Newspaper Articles

[Lorie Taylor]

By Danya Hooker, [e-mail]

Stacy Peterson�s friends and family are rolling out a new fund raising effort to help defray costs associated with the search for the missing Bolingbrook mother.

Peterson�s friend and neighbor Sharon Bychowski said the group is selling �Where is Stacy?� bumper stickers for $2 each. Every week, members of the group Friends of Stacy Peterson, which has applied for non-profit status, will search for cars displaying the stickers and pick two winners and give them a free Stacy Peterson T-shirt.

Bumper stickers may be purchased by picking one up from Bolingbrook Village Clerk Carol Penning at the village hall, 375 W. Briarcliff Road, or by stopping by search meeting locations each Saturday and Sunday morning before searches begin.

Search teams are currently meeting at the Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Center, 200 Lindsey Lane, at 9 a.m. each Saturday and Sunday. The location may change. Check www.FindStacyPeterson.com and click on �Searches� for updated information.

[Lorie Taylor]

petersonstory.wordpress.com/2008/....search-efforts/

Volunteers sought for fund raiser and search efforts *Update*
Posted on April 8, 2008 by gatehousechicago
By Danya Hooker, [e-mail]

Bolingbrook, IL -

Friends and family of Stacy Peterson are inviting the public to attend an informational meeting Wednesday, April 9, for those interested in volunteering.

Bolingbrook Village Clerk Carol Penning, who is coordinating a May 10 fund raiser, said the group is looking for search volunteers and people interested in helping to plan, donate to or staff the fund raiser. All proceeds will go toward search efforts to find the missing Bolingbrook mom.

�I feel like I have to do something,� said Penning, a close friend of Peterson�s. �This is a good way to help and do something that would maybe bring her home and we could give her a proper burial.�

Penning and Peterson became close six years ago when Peterson, then 17, briefly worked for the village of Bolingbrook. The two regularly kept in contact up until Peterson�s Oct. 28 disappearance.

�She was like a daughter to me,� Penning said.

Although Penning said she no longer believes the young mother will be found alive, she does feel a renewed sense of hope of finding closure now that search efforts are again underway.

�I got myself so worked up around Christmas time because that�s when I really wanted to get her back,� Penning said. �Now I feel there�s a sense of hope.�

The fund raiser will be held at Ditka�s Sports Dome, 730 N. Route 53, in Bolingbrook, from 5 to 9 p.m. May 10, and will include family-oriented activities, such as putting contests, target contests, bean bag tournaments, and auctions. Tickets are available online at www.groovetickets.com.

If you go

What: Meeting about upcoming searches and fund raiser
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9
Where: Village Hall boardroom, 375 W. Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook
More Information: Call Village Clerk Carol Penning at [phone] or visit www.FindStacyPeterson.com

Penning said the decision to hold the event, which has been dubbed a �fun raiser,� the day before Mother�s Day was no accident.

�We believe in our hearts that (Stacy Peterson) would not have left her children,� Penning said. �Mother�s Day is a time to honor mother�s and we wanted to honor Stacy by having this event.�
Event organizers hope to raise at least as much money as a March 2 event in Merrionnette Park.

That event raised more than $11,000 for search efforts, according to Friends of Stacy Peterson board member Sharon Bychowski.

But Bychowski, Peterson�s neighbor and best friend, said those funds may not last long. A single day�s search, if it includes boats and helicopters, can cost up to $1,000 per day, Bychowski said.

�You can see how fast that money is going to go,� she said.

Sean Henady, founder of Aerial Image Corp., said the group has reimbursed him for more than $1,200 worth of rental and fuel expenses incurred last year. Henady donates his company�s time and equipment to take aerial images of areas identified by Illinois State Police. But he occasionally rents helicopters and planes from local airports.

Rentals for Peterson�s search have cost between $50 and $250 per hour, said Henady, whose group has helped in more than a dozen missing persons cases.

Aerial Image Corp. took several thousand images last year before winter weather forced the family to halt searches. Both Illinois State Police and private searches have used the images to help coordinate search efforts and to attempt to locate larger objects that could be possible evidence.

