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[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson hearing to break for a week
February 10, 2010
<snipped>
Sixty-eight witnesses and more than three weeks in, Judge Stephen White has called for a week-long break in the Drew Peterson hearsay hearing.

When the proceedings continue Wednesday, prosecutors are expected to rest their case. The defense said it has 20 witnesses of their own, but may call as few as one.

Both sides will then present closing arguments. Dozens of men and women have taken the witness stand since Jan. 19 to speak ill &#8211; or tell of others speaking ill &#8211; about Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant set to stand trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

After digesting all the hours of testimony, evidence and closing arguments, White will decide which of 15 hearsay statements that prosecutors want admitted will make it into the trial. He may keep his decision under seal until the trial gets under way.

Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...40689,Peterson-hearing-break-JO021010.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Gun charges reinstituted against Drew Peterson
February 15, 2010 5:18 AM
<snipped>
An Illinois appeals court has shot down a Will County judge's decision that resulted in illegal-gun charges being dropped against Drew Peterson.

Judge Richard Schoenstedt erred in ruling more than a year ago that Peterson's attorneys were to be allowed access to various prosecution documents in pursuit of their contention that the prosecution of Peterson on the gun charge was vindictive and selective, the court ruled.

A three-judge panel of the Illinois Third District Appellate Court now has ruled there is no Illinois case law on the issue of where claims of selective or vindictive prosecution can be used to get pretrial discovery. It reversed Schoenstedt's decision and sent the case back to Will County court.

Article:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/gun-charges-reinstituted-against-drew-peterson.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson weapons case back to court
Monday, 15 February 2010 7:51AM
<snipped>
Drew Peterson's problems are piling up, as the appellate court shot down the dismissal of a felony gun charge a local judge dropped more than a year ago.

Three appellate judges unanimously agreed to reverse Will County Judge Richard Schoenstedt's decision to dismiss the unlawful use of a weapons charge Peterson was arrested on in May 2008.

Two of Peterson's attorneys, Joel Brodsky and Andrew Abood, went before the appellate court in Ottawa last month to argue that Schoenstedt's dismissal was the right move. They lost, and now Peterson, who is already in jail on murder charges in connection with the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, has the weapons charge hanging over his head again as well.

Article:
http://www.wbbm780.com/Peterson-weapons-case-back-to-court/6363070

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson pretrial hearing may end Wednesday
February 16, 2010
<snipped>
The lengthy hearing is expected to end Wednesday with Peterson's attorneys planning to call a single witness.

Peterson allegedly killed Savio, 40, the mother of two of his six children, in her Bolingbrook home shortly after they had divorced and while they were still battling over the division of their marital property. Savio was found dead in an empty bathtub, and her death originally was ruled an accident.

In another legal development regarding Peterson, an appeals court has reversed a lower court's decision and reinstated a weapons charge against him - a charge that stemmed from a search of his Bolingbrook house after Stacy's disappearance.

Peterson was accused of having an assault rifle with a barrel shorter than the state-mandated 16 inches.

Will County Circuit Judge Richard Schoenstedt dismissed the case in 2008 after prosecutors refused to hand over key internal documents. But the Illinois Appellate Court ruled that Schoenstedt erred and reversed his decision.

Article:
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/2050267,021610peterson.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Prosecutors must show Peterson's wife was killed
February 16, 2010
<snipped>
Prosecutors in suburban Chicago are trying to prove something that most times is as obvious as a bullet hole or stab wound: That the death of Drew Peterson's ex-wife was a homicide and not an accident.

If a pretrial hearing is any indication, prosecutors may spend as much time on evidence to show there was a crime as they do on evidence to show who killed Kathleen Savio.

Prosecutors have been presenting witnesses to counter the 2004 finding that Savio simply drowned in her bathtub. One of the most important witnesses is a pathologist, who testified that he found evidence not seen before that Savio was killed and struggled with her attacker.

Article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/peterson/2051479,drew-peterson-trial-021610.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Friend of Drew's stepbrother to testify
February 17, 2010
<snipped>
The hearsay hearing set to start back up Wednesday will likely feature the testimony of a man who says Drew Peterson's stepbrother shared details of covering up a murder.
Walter Martineck, the neighbor and long-time friend of Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, was subpoenaed by the defense to testify at Wednesday's session of the ongoing hearsay hearing, two sources said Tuesday.

