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[Angel Who Cares]

Pathologist: Peterson's ex-wife's death was homicide
Friday, February 05, 2010
<snipped>
Dr. Larry Blum testified that Kathleen Savio's injuries point to her murder. The noted forensic pathologist, who says he has conducted over 9,000 autopsies, told the court Friday that Savio's injuries, psychological history, the position of her body when she was found, along with the scene of her death, led him to rule out an accidental drowning or suicide.

While on the stand, Will County States Attorney James Glaskow asked Blum, "Was Kathleen Savio's death a homicide?" "That is my opinion. It was homicidal," Blum replied.

The proceedings began Friday morning with the testimony of Mary Parks, a former nursing classmate of Kathleen Savio. Parks told the court Savio "feared for her life."

Video: Pathologist: Peterson's ex-wife's death was homicide 2:17
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7260807

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7259708

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Witness: Peterson's ex-wife slept with knife
updated 5:44 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 3, 2010
<snipped>
Kristin Anderson's testimony came during a hearing to determine what hearsay evidence, if any, will be allowed at Peterson's upcoming murder trial.

Also on Wednesday, Savio's sister Anna Doman testified that she viewed the disappearance of Stacy Peterson as an opportunity to "raise awareness" about her long-held suspicions that Savio's death was not an accident.

Doman testified that she gave to the media some of the contents of a briefcase that Savio, before her death, had told Doman to retrieve from her house if she died. Doman did not say exactly what was in the briefcase, but testified it contained items such as a police report and letters concerning Savio and Drew Peterson's marriage and divorce.

Later, Anderson also said she saw some of what was in the briefcase and testified that Savio told her it contained a letter Savio wrote to the Will County State's Attorney's Office outlining her fears of Drew Peterson. That letter was widely reported in the media.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35222846/ns/us_news/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Witness: Drew Peterson threatened third wife
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
<snipped>
A friend testified Wednesday that Kathleen Savio was so afraid of her ex-husband Drew Peterson she put a deadbolt on her bedroom door.

At a pre-trial hearing, Kristin Anderson said that Savio also kept a kitchen knife under her mattress. Anderson and her family lived in Savio's house for a couple of months in 2003.

Anderson said she contacted Illinois State Police after Savio's death but they never responded.

Video: Peterson's neighbor Testifies 3:12
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7251474

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7256276

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Psychic testifies at Drew Peterson hearing
Friday, February 05, 2010
<snipped>
During her marriage to Drew Peterson, Stacy Peterson met with psychic Irene Lalagos. She testified she read cards for Stacy on several different occasions. Months before Drew Peterson's fourth wife disappeared, Stacy Peterson expressed to Lalagos how she wanted to leave Drew but didn't know how to do it with four kids. Lalagos said Stacy was in fear of Drew. Referring to a conversation with Stacy, Lalagos testified, "Drew told her he was a cop, he could kill her, hide her body and no one would ever find her."

Prosecutors are trying to show that Savio's death was never investigated properly.

Illinois State Police crime scene investigator Bob Deel admitted that he never took any fingerprints at the scene, never took evidence from Savio's bathtub, bathroom or anywhere else in the house. Master Sgt. Bryan Falat was assisting in the investigation. Thursday he said in court, "quite honestly, I was sort of disgusted about how the investigation was handled."

"It's what we call 'hindsight homicide.' You know, four years later or six years later, he says, oh well, gee whiz, I thought it was a homicide but for six years he did nothing," said Joel Brodsky, Peterson attorney.

There have now been over 50 witnesses in the pre-trial hearing and there are more to come.

Video: Psychic testifies at Drew Peterson hearing 2:06
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7258737

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7257434

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Officer: Scene of Savio's Death Fishy
Updated: Wednesday, 03 Feb 2010, 9:40 PM CST
Published : Wednesday, 03 Feb 2010, 2:01 PM CST
<snipped>
Bolingbrook Police Lt. Brian Hafner testified that he trained Drew Peterson in a variety of suspect control techniques. He said as an officer, Peterson knew how to use arm and wrist locks known as "come alongs" that allow cops to compel suspects to come along with them, or risk a great deal of pain. Hafner was shown photos of Kathleen Savio's body where she was found, slumped forward, dead in a dry bathtub. He testified that the position of Savio's right arm was consistent with a police hold known as an "arm bar," which Peterson had been trained to use.