Bychowski said the group has also reimbursed boat operators for fuel and privately-owned cadaver dog groups for their services.

To help organize funds raised, Bychowski said Friends of Stacy Peterson applied for non-profit status in January. The group has received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service confirming receipt of the application but has not received an approval or denial, she said.

Attempts to reach IRS officials to verify the application�s status were unsuccessful Tuesday but the IRS Web site says there is a backlog of applications, which is causing delays in processing.

Bychowski said the group, with the help of an accountant, has also begun keeping inventory of donations, Stacy Peterson T-shirts, signs and other items. The group will also begin listing quarterly reports on www.FindStacyPeterson.com next quarter.

�We already sat down with an accountant before we spent a dime of that money,� Bychowski said. �There sure is a lot more to this than I ever thought there would be.�

[Lorie Taylor]

petersonstory.wordpress.com/2008/....arry-king-live/

Drew Peterson to appear Friday on Larry King Live

Posted on April 9, 2008 by gatehousechicago
By Danya Hooker, [e-mail]

Drew Peterson and his attorney Joel Brodsky will appear on CNN�s Larry King Live show Friday and, for the first time, take live phone calls from the public.

�It should be an interesting experience,� Brodsky said. �Larry King has some interesting interviews.�


The appearance is the latest step in public relations specialist Glenn Selig�s attempt to improve Drew Peterson�s image following a series of media interviews and antics that many perceived as callous in light of his 23-year-old wife Stacy�s disappearance.

Peterson, 54, has been named a suspect in the Oct. 28 disappearance, which police are treating as a potential homicide. The case also prompted investigators to revisit the March 2004 drowning of Peterson�s third wife, Kathleen Savio, which was recently ruled a homicide. Police have not named a suspect.

Drew Peterson has denied any involvement in either case and has not been charged with a crime. Still, Selig said the court of public opinion has already condemned his client.

Selig concedes Peterson helped create the negative image by making jokes at inappropriate times, a habit he attributes to Peterson�s 30 years in law enforcement, where jokes are used as coping mechanisms.

�I think maybe he forgot that type of humor doesn�t work outside a police station,� Selig said.

But Selig insists there is another side to Peterson; one that will always be a jokester, is a good father and a good person. Since hiring Selig, Peterson has given a number of exclusive interviews focusing on his life and family. For a while, he let his hair grow from the usual crew cut and grew a beard. He allowed photographs of him with his four children at home.

�What�s interesting about Drew is his public persona is so different from the way he is privately,� Selig said. �[The Larry King show] will be a good place to show that.�

But Stacy Peterson family spokeswoman Pam Bosco sees it differently. Bosco believes Drew Peterson�s public appearances are merely attempts to profit and to raise hype for a possible book deal.

�When you have to try to change an image, then there�s something wrong with that picture,� Bosco said. �It�s all about the dollar with him.�

�Larry King Live� will air at 8 p.m. Friday. The program�s Web site invites viewers to send in their questions via e-mail or by calling the show live. Brodsky and Selig said calls will be screened to weed out crank callers but, beyond that, no question is off limits.

�They can ask any question they want, just some of them won�t be answered,� Brodsky said. �There are some questions we won�t be able to answer because of the investigation.�

For those close to Stacy Peterson, there�s just one question they want answered.

�What do we want to know? �Are you happy, Are you dating?,�� Bosco said. �[No], just tell us where Stacy�s at and let�s get on with it.�

[Lorie Taylor]

cbs2chicago.com/local/stacy.peterson.drew.2.698407.html

Stacy Peterson's Family Speaks Out During Search
Drew Peterson's Chat With Larry King Upsets Stacy's Family
Reporting
Mike Puccinelli BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (CBS) � The family of Stacy Peterson is outraged by a TV interview with her husband, Drew Peterson. During a search Saturday, they called his comments on "Larry King Live" a bunch of lies.

CBS 2's West Suburban bureau chief Mike Puccinelli reports on the family's reaction.