Martineck has already publicly told of Morphey showing up at his door and spilling a story of helping Peterson carry a blue barrel downstairs to Peterson's waiting sport utility vehicle.

Morphey, who testified on Day 2 of what is now a 17-day hearing, went into great detail about helping Peterson allegedly move the body of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

One of Peterson's attorneys, George Lenard, tried to cast doubt on Morphey's tale by pointing out that his account differed from the one Martineck gave police.

The state called 68 witnesses ranging from a minister to a mistress in hopes of getting 15 hearsay statements against Peterson allowed at his murder trial. Peterson's attorneys have about 20 witnesses on tap, but may call one or possibly none if they can hammer out a written deal with prosecutors about what their testimony would entail if they took the stand.

That lone defense witness to actually appear might end up being Martineck. When contacted Tuesday, Martineck would neither confirm nor deny if he was subpoenaed by the defense to testify today.

The hearing is expected to conclude this afternoon with both the state and Peterson's defense team expected to present their closing arguments.

Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/plainfieldsun/news/2052165,4_1_JO17_PETERSON_S1-100217.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Witness: Ex-cop's 3rd wife died accidentally
Thursday, February 18, 2010
<snipped>
Most of Wednesday's testimony came from a former medical examiner that handled the case against serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen does not believe Savio was killed. His testimony contradicts the conclusion from two pathologists who are prosecution witnesses.

Will County state's attorney James Glasgow was close to wrapping up the 16-day hearsay hearing before announcing he will call one more witness. Dr. Michael Baden is expected to be the last of 71 witnesses. The famed forensic pathologist was one of two doctors who conducted an autopsy on Savio after her body was exhumed in 2007.

Baden concluded Savio's death was a homicide. He is expected on Friday to dispute Wednesday's testimony from Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen. Hired by Drew Peterson's attorneys, Jenzen said, "it is in my opinion that it was an accident." "They don't have any evidence," said Andrew Abood, Peterson attorney.

Jentzen who teaches at the University of Michigan is the former chief medical examiner in Milwaukee. While he did not conduct an autopsy on Savio's remains, he based his conclusions on photographs and investigative reports. Savio was found dead in a dry bathtub six years ago. Jentzen testified that he thinks Savio probably slipped or fainted in the tub. Besides a wound on the back of her head, prosecutors say Savio had bruises on the front of her body.

The hearsay hearing will continue Friday morning.

After Dr. Michael Baden's testimony, Judge Stephen White will hear closing arguments. After listening to 71 witnesses and looking at more than 155 pieces of evidence, White must decide if he will allow up to 15 hearsay statements. Both sides believe the judge plans to seal his decision.

Video: Ex-cop's 3rd wife died accidentally 3:00
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7283368

Video: Defense to call witness in Drew Peterson hearing 1:41
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7281904

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7281905

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Legal Expert: Peterson Hearsay Hearing
Thursday, February 18, 2010
<snipped>
Trial is for the murder of Kathleen Savio and we have gotten to see a preview of what the State's case may be. This is a circumstantial case.

In Peterson's defense:
-Savio's death first ruled an accident.

-No forensic evidence collected.

-No physical evidence in this case. No DNA, no fingerprints.

-Savio had a heart murmur and complained about vertigo and dizziness to her Dr. before the accident

-The defense can bring in drinking, sleepwalking, drug use, or dizzy spells to show that she died as a result of an accident.

-No evidence of a break in. How did someone get in kill Savio and get out without anyone knowing?

-No one has testified seeing Peterson or anyone else sneak inside Savio's house that day.

The evidence against him so far:

-Subsequent autopsy ruled her death a homicide

-Witnesses testified about Peterson's training in subduing suspects knowledge of choke holds and martial arts training.

-No towels, no robe, and the toiletries were undisturbed in the bathroom.

-Cleaning fluid found beside the bathtub.

-Her hair was down when she was found. One witness who lived with Savio said it was always up when she took a bath.

-Peterson's second wife testified she saw him with locksmith tools.

