Drew Peterson's Trial *THIRD WEEK*

[Wishbone]

wanted the discussion of marriage to be on the table.....she wanted to get married. Steve didn't say that she felt that they never would nor did he indicate that he didn't want to marry Kathleen either. He acknowledged how much he loved her.

Maniaci is the last person known to have spoken to Savio. She called him about midnight on the Saturday before she died, waking him, angry that he hadn't driven to her house.

"I know you're never going to marry me," Savio told him, then hung up, Maniaci said.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...1_1_savio-sister-susan-doman-anna-marie-doman

 

[katydid23]

Hey Katy, would love to hear what you at this time have as a reasonable doubt as to the next door neighbor muvenile. Thanks.

I have no reasonable doubt about the boy next door. Imo, he is just a young kid that the DT is aiming at to try and deflect away from the guilty party.

I see them trying to instill a sense of doubt in the jurors already though. But I don't see that working in the end. Look at the difference between the potential suspects.

IF the state is successful in proving it was a homicide, then imo it will be easy for the jury to accept DP as the only viable suspect. He had the motive, the opportunity and the history and she was clearly afraid of him and told others he had threatened to kill her previously.

Trying to deflect that kind of suspicion onto a 14 yr old neighbor boy with no prior criminal or violent history is a desperate move, imo.

Now the boyfriend is another matter. They may have a little more success aiming their sights at him. But even then, he has no motive and no criminal or violent history. What reason would he have to sneak over and kill his girlfriend? Especially when you compare it to Drew's potential motive. He wanted the kids all to himself. And he wanted his pension and the $ from the house all to himself. And he hated to pay child support. Many people have killed their ex's over child support and custody issues.

 

[Wishbone]

Maybe he did not see it because he did not use it??? Kathy may have spilled something earlier and cleaned it up. jmo

I keep hearing that DP being an experienced cop knew how to stage a murder to look like an accident but I keep seeing too many loose ends for this to be anykind of professional job. The spot cleaner being just one little thing in addition to all the other things we've been discussing here........

 

[Cubby]

is the son of Mary Ponterrelli (sp?) the next door neighbor who found Kathleen's body had a crush on Kathleen. They said that he had wanted to spend the night with Kathleen and Mary replied that "that was a NO"
The boy was with them when they went to look for Kathleen's body...he walked to the garage to see if her car was there while Mary and another neighbor/friend Steve went upstairs while innocent Drew waited downstairs to find out what was going on with Kathleen.

They also mentioned that the boy had a picture of Kathleen sitting on the tub. I don't know if anyone here has had a chance to see that photo. I am wondering if it is indecent......they were also implying that she feared that the neighbors were spying on her (that she was paranoid or perhaps implying that the neighbor boy had a sexual fantasy or was peeking in at her)

Does anyone know anything about that photo of Kathleen sitting on the side of the tub allegedly taken by that boy?

Adding, I agree that the whereabouts of Steve Maniachi were complicated, but I think that the police actually did investigate him thoroughly. I think the fact that his home was broken into wasn't a coincidence.....it was too close to the sequence of events.....I suspect that Drew himself broke into the house to threaten Steve and/or try to plant evidence to pin the murder on him.

Interesting post. My perspective on what was said about KS being 'paranoid' or fearing the neighbors were spying on her had to due with Drew putting them up to spying on her. I never considered that fear having to do with the 14 yr old until you posted that possibility.

14 yr olds, teens, regardless of gender, often have crushes on adults. I remember them when I was a teen having them and recall some teen boys I was friends with who thought my mom was 'hot'. Teen boys thinking someone is cute is really nothing more than a nice compliment to be over 35 and learn one is still attractive to younger folk.

Consider this 14 yr olds dad found a bullet on the driveway, I doubt his teen son would not have heard about that and not heeded the warning.

 

[Wishbone]

I have no reasonable doubt about the boy next door. Imo, he is just a young kid that the DT is aiming at to try and deflect away from the guilty party.

I see them trying to instill a sense of doubt in the jurors already though. But I don't see that working in the end. Look at the difference between the potential suspects.

IF the state is successful in proving it was a homicide, then imo it will be easy for the jury to accept DP as the only viable suspect. He had the motive, the opportunity and the history and she was clearly afraid of him and told others he had threatened to kill her previously.

Trying to deflect that kind of suspicion onto a 14 yr old neighbor boy with no prior criminal or violent history is a desperate move, imo.