Family and loved ones of Stacy Peterson gathered in Bolingbrook Saturday to search for the missing mother and to respond to Drew Peterson's latest turn before national television cameras.

"Drew and Mr. Brodsky's appearances in the spotlight is only for profit in the future," said family spokesperson Pamela Bosco. "Notoriety to be built upon, so that in the future there might be possible book deals."

They say the former Bolingbrook sergeant and named suspect in his wife's disappearance, used his appearance on "Larry King Live" to lie about Stacy Peterson and his past.

"I kind of challenge anybody out there to find anybody that has ever seen me mad," Drew Peterson said on King's show.

Cassandra Cales accepted that challenge today.

"I have seen him, personally, throw my sister across the room," she said.

And Cales says just last week the former police sergeant unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against her after she spoke with Stacy's young son outside the home.

"He was red and he was screaming," Cales said. "If that's not mad, I don't know what is."

Peterson also denied that he'd ever been physical with any of his wives including Kathleen Savio, who two pathologists have said was murdered in a bathtub.

"If I get involved in a domestic situation where I'm physical with my wife, I'll lose my job -- and I wouldn't never even care to come close to risking that," Peterson said.

Family members say that's a lie and they point to more than a dozen domestic disturbance reports to police over the Peterson-Savio marriage as proof.

"He did have an emergency restraining order against him, against him from Kathleen Savio that he would have lost his job on if Kathleen had not had a kind heart and dropped those charges out of concern for their unborn child," Bosco said.

That child was later born to wife number four, Stacy Peterson who's now been missing for five months.

The search for Stacy Peterson is set to resume Sunday morning. They'll be using sonar to search through bodies of water and volunteers to search on land. If you'd like to help out show up at the Bolingbrook Aquatic Center, 200 S. Lindsey Lane, at 9 a.m.

[Lorie Taylor]

petersonstory.wordpress.com/2008/....ore-grand-jury/

Man who told police of blue barrel appears before grand jury
Posted on April 10, 2008 by gatehousechicago
By Danya Hooker, [e-mail]

A friend of Drew Peterson�s step-brother appeared Thursday before a special grand jury investigating the disappearance of Peterson�s fourth wife and the death of his third wife.

Although Walter Martineck Jr. of Bolingbrook declined to discuss his grand jury appearance Thursday, his story made headlines in late November when he told media outlets about a bizarre encounter with his friend and neighbor Tom Morphey, Drew Peterson�s step-brother.


Martineck said a distraught Morphey came to his home the night Stacy Peterson disappeared and told Martineck he believed he had just helped his step-brother dispose of his wife�s body. Morphey allegedly said he helped Drew Peterson move a large blue barrel from the Peterson�s home to his step-brother�s SUV. Martineck said Morphey believed the barrel contained Stacy Peterson�s body because it was warm to the touch.

Shortly after the confession, Morphey allegedly attempted suicide, prompting Martineck to tell state police about the incident two days after Stacy Peterson disappeared on Oct. 28.

The statement led investigators and private search teams on an extensive search for the elusive blue barrel.

Al and Betty Morphey, Drew Peterson�s mother and step-father, testified before the grand jury on March 20 but also declined to discuss their testimony.

Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police officer, is considered a suspect in his wife�s disappearance, which police are calling a potential homicide. The case lead investigators to revisit the March 2004 drowning of Peterson�s third wife Kathleen Savio, which was recently ruled a homicide.

Peterson has denied any wrongdoing in either case and has not been charged with a crime.

[Lorie Taylor]

petersonstory.wordpress.com/2008/....k-in-review-16/

The search for Stacy: Week in review
Posted on April 11, 2008 by gatehousechicago
Here�s a look at some of the week�s developments and in the Peterson case.
Please note, updates are current through 11 a.m. Friday. Please check back often for updates. You can also visit the Bolingbrook Reporter online at mysuburbanlife.com for the latest breaking news.
� On Thursday, April 3, Peterson�s former fiancee and ex-wife both appeared before a Will County grand jury investigating the March 2004 death of Drew Peterson�s third wife and the disappearance of his fourth. Kyle Piry, who was briefly engaged to Peterson in the early 1980s, confirmed she testified Thursday but declined to comment further. Shortly after, Vicki Connolly left the grand jury proceedings but declined to confirm whether she testified. Connolly and Peterson were married for 10 years, starting in 1982. She said she left him when she found out he was having an affair with Kathleen Savio, who would become Peterson�s third wife.