-Peterson's friend testified he followed Savio once because Peterson said he was going to break into the house to retrieve some papers.

-Prior to the law changing, the above is all you would likely hear at trial. Now we have the new hearsay law in force and as such, the hearing on the admissibility of the proposed statements is much lower than beyond a reasonable doubt.

-Because the burden of proof is much lower in the hearing phase as opposed to the trial, the Judge is very likely to let in at least some of the statements that we have discussed during the course of the hearing. If he does, then Mr. Peterson is in the unenviable position of having to contest a statement that he cannot cross examine. With these statements, the prosecution's case is much more powerful and a conviction much more likely.

-Changing the law to convict one man is a dangerous thing. This law presents a very slippery slope for a state that has convicted an imprisoned innocent people and still has a moratorium on the death penalty.

-In a related issue, an appeals Court reversed the Circuit Court's ruling on the dismissal of gun charges against Drew Peterson. The charges have been sent back to the Circuit Court to address his alleged Illegal possession of a SBR or Short Barreled Rifle.

Video: Legal Expert: Peterson Hearsay Hearing 3:23
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7284253

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community&id=7282551

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Pathologist: Savio's death an accident
February 17, 2010 10:29 PM
<snipped>
Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen, director of autopsy and forensic services at the University of Michigan Medical School, testified that he believed Savio's death was an accident likely due to a fall. "I think she probably slipped," he said.

Jentzen said he came to his conclusion after reviewing the initial autopsy report, photos and other documents, including a police report that said officials at Savio's autopsy had reached a "consensus" her death was likely an accident.

A pathologist called by the prosecution had testified that the pattern of Savio's injuries ruled out the possibility she died from an accidental fall in the tub, but Jentzen disagreed. "I believe all the injuries she sustained could have been sustained with a simple fall," he said. Other factors in his decision include a lack of defensive wounds and a "delicate" necklace found around her neck undamaged, he said.

Jentzen, who served as Milwaukee's chief medical examiner when officials were investigating the case against serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, said it also was possible that Savio suffered cardiac arrest and fell. No signs of a heart attack would have been detected at the autopsy, he said. Savio's physician had previously testified Savio was diagnosed with a medically insignificant heart murmur in the mid-1990s.

Assistant Will County State's Attorney John Connor asked Jentzen if his opinion would change knowing that the police investigation was flawed. Illinois State Police investigators have testified they bungled the Savio case. Jentzen said it was a factor he would take into consideration.

Prosecutors on Friday will call Dr. Michael Baden, who was hired by Savio's family in 2007 to conduct an independent autopsy on her. Also Friday, both sides are expected to make closing arguments.

Article:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/peterson-defense-says-it-will-call-just-one-witness.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Drew Peterson hearsay ruling might be kept secret
Judge expected to issue decision under seal to avoid influencing jury pool
4:09 p.m. CST, February 17, 2010
<snipped>
More than 80 hours of testimony from 68 witnesses along with at least 155 pieces of evidence have given the public a fascinating preview of the murder case against Drew Peterson, but the actual results of the hearing might be kept secret.

Attorneys for both sides say the public likely won't hear which, if any, of the 15 hearsay statements will be allowed at trial in the 2004 drowning death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio.

As part of his ruling on the monthlong hearing, Will County Judge Stephen White must essentially find Peterson guilty or not of killing his third or fourth wife before deciding to allow any of the submitted hearsay to be used at trial. Attorneys on both sides expect White will issue his ruling under seal to avoid influencing the jury pool.

The hearing, a first of its kind in Illinois, was required under a new state law allowing judges to admit certain hearsay statements.

Many legal experts believe that any decision under the new law to admit the submitted hearsay statements likely will be overturned.

But former federal prosecutor Steven Miller said he thought prosecutors would get much of their submitted hearsay into evidence.

"It's the sheer volume of evidence, the multiple dead women connected with (Peterson)," he said. "The dozens of witnesses is a witch's brew of problems for a defendant."
*Much more at link!