Now the boyfriend is another matter. They may have a little more success aiming their sights at him. But even then, he has no motive and no criminal or violent history. What reason would he have to sneak over and kill his girlfriend? Especially when you compare it to Drew's potential motive. He wanted the kids all to himself. And he wanted his pension and the $ from the house all to himself. And he hated to pay child support. Many people have killed their ex's over child support and custody issues.

Found a little bit about the son, Nick. I guess he was with them when they found KS dead in the tub too. I'm too lazy to look for more right now.


Snips from Mary Pontarelli testimony on first day of trial


Pontarelli didn’t allow son Nick, who was one of the last people to see Savio alive, speak to police that night. He was 14.


She believes that Savio’s boyfriend had lunch with her on Saturday but as far as Pontarelli knows, her son Nick was the last to see Kathleen Savio alive.

http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/tag/mary-pontarelli/

 

[katydid23]

I keep hearing that DP being an experienced cop knew how to stage a murder to look like an accident but I keep seeing too many loose ends for this to be anykind of professional job. The spot cleaner being just one little thing in addition to all the other things we've been discussing here........

But DP was just a patrol cop. He was not a homicide investigator. He may have had some chances to see a murder scene, but he just roped it off and waited for the detectives. So he was not quite the expert he thought he was, imo.

And yes, it was not a professional job because he was not a professional hit man. He was just your average monster of a husband who was too evil and greedy to just legally divorce his most recent wives.

 

[Wishbone]

But DP was just a patrol cop. He was not a homicide investigator. He may have had some chances to see a murder scene, but he just roped it off and waited for the detectives. So he was not quite the expert he thought he was, imo.

And yes, it was not a professional job because he was not a professional hit man. He was just your average monster of a husband who was too evil and greedy to just legally divorce his most recent wives.

Well, it seems just because DP was a cop that the death scene was not properly investigated.

 

[katydid23]

Well, it seems just because DP was a cop that the death scene was not properly investigated.

TRUE. His brother cops just deemed it an accident from the start.

 

[panthera]

I am not owing you. If head in toilet, what were her two shins uplifted on and causing that bruise on both shins? That IMHoO is not merely.her on her knees as the shins needed to have a one to two inch bruise horizontally

Trying to envision her somehow in a position where her shins were scraping against tile grout. It was just a passing thought.

 

[katydid23]

Found a little bit about the son, Nick. I guess he was with them when they found KS dead in the tub too. I'm too lazy to look for more right now.


Snips from Mary Pontarelli testimony on first day of trial


Pontarelli didn’t allow son Nick, who was one of the last people to see Savio alive, speak to police that night. He was 14.


She believes that Savio’s boyfriend had lunch with her on Saturday but as far as Pontarelli knows, her son Nick was the last to see Kathleen Savio alive.

http://petersonstory.wordpress.com/tag/mary-pontarelli/

There were two other tidbits that the DT threw out there that I think they will revisit. IIRC, they talked about the son being with the neighbors when they came home from a party that Sat. night, and they looked up and noticed KS's bedroom light on very late that night. And the son said he thought it was very late for her to be awake, and then the DT questioned if he said that or his mom said that. I don't understand the significance, but I bet they had a reason for discussing it.

Also, IIRC, the discussed the possibility that the son was the one who helped her put the deadbolt in her bedroom door. Are they going to try and make something out of that as well?

 

[LambChop]

Trying to envision her somehow in a position where her shins were scraping against tile grout. It was just a passing thought.

If someone were dragging her maybe????

 

[katydid23]

Trying to envision her somehow in a position where her shins were scraping against tile grout. It was just a passing thought.

I think he had to forcibly get Kathleen into the bathroom. I wonder if he was dragging her by her shins? If he was wrapping his hands around her shins really tightly and dragging her, and her body was struggling against him, I think the shins would be badly bruised.

 

[katydid23]

If someone were dragging her maybe????

Great minds think alike.

 

[panthera]

I think he had to forcibly get Kathleen into the bathroom. I wonder if he was dragging her by her shins? If he was wrapping his hands around her shins really tightly and dragging her, and her body was struggling against him, I think the shins would be badly bruised.

That would definitely do it. It makes sense. At first my thoughts were of him forcing her into the bathroom at gunpoint, however, perhaps with something over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

MOO

 

[katydid23]

That would definitely do it. It makes sense. At first my thoughts were of him forcing her into the bathroom at gunpoint, however, perhaps with something over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

MOO

That would make more sense---that he used a gun to gain compliance---but it does not match with all of her injuries. It seems like they did some physical battling.

Maybe she knew he would not want to shoot her because it would be too noticeable. So she began to fight him.

