative for drugs or alcohol. He did not find any medical reason to support the defense's theory that she slipped and fell in the bathtub. In fact, Blum testified, it was his opinion that Savio's head wound and her other injuries - sustained near the time of her death because there were no signs of healing - were inconsistent with a single fall. He noted internal bruising on Savio's diaphragm consistent to a "bear hug."

Despite defense attorney Joel Brodsky's intense cross examination, a resolute Blum said he is "without doubt" that it would be impossible for Savio to suffer that pattern of injuries in a single fall. "I've never seen that in 30 years," testified Blum, who said he's personally conducted 9,233 autopsies. Celebrity forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden reached a similar opinion in a third autopsy Savio's family sought.
*Much more info at link!

Article:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=357143&src=2

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Pathologist: Peterson's ex-wife didn't die in fall
Friday, February 5, 2010; 6:06 PM
<snipped>
Dr. Larry Blum, in his first public comments since the 2007 autopsy of Kathleen Savio, said he didn't think bruises on her body and a laceration to the back of her head came from a single fall. Savio's body was found slumped forward in a dry bathtub in 2004, and Blum said that her position wasn't consistent with a fall.

"There was no blood, hair or tissue on the tub," said Blum, who looked at photographs from the original autopsy and crime scene to help make his determination. "So the evidence doesn't bear that out."

Blum said Savio did drown but her death was not accidental, as another pathologist initially found. "It was my opinion that it was a homicide," Blum said.

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

"The bruise was deep, down to the bone," he said. He said her injuries indicated that there was a struggle.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020503123.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Pathologist: Savio was victim of homicide
February 5, 2010
<snipped>
Dr. Larry Blum testified Thursday that a laceration to Savio's head and the bruises and scrapes on her body could not have been caused by an accidental fall in her bathtub, as state police concluded after investigating her March 2004 death. Blum was on the witness stand for most of the 13th day of the pivotal hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Drew Peterson's upcoming murder trial.

Soon after Stacy vanished in October 2007, Savio's grave was dug up in Hillside's Queen of Heaven Cemetery was dug up. At the request of police, Blum performed a new autopsy on her badly decomposed remains. At the request of Savio's family, celebrity medical examiner Michael Baden also conducted an autopsy, parts of which were broadcast on Fox News Channel without showing Savio's body.

Both Blum and Baden determined Savio was the victim of a homicide.

One of Peterson's attorneys, Joel Brodsky tried for hours without success to get Blum to concede that Savio's death might have been a suicide or an accident. He also pieced together various speculative scenarios, such as Savio slipping on a bar of soap, striking her head and drowning.

"The ugly facts of the injuries destroy that beautiful theory," Blum said.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...joliet-savio-victim-homicide-jo020510.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Savio was murdered, state pathologist testifies
Position in tub makes it unlikely she drowned accidentally, Larry Blum says
February 5, 2010
<snipped>
Kathleen Savio's 2004 bathtub drowning death was murder, a state-hired pathologist testified Friday, in part because he believed injuries to the front, back and sides of her body could not have been caused accidentally. Dr. Larry Blum performed a second autopsy on Savio's body when it was exhumed in 2007 after the disappearance of Drew Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy.

Savio was hopeful a property settlement in her divorce with Peterson was near when she was found drowned in her Bolingbrook home. A coroner's jury ruled her death accidental, but Peterson was charged last year with Savio's death. Testimony Friday was part of a hearing to determine whether hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's trial.

Peterson leaned in and squinted when autopsy photos of his third wife were shown on a computer monitor. He seemed to take copious notes.

Blum testified the alleged murder scene was "pristine" with little blood, no splashed water and nothing around the tub knocked over, but he could not say whether the scene was staged.

Under questioning by defense attorney Joel Brodsky, Blum said possible defensive wounds on Savio's hand could have been caused by her cat or by careless workers removing evidence bags on her hands.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-0206-drew-peterson-hearing-20100205,0,3277960.story