Article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...erson-hearing-resumes20100216,0,4425394.story

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Fox News Contributor to Testify At Hearing
February 17, 2010 - 2:22 PM
Drew Peterson Pretrial Heresay Hearing - PM Update
<snipped>
Prosecutors plan to call Fox News Contributor, Dr. Michael Baden, a well known forensic pathologist, to testify Friday morning at the pretrial hearing for Drew Peterson. Peterson's defense team only called two witnesses today, including a forensic pathologist expert from the University of Michigan's School of Medicine, who believes Kathleen Savio's death in 2004 was an accident. Will County State Attorney, James Glasgow, told the judge the prosecution plans to call one rebuttal witness, Dr. Michael Baden, before closing arguments begin Friday.

Dr. Baden is the former chief medical examiner of New York City and contributes regularly to various programs on Fox News Channel. After Kathleen Savio's body was exhumed in 2007, Dr. Baden performed an autopsy, at the request of Savio's family. Based on his own exam and evaluation of past evidence, Dr. Baden determined Savio's death was a homicide. Savio's death was initially ruled an accidental drowning by the Will County Coroners Office in 2004.

Forensic pathologist, Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen, from University of Michigan, testified for more than two hours about the medical examiner's report related to Kathleen Savio's death in 2004. Dr. Jentzen maintains Savio died from blunt head trauma, most likely caused by hitting her head after she slipped and fell in her bathtub. "All injuries she sustained could've been sustained by a simple fall," Jentzen testified.

After court broke for lunch, Drew Peterson's attorney, Andrew Abood, spoke about Dr. Jentzen's testimony. "Everything he (Jentzen) said was convincing. He examined the case objectively The prosecutor (John Connor) tried to beat him up and in end he (Jentzen) walked away standing. They (prosecutors) don't have any evidence she (Savio) didn't die by accidental cause. We are stuck in this case with accidental death."

Abood believes the hearsay ruling by the judge in this hearing will not be an endorsement for either side in this case. Once the judge issues a ruling regarding hearsay testimony, it's likely it will be placed under seal - meaning only the judge and the attorneys in the case will know the ruling. An actual trial date for Drew Peterson's case is not set yet.
*More at link!

Article:
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/02/17/homicides-in-a-bathtub-are-very-rare/?test=latestnews

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Pathologist: Kathleen Savio died accidentally
February 18, 2010
<snipped>
Jeffrey Jentzen, a forensic pathologist and professor at the University of Michigan, took the stand Wednesday as the first defense witness and testified that he concluded Savio was not the victim of a homicide.

"It's my opinion that it's an accidental death," Jentzen said. He made this decision after reviewing reports from three autopsies conducted on Savio's remains, police and coroner reports, and crime scene and postmortem photographs.

Ruling to be sealed
Jentzen's testimony came on the 17th day of the pivotal hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's upcoming murder trial. Peterson is charged with killing Savio, who was his third wife, in March 2004.

When the hearing finally ends, Judge Stephen White will determine if any of 15 hearsay statements can be used against Peterson during his murder trial. State's Attorney James Glasgow on Wednesday confirmed that White will keep his decision under seal until the start of the trial.

Prosecutors called 68 witnesses to make their case, and have another in store for Friday, when celebrity medical examiner Michael Baden is scheduled to take the stand.

Accident theories
But Jentzen then unveiled a theory in which he said Savio might actually have suffered a heart attack and inhaled bathwater into her sinuses after she was already dead.

He also speculated that she may have slipped, fallen, hit her head, passed out and drowned, or possibly fainted before falling and hitting her head.

Drew Peterson's lead attorney, Joel Brodsky, also had trouble maintaining consciousness during Wednesday's hearing, as he repeatedly nodded off while Jentzen testified.

Morphey's friend
After Jentzen, defense attorney George Lenard called Walter Martineck to the witness stand. Martineck is a long-time friend of Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, the man who claims to have helped Peterson dispose of Stacy's body.

Morphey testified on the second day of the hearing that he gave Peterson a hand carrying a blue barrel containing Stacy's body out of the Peterson home and to a waiting sport utility vehicle.

Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...eterson-hearing-pathologist_SCN021710.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson defense witness says Savio's death an accident
February 17, 2010
<snipped>
A forensic pathologist testified today that he believes the ex-wife of former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson died from an accidental fall and was not murdered.

Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen, the director of autopsy and forensic services at the University of Michigan Medical School, took the stand in a pre-trial hearing for Peterson, who is charged with killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004. A Will County judge has been hearing testimony over the last month to determine what hearsay evidence can be allowed at Peterson's upcoming murder trial.

"It's my opinion that it's an accidental death,'' he said.

Jentzen, the defense's first witness, said that while he did not conduct an autopsy on Savio's remains himself, he reviewed investigative reports, photographs and other materials to come up with his determination that her death was an accident.

But Will County Assistant State's Atty. John Connor asked him if his opinion would change if there had been evidence of a flawed state police investigation. Recent testimony at the hearing has shown that the investigation was mishandled. Jentzen answered that it would be a factor he would take into consideration.

Connor referred to testimony by a pathologist who conducted Savio's first autopsy determined that bruises on her body were not significant. "That borders on the imbecilic, doesn't it?" Connor asked. But after defense lawyers objected to the question the judge refused to let Jentzen answer, and the question was stricken from the record.

Wally Martineck, a neighbor of Peterson's stepbrother Thomas Morphey, was briefly called to the stand as a defense witness to rebut Morphey's previous testimony.

Morphey has testified that he and Peterson carried a heavy blue container to Peterson's pickup truck in October 2007. Morphey said he believed the body of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, was inside the container.
*More at link!

Video: Peterson Defense Witness Takes The Stand 2:19
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=d1373b29-78e0-4502-ab30-f3154c7a612a

Video: Peterson Defense Says It Will Call Two Witnesses Today 2:54
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=99b4ed84-20a2-4a9c-a112-a5c783f84793

Video: Terry Sullivan Talks Drew Peterson Case 3:56
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=31028f18-c7fd-4450-a17e-2da868bc69fc

Video: Peterson Hearsay Evidence 1:36
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=d45bb40e-3ecb-4d2d-8c7e-75d735f2c093

Video: Peterson Hearing Nearing End 0:26
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=c3d8a720-fa17-4f04-bfd9-29ad2de9571e

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

Video: State Police Testify 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 1:26
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=5b983586-899c-41ed-afb0-e8cb026838c8

Video: Peterson Haering More Than Halfway Over 1:54
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=6ff66595-50e3-438d-a9ff-796da8b179db

Video: Peterson Trial Enters Third Week 1:43
http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/?watchId=58975301-5fc5-4ffb-8e99-921542a02c43

Article:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-closing-arguments-may-be-presented-feb17,0,2842578.story

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Attorney Joel Brodskey Talks About Representing Drew Peterson 2:21
http://www.chicagotribune.com/videobeta/?watchId=db404be4-582a-44a8-ae9c-722abf9c132e

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Expert: 'Drew's Law' a 'Dangerous Law'
Updated: Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010, 11:01 PM CST
Published : Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010, 9:15 PM CST
<snipped>
Over the past three and a half weeks, prosecutors have laid out their case against Drew Peterson, in an extraordinary pre-trial hearing that's raised serious debate about the state's new hearsay law.

"It's a dangerous law, it's one that I think the intent is to hold people responsible for their bad acts, but on the other hand, I think, if abused, can result in failures of the system," said Attorney Terry Ekl.

"At least some of these statements are made by party to a divorce and frequently parties to divorce go around and say awful things about the other side that are not true," Ekl says.

But Attorney Dean Polales says "Drew's Law" is based on a United States Supreme Court ruling.

*Video Included In Article!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew_peterson/drew-peterson-legal-experts

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson Weapons Case Back to Court
Updated: Monday, 15 Feb 2010, 1:36 AM CST
Published : Monday, 15 Feb 2010, 9:36 AM CST
<snipped>
Drew Peterson's problems are piling up, as the appellate court shot down the dismissal of a felony gun charge a local judge dropped more than a year ago. Three appellate judges unanimously agreed to reverse Will County Judge Richard Schoenstedt's decision to dismiss the unlawful use of a weapons charge Peterson was arrested on in May 2008.