� Family-led search teams scoured a forest preserve in Joliet Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. About 40 volunteers gathered to search several square miles where the teams found several items, including a cell phone and a set of keys, that were bagged and handed over to Illinois State Police. None of the items are believed to be related to Stacy Peterson�s case.
� The group Friends of Stacy Peterson has put out a call for volunteers interested in helping to search or to plan a May 10 fund raiser at Ditka�s Sports Dome. The event will feature games, free food, beverages and golfing with a ticket purchase. Tickets are available online at www.groovetickets.com
� Drew Peterson�s son Stephen, a two-and-a-half year veteran of the Oak Brook Police Department, received an eight-day unpaid suspension Wednesday, April 9, after an Oak Brook Board of Fire and Police Commissioners disciplinary meeting found him guilty of disobeying rules. The charges stated that Stephen Peterson broke department rules when he drove a marked squad car and wore his police uniform to testify in front of the grand jury investigating the disappearance of his father�s fourth wife and the death of his third. Stephen Peterson told the board he was on duty and did not have time to change or switch vehicles. Police Chief Thomas Sheahan said Peterson�s actions brought negative attention to the department and that Peterson has previous disciplinary actions on his record.
� Walter Martineck Jr., a friend of Drew Peterson�s step-brother appeared Thursday, April 10 before a special grand jury investigating the disappearance of Peterson�s fourth wife and the death of his third wife. Martineck declined to discuss the appearance but had previously told media outlets that his friend Tom Morphey, Peterson�s step-brother, came to his home the night Stacy Peterson disappeared and told Martineck he believed he had just helped his step-brother dispose of his wife�s body. Morphey allegedly said he helped Drew Peterson move a large blue barrel from the Peterson�s home to his step-brother�s SUV. Martineck said Morphey believed the barrel contained Stacy Peterson�s body because it was warm to the touch.
� Looking ahead, Drew Peterson and his attorney Joel Brodsky will appear on CNN�s Larry King Live show at 8 p.m. Friday, April 10. The pair will also field questions from viewers who call in during the show.
� On Thursday, April 17, a Will County judge is expected make a decision on whether to allow Stephen Peterson to gain possession of 11 firearms that were seized from his father�s house during a Nov. 1 search warrant execution. A previous court decision ordered all items from the seizure be returned but the Illinois State Police revoked Drew Peterson�s firearm owner�s identification card the next day. Drew Peterson�s lawyer Joel Brodsky then asked the court to grant Stephen Peterson permission to take the firearms.
� Also Thursday, April 17, lawyers for Drew Peterson and lawyers for Kathleen Savio�s family are expected to present their first arguments regarding a petition to reopen Savio�s estate. Her family has asked the court to name Savio�s father and brother as executors of the estate in preparation for filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Drew Peterson. Peterson�s uncle is currently listed as executor.

~ Compiled by Danya Hooker, Suburban Life Publications

[Lorie Taylor]

petersonstory.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/peterson-i-was-scared-to-death/

Peterson: �I was scared to death�
Posted on April 11, 2008 by gatehousechicago
By Danya Hooker, [e-mail]

Drew Peterson�s erratic behavior in the days following the disappearance of his 23-year-old wife Stacy was a trained response to stress, the former Bolingbrook sergeant said Friday on �Larry King Live.�

�I was being barraged by [media]�I was being questioned by police. I was scared to death,� Peterson said. �And policemen - any policeman will tell you that police deal with stress and despair with humor. They laugh, they make jokes. They�re trained not to show emotions.�


Peterson conceded the behavior may have been an inappropriate response in public. His customary lack of emotion continued throughout the hour-long interview, but Peterson remained calm throughout King�s questioning and throughout a handful of questions from the public.