Hafner also testified that Peterson was trained and worked as a crime scene technician.

Kristin Anderson testified that Savio told her about a time Peterson broke in, held a knife to her throat and threatened her, saying "I can kill you at any time and make it look like an accident."

"I think that Kristin is not being truthful, and she's trying to simply help the prosecution that she wants to see succeed, rather than tell the truth and let justice take its course," said Joel Brodsky, Peterson's Attorney.

Anderson testified that after Savio's death she called State Police twice, but no one called her back and she was never interviewed until after Stacy Peterson disappeared in 2007.
*More at link!

*2-Videos Included at link!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/apx-witness-testifies-about-alleged-peterson-threats

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Psychic: Stacy Said Drew Threatened Her
Updated: Thursday, 04 Feb 2010, 9:49 PM CST
Published : Thursday, 04 Feb 2010, 7:25 AM CST
<snipped>
Bombshell testimony came Thursday in the Drew Peterson hearsay evidence hearing. For the first time, a witness testified about an alleged death threat Drew Peterson made to his missing fourth wife Stacy. Thursday, the key testimony came from Stacy Peterson's psychic. Irene Lagalos testified that she read cards for Stacy in 2006 and 2007. "She told me that Drew told her he was a cop, he could kill her, hide her body and nobody would ever find her," Lagalos told the judge.

Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky ridiculed Lagalos' testimony. "I think actually bringing a psychic who admits to hearing voices to testify in a murder case shows the desperation of the state. They don't have much and they're grasping at straws," Brodsky said.

Prosecutors also called as a witness the crime scene technician from the original Savio case. Sgt. Bob Deel testified that he never collected any evidence from the scene because he did not believe there was anything that had any evidentiary value. He also admitted that he did not notice a host of bruises and injuries to Savio's body and did little more than take photographs of the scene. Prosecutors are trying to portray the original investigation as flawed because they have charged Drew Peterson with murdering Savio and then staging the crime scene to look like an accident. She was found face down in a fetal position in a dry bathtub during their bitter divorce. The defense attorneys contend she died from a tragic slip and fall in the tub.

During cross examination, defense attorney Andrew Abood tried to rehabilitate Deel as a competent crime scene investigator. He asked Deel if anyone had put a demerit in his file for how he handled the case. Deel said there was no letter, but then hurt his own credibility by saying the Will County State's Attorney's office has said they don't want him investigating any more crimes in Will County. Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky says that's just because prosecutors don't like the conclusions that Deel reached.

*2-Videos Included at link!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/renter-savio-drew-peterson-threatened-life

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Prosecuters Almost To Last Witness
Updated: Friday, 05 Feb 2010, 6:34 PM CST
Published : Friday, 05 Feb 2010, 4:36 AM CST
<snipped>
Will County prosecutors say they're a few days away from calling their last witness in former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson's pretrial hearing.

Defense attorneys will be able to present their own witnesses, but they haven't said how many they'll call.

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew_peterson/apx-Prosecuters-Almost-To-Last-Witness

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Doctor: Savio&#8217;s Death Was Murder
Updated: Friday, 05 Feb 2010, 9:29 PM CST
Published : Friday, 05 Feb 2010, 6:33 PM CST
<snipped>
Dr. Blum, who performed the second autopsy on Savio's body in 2007 strongly disagreed, saying, "The ugly facts of the injuries destroy that beautiful theory."

He testified about photos from the scene, on computer monitors pointed away from the courtroom gallery, and about injuries to her body that he said were fresh. He said the injuries were not consistent with a fall, and that Savio had no drugs or alcohol in her system.