Two of Peterson's attorneys, Joel Brodsky and Andrew Abood, went before the appellate court in Ottawa last month to argue that Schoenstedt's dismissal was the right move. They lost, and now Peterson, who is already in jail on murder charges in connection with the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, has the weapons charge hanging over his head again as well. The weapons case stemmed from Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, allegedly possessing an assault rifle with a barrel shorter than the state-mandated 16 inches. His attorneys claim he had a right to own and carry the weapon, as he toted it while working with the Bolingbrook Police Department's SWAT team.

The weapon, along with other firearms, were seized by the state police when they executed a Nov. 1, 2007, search warrant on his house just days after his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared. About three months later, Peterson triumphed in court and won the return of his weapons. The state police responded by revoking Peterson's firearm owner's identification card. Undaunted, Peterson's lawyers asked that the weapons be turned over to his son, Oak Brook cop Stephen Peterson. The day before Schoenstedt was to rule on this request, the state police swooped in to pick up Peterson on the weapons charge.

While the appellate court sent the case back to Will County, it was not clear when it will make its way in front of a judge. The gun case apparently will return to Schoenstedt's court call, but it remains to be seen if prosecutors will move to get it heard by another judge. Charles B. Pelkie, the spokesman for the state's attorney's office, declined to comment on the status of the weapons case. Brodsky, the longest serving of Peterson's four attorneys, failed to return calls for comment.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew_peterson/peterson-weapons-case-back-to-court

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson's Attorneys Will Call Single Witness To End Trial
Updated: Monday, 15 Feb 2010, 11:26 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 16 Feb 2010, 7:26 AM CST
<snipped>
Drew Peterson seemed to love the limelight in the year and a half between his fourth wife's disappearance in late 2007 and his arrest in May for allegedly murdering wife No. 3. In custody, Peterson languished alone in a jail cell, effectively cut off from the public by a judicial order limiting his calls to an approved list of his friends, family and attorneys.

That abruptly changed Jan. 19, when a parade of witnesses took the stand to talk about Peterson. They recalled, among other sordid stories and accusations, how his last two wives lived in fear that he might kill them and make their deaths appear accidental, how he tried hiring a co-worker to do away with his third wife and of course, how he is considered by nearly everyone who knows him to be an inveterate "jokester."

While "jokester" was about the best thing any of the 68 men and women called into court had to say about Peterson, the former Bolingbrook cop and serial marrier at least had the chance to grab the spotlight for himself once again.

This most recent star turn by Peterson is expected to end Wednesday with the conclusion of the 17-day hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's upcoming murder trial. Peterson's attorneys will supposedly call a single witness to testify before facing off with prosecutors in closing arguments.

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew_peterson/peterson-attorney-single-witness

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Peterson Defense Claimed Savio's Death an Accident
Updated: Wednesday, 17 Feb 2010, 9:49 PM CST
Published : Wednesday, 17 Feb 2010, 4:05 AM CST
<snipped>
The defense hired former Milwaukee Medical examiner and now University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Jentzen to review the evidence from Savio&#8217;s death. The forensic pathologist, who estimates he&#8217;s performed or supervised 18,000 autopsies in his career, concluded Savio&#8217;s death was an accident.

Jentzen said Savio fell and hit her head because she either slipped, got dizzy, was experience prescription drug withdrawal, or suffered a heart arrhythmia. After collapsing in her bathtub, she drowned.

&#8220;He explained, chapter and verse, how it could happen &#8211; and that there couldn&#8217;t be another opinion,&#8221; said Joel Brodsky, Peterson&#8217;s attorney.

&#8220;They don&#8217;t have any evidence that she didn&#8217;t die by an accidental cause, and ultimately, without opportunity,&#8221; said Andrew Abood, another one of Peterson&#8217;s lawyers. &#8220;In a house that&#8217;s never been broken into, with no sign of forced entry, with a defendant who has an alibi, you&#8217;re stuck with the conclusion in this case of an accidental death.&#8221;

Watch Karen Conti's analysis of the trial
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/good_day/karen-conti-peterson-trial-good-day

*2-Videos Included In Article!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/new...rson-defense-claimed-savios-death-an-accident

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Prosecutors Must Prove Peterson's Wife Was Killed
Feb 16, 2010 3:19 pm US/Central
<snipped>
The crime scene technician didn't think twice about the bottle of cleaning fluid near the bathroom where the body of Drew Peterson's ex-wife lay slumped in her bathtub -- or whether it might have been used to wipe away evidence of a crime. Six years later, as Peterson prepares to stand trial for murder in Kathleen Savio's death, the bottle underscores the huge challenge facing prosecutors: Before they ask jurors to convict Peterson of murder, they first must prove a homicide occurred in the first place.