 

[WindyCityGirl]

painted himself in an unfavorable light on the witness stand in some respects which made me trust him all the more. I think that he must feel very sad and remorseful about not having been with Kathleen. I think that it must have been humiliating for him to reveal the details that he did and uncomfortable to talk about Kathleen calling him late at night "to vent"
As I think more about what I wrote, I realize that it sounds counterintuitive in a way that by Steve running himself down it made me trust him more, but it really did--if he were on the stand singing his own praises over what a perfect relationship they had it would seem like he might be trying to cover something up. I believe that he really cared for Kathleen and knew that she was in an ugly situation.
I don't think that her remark to him necessarily speaks to his intentions towards her but her feeling vulnerable after having been so close to him and his not making it his business to be with her the next night. She could have gone over to his home, but she wanted to study. (There was another night or two in between their date night and her death, right?--I need to re-read that)

I think it is ridiculous for the defense to make the leap that just because she was frustrated like many women are that marriage wasn't on the table as quickly as they would like that he would somehow be moved to kill her. Absurdity........as is the neighbor boy.
I think that it was normal for the teen to have a crush on an older attractive woman....it is (or should be) a safe crush and a nice fantasy for a youngin

Maniaci is the last person known to have spoken to Savio. She called him about midnight on the Saturday before she died, waking him, angry that he hadn't driven to her house.

"I know you're never going to marry me," Savio told him, then hung up, Maniaci said.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...1_1_savio-sister-susan-doman-anna-marie-doman

 

[WindyCityGirl]

Those kind of things happen all the time....Kathleen was very pretty and was probably very nice to that boy too. He admired her...as a pretty female who is not his mother......it is just part of maturation.
Your post was interesting to me too........and I tend to lean in your direction about Drew asking them to spy on her except for the fact that the neighbors (Mary and Tom) definitely were protective of Kathleen and were in the know about her fear (putting the locks on her doors) which makes me think that they wouldn't be telling Drew what was up with her.
Unless of course it was the kid who was checking up on her and didn't know any better that he was fueling the psychosis of Drew.

Interesting post. My perspective on what was said about KS being 'paranoid' or fearing the neighbors were spying on her had to due with Drew putting them up to spying on her. I never considered that fear having to do with the 14 yr old until you posted that possibility.

14 yr olds, teens, regardless of gender, often have crushes on adults. I remember them when I was a teen having them and recall some teen boys I was friends with who thought my mom was 'hot'. Teen boys thinking someone is cute is really nothing more than a nice compliment to be over 35 and learn one is still attractive to younger folk.

Consider this 14 yr olds dad found a bullet on the driveway, I doubt his teen son would not have heard about that and not heeded the warning.

 

[Wishbone]

There were two other tidbits that the DT threw out there that I think they will revisit. IIRC, they talked about the son being with the neighbors when they came home from a party that Sat. night, and they looked up and noticed KS's bedroom light on very late that night. And the son said he thought it was very late for her to be awake, and then the DT questioned if he said that or his mom said that. I don't understand the significance, but I bet they had a reason for discussing it.

Also, IIRC, the discussed the possibility that the son was the one who helped her put the deadbolt in her bedroom door. Are they going to try and make something out of that as well?

There's lots and lots of info on Nick on this site. It wouldn't let me copy the info so here's the link.....Just scroll down the page until you get to his name. He did help her with the deadbolt and lots of other stuff too. Took pictures of damage DP did to the house. He even went to her house that sunday to give her some pasta but there was no answer.

http://www.acandyrose.com/drew_peterson_trial-1.htm

 

[Cubby]

I was responding to Livingthedream's post that Kathleen's hair was possibly still wet because she was killed an hour or two before her body was found....saying it would be interesting if the children helped support that possibility someday when remembering/talking about their activities with Drew that day/weekend.

Sorry. I was responding in general.

In general, if someone is sleeping on long hair that is wet, it can stay damp overnight. I have longer hair which is much thinner than KS's. If I go to sleep with wet hair it is still damp where my head lays on the pillow in the am. KS had very thick hair. If she was laying on it, it would stay wet/damp.

 

[panthera]

That would make more sense---that he used a gun to gain compliance---but it does not match with all of her injuries. It seems like they did some physical battling.

Maybe she knew he would not want to shoot her because it would be too noticeable. So she began to fight him.

What is mainly in my mind is there doesn't seem to have been any noise coming from inside her home, such as her screaming, or even loud yelling. In our neighborhood, even in the middle of the night, it would cause dogs to bark and perhaps wake neighbors. Therefore, my belief is he would have to first subdue her in some manner before getting her into the bathroom.

MOO