Blum also said Savio's face was streaked with blood on the left side, blood from a wound to the back of her head, suggesting the injury was inflicted when she was in that face down position, not from falling backward. He also said that cut could have been inflicted after Savio was actually dead.

Earlier, a friend of Savio's testified to a possible motive for murder. Mary Parks said Savio felt her divorce from Peterson, which was nearly finalized except for the finances, was all about the money and that Peterson didn't want her to get a cent.

Parks said Savio told her that "He wanted the money, he wanted the kids, he wanted the businesses; he wanted it all."
*More at link!

*Video Included At Link!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew_peterson/doctor-savio-murdered

 

[Angel Who Cares]

New doubt cast on accident as cause of Savio drowning
February 3, 2010 9:20 PM
<snipped>
Death scene photos do not support the defense theory that Kathleen Savio died after slipping and falling in her bathtub, one of Drew Peterson's fellow police officers testified Wednesday.

The police hold is easier to use in close quarters, and if used in a bathtub, "you'd have a hard time getting out of there," Hafner testified at an ongoing hearing to determine what hearsay evidence would be allowed at Peterson's murder trial.

Hafner, who teaches defensive police tactics to the Bolingbrook force, had no role in Savio's death investigation. He based his opinion on four photographs taken in Savio's bathroom shortly after her body was discovered March 1, 2004.

It's not clear how much Savio's body was moved by those first on the scene -- including neighbors, Peterson and paramedics -- before Illinois State Police arrived. Witnesses have testified that Savio's body was found in a fetal position. Hafner did not detail in what way her arm was positioned that led him to conclude Savio might have been put in a submission hold.

Anderson, whose family lived briefly with Savio in fall 2003, said: "In case she was murdered, she wanted everyone to know who did it."

The defense suggested that Savio was paranoid, stemming from her anger over Peterson's relationship with the much younger Stacy.
*Much More At Link!

Article:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/...y-that-peterson-threatened-to-kill-savio.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

State cop: No evidence gathered at Savio death scene
February 4, 2010 10:32 PM
<snipped>
A state police crime scene investigator said Thursday that he gathered no evidence after Kathleen Savio was found drowned in her bathtub in 2004, and a state trooper there that night testified he was "disgusted" by how the investigation was handled.

Robert Deel said he had been handling crime scene investigations for about one year when he was called to Savio's Bolingbrook house in the overnight hours of March 1, 2004. He said he did not test for the presence of unseen blood in the bathroom, collect a blood sample from the tub, dust for fingerprints and did not take into evidence a glass of orange juice in the kitchen or a bottle of cleaning fluid on a dresser in Savio's bedroom. "There wasn't really anything to look for," he said of evidence in the bathroom.

Savio's fingernail clippings -- sometimes a source of crime scene DNA -- were never tested, Deel said.

He contradicted earlier testimony by head investigator Sgt. Patrick Collins, who said he decided after speaking with Deel within 40 minutes of being on the scene that Savio's death was accidental. Deel said he believed her death was accidental but didn't reach that conclusion until after reviewing autopsy and toxicology results.
*Much More At Link!

Article:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/...sons-answers-about-savio-seemed-scripted.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Chicago Tonight~News Analysis: "Hearsay Law" Feb. 02, 2010 - 14:17
A closer look at hearsay law
http://video.wttw.com/video/1403048039/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Karen Conti discusses the role of hearsay in the Drew Peterson murder case 3:46
Witnesses at the Drew Peterson hearing continue to talk about how Kathleen Savio lived her last days in fear for her life.
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STDGurNHzz4[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yPrOESbO28[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVWAYIK0vxY[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU6qtWGoiHM[/ame]

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Attorney: Savio said if she died, Drew did it
February 8, 2010 12:57 PM
<snipped>
An attorney who represented Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, testified this morning that if she died, "you need to let people know that Drew did it."

Attorney Harry C. Smith, who later represented Stacy Peterson, also testified that Peterson's fourth wife told him that "Drew was pissed at her" because he thought that Stacy had told Peterson's son Tom "that he (Peterson) killed Kathy."