He appeared to near a breaking point only once, when he was asked how he sleeps at night.

�I�m bothered by the fact that [Stacy] left. And I�m bothered by the fact that my children don�t have a mom,� Peterson said, his demeanor betraying a hint of emotion. �I�m raising a little girl who needs female attention. And, yes, sometimes I have trouble sleeping with it.�

Peterson, 54, said he still believes his wife left with another man and will eventually be found alive. She went missing Oct. 28 and police are calling the disappearance a �potential homicide.� Investigators have also reopened the case of Drew Peterson�s third wife Kathleen Savio�s mysterious 2004 drowning, which had been ruled accidental.

Savio�s body was exhumed in November and two pathologists, one at the request of Savio�s family and one on behalf of Will County, performed separate autopsies. Each recently ruled her death a homicide.

�The circumstances surrounding all of this are weird,� King said.

�And even, I�ll admit, suspicious,� Brodsky replied. �But when you look beyond mere suspiciousn and look for hard facts and proof, there is none.�

Brodsky reaffirmed his belief that his client will never be charged with a crime, noting police have investigated every angle for more than five months and have yet to file charges.

�And that says, I think, volumes,� Brodsky said.

Meanwhile, Illinois State Police said in a statement they are confident that Stacy Peterson did not voluntarily disappear and that the investigation �will culminate in an arrest.�

Drew Peterson�s appearance was the latest in a series of high-profile interviews granted in an attempt to improve his public image.

�What you saw today is the real Drew Peterson,� Brodsky said. �It is not only the goofy things he was doing earlier on. This is the real guy.�

But Stacy Peterson family spokeswoman Pam Bosco denounced the recent media blitz, saying the appearances are merely attempts to �promote himself�for future profit.�

[Lorie Taylor]

petersonstory.wordpress.com/2008/....%99-appearance/


Stacy Peterson�s family fires back after Drew�s �Larry King Live� appearance
Posted on April 12, 2008 by gatehousechicago
Stacy Peterson�s friends and family were back on the offensive Saturday morning as they met to denounce claims her husband made on CNN�s �Larry King Live� show Friday night.

Less than 12 hours after Drew Peterson told King that his wife Stacy had left him for another man and that his neighbor �has been acting emotionally disturbed,� those close to the missing Bolingbrook mother shot back.

�It�s all the same lies,� Stacy Peterson�s sister Cassandra Cales said. �Drew�s out there trying to make everyone believe that my sister was medicated and [blaming] her menstrual cycle, and that she just up and left her two kids. That�s just not true.�


Stacy Peterson family spokeswoman Pamela Bosco and Sharon Bychowski, Peterson�s neighbor and best friend, joined Cales in the press conference under a tent on a bleak and rainy morning. Each of the women flatly denied Drew Peterson and his attorney Joel Brodsky�s claim that Stacy Peterson is alive and with another man.

�Based on the technology today, and this being an evidence-based investigation, there was no other man,� Bosco said. �Unless there�s an invisible man out there right now, Stacy did not leave on her own accord.�

Bosco�s assertion was supported by a statement from the Illinois State Police released to King Friday night.

�Stacy Peterson did not voluntarily cease all contact with her children, family and friends,� the statement read. �The investigation continues to make progress proving that claim.�

The statement, as read by King, also expressed confidence that an arrest will be made in the case. It marked the first time police have publicly stated such a belief and those close to Stacy Peterson said it brought a sense of relief.

�I was extremely happy to hear them say out loud that there will be a charge in this,� Bychowski said. �And I can say to Drew Peterson personally, it may be time to come out and say what happened for real that day before something else happens.�

Drew Peterson�s hour-long interview with King marked the first time he answered questions from the public. The appearance was the latest in a series of high-profile interviews granted in an attempt to improve his public image following a series of bizarre media antics many perceived as callous in light of his wife�s disappearance.

Peterson admitted the behavior may have been inappropriate in the public eye but said it was merely a trained response to stress.