In most murder trials, the evidence of a slaying is as obvious as a bullet hole or a stab wound, and the only question is "whodunnit?" But in Peterson's case, nothing is obvious. "This is a true circumstantial evidence case,"' said Vincent Bugliosi, who won a murder conviction of Charles Manson in the 1969 slayings of Sharon Tate and six others even though Manson was not at the scenes when the slayings occurred. "In circumstantial evidence cases you're putting one speck of evidence upon each other... You're putting on evidence showing the unlikelihood that this is an accidental death."

Witnesses said there were no towels, no robe and no other clothes near the tub, and toiletry items lining the tub's edge were undisturbed. Prosecutors likely want jurors to believe if Savio was taking a bath, she'd at least have laid out a towel and if she did fall, she would have knocked something over. Then there was Savio's hair. It was down when her body was found, but a woman who had lived with Savio said Savio always put her hair up in a clip before taking a bath.

Some of those answers will resonate with jurors, said Marilyn Brenneman, a prosecutor in Seattle's King County, who's handling a similar case in which a man was charged with killing his 3 1/2-year-old stepdaughter after the death was originally ruled an accident. "Women on the jury will understand putting hair up because they don't want to have to dry it again," she said.

That means the original challenge remains: overcoming a lack of physical evidence, like fingerprints or DNA, to prove she didn't just drown. "You have to pile a lot of suspicious circumstances on top of each other," Bugliosi said. "You have to get to the point where you can say (to a jury) 'Come on folks."'
*Much more at link!

Article:
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/drew.peterson.case.2.1498469.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Defense Witness: Savio's Death Was An Accident
Closing Arguments Expected Friday In Hearing On Hearsay Testimony
Feb 17, 2010 5:45 pm US/Central
<snipped>
There was a change of plan for the defense team on Wednesday at a pretrial hearing in Drew Peterson's murder case. The defense wanted to call the pathologist who performed the original autopsy on Kathleen Savio &#8211; which ruled her death an accident &#8211; but he's seriously ill.

So as CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports, the defense called an author who said he'd taken part in more than 18,000 autopsies &#8211; although he had no direct involvement in either of the autopsies performed on Savio's body. On Wednesday, the defense's pathologist, Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen said "it is my opinion that it was an accident." He also said that a cut on her head and six bruises and abrasions on her body all could have stemmed from the same fatal fall in her bathtub.

Defense attorney Joel Brodsky said, "he's putting his reputation on the line that her death was an accident. So i think he's very credible."

The judge may have a ruling at the end of the hearing on Friday, but the public probably won't hear what it is. CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller, says the judge is expected to have it sealed because he doesn't want to taint the jury pool. "The first thing he will have to decide in his mind is that the prosecution proved by preponderance of evidence that Drew Peterson murdered Kathleen Savio and/or he murdered Stacy Peterson, in order to get to the next step whether these statements are admissible in trial," Miller said.

At the hearsay hearing, prosecutors were required to show by a "preponderance of evidence" that Drew Peterson killed one or both of his wives. Miller says the judge's decision may not be all or nothing. He has 15 separate statements to consider, but with both women unable to speak for themselves all of the statements are in question.

Miller also says it's not unusual that the defense is only calling one witness, since they have nothing to prove at this hearing. If the ruling is successfully kept under wraps, it may not be until Peterson's trial that we find out exactly what evidence was allowed. The answer will finally be revealed when prosecutors make their opening statements and tell the jurors what testimony they'll be hearing from witnesses.
*Much More At Link!

Video: Defense Witness Says Savio's Death Not A Homicide 2/17/10
http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=68049@wbbm.dayport.com

Video: Peterson Hearsay Ruling May Be Kept Secret 2/17/10
http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=68039@wbbm.dayport.com

Article:
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/drew.peterson.hearing.2.1499677.html