He said that after Savio's body was found in a bathtub in her home, he did called state police to tell them about Savio's statement implicating Peterson. But the person he talked to "was not prepared for that kind of conversation," Smith said, and said someone would get back to him. No one ever did, he said.

Also after Savio died, Smith said he got a phone call from Peterson's attorney saying the executor of Savio's estate did not want him involved anymore. That executor was Peterson's uncle, James Carroll, who previously testified that he only did what Drew told him to do.

Article:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/attorney-savio-said-if-she-died-drew-did-it.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Lawyer: Wife Mulled Extorting Ill. Murder Suspect
Published: February 8, 2010
Filed at 4:51 p.m. ET
<snipped>
The dramatic details provided by Harry Smith were the first in more than three weeks of testimony that recounted Stacy Peterson talking directly about Drew Peterson's alleged involvement in the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Smith said that Stacy Peterson had called him for her own divorce, but he told her he could not represent her because he thought it was a conflict of interest. He is also the first witness to suggest Stacy Peterson had a plan to squeeze money out of her husband.

''She asked, 'Could we get more money out of Drew if we threatened to tell the police he killed Kathy?''' said Smith. He told her that plan might be dangerous, but Stacy Peterson said her husband would never try to hurt her and that she had too much dirt on him at the police department. ''She wasn't concerned about her safety,'' Smith said.

Smith's testimony also suggested a motive for why Peterson might have wanted Savio dead -- money. In detailed testimony Smith said things were not going well for Drew Peterson and he knew it in the later stages of his contentious divorce from Savio.

He testified that shortly before Savio was found dead, a judge had told him and Peterson's attorney that she was about to recommend that Savio be allowed to keep the couple's Bolingbrook home, receive a share of his police pension, receive child support and some money from the sale of a bar the couple had owned.
*More At Link!

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/08/us/AP-US-Drew-Peterson.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Lawyer: Stacy Peterson talked about extorting Drew
Monday, February 08, 2010
<snipped>
Divorce attorney Harry C. Smith said Stacy Peterson once asked him how much money she could get from Drew Peterson if she threatened to go to police with information that he killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Smith also testified his client, Savio, told him, "if I die, you have to call the authorities and tell him who did it...that Drew did it."

Smith also said he was contacted by Stacy Peterson just days before she went missing.

After some 14 days and 60 witnesses, the prosecution could rest this week in a hearing that is supposed to decide what hearsay evidence if any can be heard in the upcoming murder trial of Drew Peterson in connection with the death of Kathleen Savio.
*More at link!

Video: Lawyer: Stacy Peterson talked about extorting Drew 1:47
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7265663

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7265367

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Attorney: Stacy Peterson asked about extorting money from husband
February 8, 2010
<snipped>
Harry C. Smith, who had represented Drew Peterson's ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, in their divorce, said Stacy did not seem afraid of the former Bolingbrook police sergeant during their two conversations, saying she told him she had "so much (expletive) on him at the police department, he couldn't do anything to her." Smith said he told Stacy Peterson he could not represent her because of the conflict of interest. Smith represented Savio beginning in January 2002.

Smith said Savio frequently faxed and called him with complaints about Peterson, including custody matters and alleged threats. Smith said Savio told him Peterson had threatened to kill her and make it look like an accident, but he had believed she may have been "paranoid." After she was found dead, Smith said, "I thought I'd done a poor job of listening to my client."

Savio had told him that if she died, "to let people know that Drew did it," Smith testified. So Smith said he called Illinois State Police but the officer he spoke with was "not prepared for that kind of conversation." Smith said he was told someone would get back to him, but no one ever did.

Former Peterson friend Ric Mims testified Monday that he helped Peterson follow Savio around, once sitting in a parked vehicle outside her office while Peterson told him he was removing papers from Savio's house. Mims testified the National Enquirer paid him $17,500 for his story.

Prosecutors, who have called 60 witnesses, said they have six more to call. Defense attorneys said they plan to call about 20 witnesses.
*Much More At Link!

Article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-0209-drew-peterson-hearing-20100208,0,1766037.story

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Lawyer: Stacy planned to blackmail Peterson
February 9, 2010
<snipped>
Harry Smith, the lawyer who represented Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, in their divorce, said fourth wife Stacy called him and requested he represent her when she dumped Peterson herself. Smith said representing two of Peterson's wives in divorces only a couple years apart would be a conflict, and Stacy revealed a chilling secret.

"She told me that Drew was pissed at her because 'he thinks I told (his son) Tom that he killed Kathy,'" Smith said.

Smith said he had two phone conversations with Stacy in the five days before she disappeared.

While Peterson faces no charges in connection with Stacy's disappearance, prosecutors are trying to prove he killed her to keep her from testifying against him. If they succeed, statements Stacy made to others can be admitted at Peterson's murder trial

Also Monday, Peterson's former friend Ric Mims testified that he stalked Savio at Peterson's request. Mims, who moved into Peterson's house for the better part of a week after Stacy vanished, also said Peterson asked him to be his hostage if the police came to take him. "He said, 'I'm going to ask you a really weird question. I'm going to ask you to be a hostage,'" Mims said.
*Much More At Link!

Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...wyer-Stacy-planned-blackmail_JO020910.article

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Attorney: Savio Said If She Died, Drew Did It
Updated: Monday, 08 Feb 2010, 10:55 PM CST
Published : Monday, 08 Feb 2010, 1:02 PM CST
<snipped>
The divorce attorney who represented Drew Peterson's third wife took the witness stand and testified Monday about a plan Peterson's fourth wife had to squeeze him in a divorce.

After Savio's death Smith said he tried to contact State Police, per her instructions: "She told me if I die, you have to go to the authorities and tell them Drew did it," Smith said. But he testified, as several others have previously told the court, that no one from the State Police returned his calls.

Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky dismissed Savio's alleged statements, saying she "was very much a person who would say anything to hurt Drew and that's what she did, she made up a lot of stuff up."

Also testifying, Drew's former friend Ric Mims who said he helped Drew run surveillance on Savio. And in a bizarre twist after Stacy disappeared Mims said Drew asked him to be a hostage for him, in case the police came to get his children. Mims also had a website where he said someone, using Stacy's name, blogged that she was sorry for running off, but that she was in a safe place and happy with her new life, which is fits in with Drew's story that Stacy left him for another man.
*More At Link!

*Video Included In Article Link!

Article:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew_peterson/attorney-testifies-drew-ptereson

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Dozens of witnesses left in Drew Peterson hearing
February 9, 2010 4:14 AM ET
<snipped>
Attorneys say more than two dozen witnesses are yet to be called in the hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed when Drew Peterson stands trial in the 2004 slaying of his third wife.

The Will County state's attorney has called at least 60 witnesses in the hearing that began last month. A spokesman says the office will call six more witnesses and should be finished on Wednesday.

Defense attorneys say they expect to call 20 witnesses of their own, meaning the hearing is expected to go into next week.

Article:
http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11955270

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Dozens More Witnesses Set to Testify at Drew Hearing
Defense will call 20 witnesses later this week
Updated 7:15 AM CST, Tue, Feb 9, 2010
<snipped>
The parade of witnesses who have been telling a Joliet judge about Drew Peterson's murderous intentions keeps on coming.

Attorneys say more than two dozen witnesses are yet to be called in the hearing to determine what hearsay evidence will be allowed when Drew Peterson stands trial in the 2004 slaying of his third wife Kathleen Savio.

Add that to the nearly 60 witnesses who have been called already and the Joliet court is in store for a gore overload.

A spokesman for the Will County States attorney said the tales should be done by Wednesday.

Defense attorneys say they expect to call 20 witnesses of their own, meaning the hearing is expected to go into next week

Article:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...-Set-to-Testify-at-Drew-Hearing-83876672.html