�I was being barraged by [media]�I was being questioned by police. I was scared to death,� Peterson told King. �And policemen - any policeman will tell you that police deal with stress and despair. They laugh, they make jokes. They�re trained not to show emotions.

Peterson, 54, said he still believes his fourth wife Stacy left with another man and will eventually be found alive. She went missing Oct. 28 and police are calling the disappearance a �potential homicide.� Investigators have also reopened the case of Drew Peterson�s third wife Kathleen Savio�s mysterious 2004 drowning, which had been ruled accidental.

Savio�s body was exhumed in November and two pathologists, one at the request of Savio�s family and one on behalf of Will County, performed separate autopsies. Each recently ruled her death a homicide. Peterson has not been charged with a crime.

King played a series of clips from people involved in the case, each claiming controlling or abusive behavior by Drew Peterson. He denied all claims, challenging anyone to find someone who had ever seen him mad.

�If I get involved in a domestic situation where I�m physical with a wife, I�ll lose my job,� Peterson said. �I would never even care to come close to risking that.�

The trio gathered in the rain Saturday morning eagerly met the challenge.

Cales said she had personally seen Peterson throw her sister, while Bosco reminded people of an order of protection Savio filed against Peterson. Savio�s divorce attorney has said his client dropped the order during the couple�s divorce settlement so that Peterson would not risk losing his insurance while Stacy Cales - soon to be Stacy Peterson - was pregnant.

�[Drew Peterson] did have numerous restraining orders on him from Kathleen [Savio] that he would have lost his job on, were it not for Kathy�s kind heart to drop those charges because of their unborn child,� Bosco said.

All three women also told their version of an incident that ended in Drew Peterson calling the cops on Bychowski. Peterson claims Bychowski, Cales, and a group of people who had just returned from searching for Stacy Peterson, had surrounded his 4-year-old son Anthony, and took unauthorized pictures of the child with Cales, his aunt.

Brodsky threatened a felony charge of unlawful restraint but police have said the child appeared happy in the pictures with his aunt.

When questioned by King about how his neighbor�s are treating him, Peterson said Bychowski �has been acting emotionally disturbed.�

But Cales and Bychowski said the child simply rode his bike by the home and started smiling when he saw his aunt in the driveway and that Peterson became enraged.

�Drew Peterson sounds more and more desperate in his need to exaggerate the facts,� Bychowski said.

Meanwhile, Bosco met with Illinois State Police earlier this week. She said they assured her the investigation is still going at full strength.

�Every day they get new information that they�re following through with,� Bosco said. �We�re keeping the faith. We believe we will have answers in the future.�

[Lorie Taylor]

chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-peterson-stepbrothersapr16,1,2497712.story?track=rss

Family member defends stepbrother of Drew Peterson

Ex-cop's relative had told brother, neighbor that he helped move container on night Stacy Peterson disappeared

By Matthew Walberg | Tribune reporter
10:59 PM CDT, April 15, 2008

Spurred by the most recent national TV appearance in which Drew Peterson sought to discredit a stepbrother who said he and Peterson moved a large container the night Peterson's wife vanished, the man's brother said the public needs to know what's really happening.

Tom Morphey, Peterson's stepbrother, has put his life on hold, spending nearly six months in seclusion, as he tries to help authorities investigating the disappearance of the former Bolingbrook police sergeant's wife, said his brother John.

"Tom's not a whack job," John Morphey said in his first public interview. "It just kills me to see and hear this stuff about him. Drew says [Tom's] a liar, but Tom was coming forward with his story to me and to other people before Stacy was even reported missing."

Tom Morphey, 40, has been in protective custody. His brother, 41, said Drew Peterson enlisted Tom's help to remove a large blue container from the Peterson home Oct. 28,the night Stacy, then 23, vanished.

Authorities have called her disappearance a possible homicide and Peterson a suspect. But Peterson, 54, who has not been charged, says his wife left for another man. Peterson has downplayed Tom Morphey's account, saying he has a drinking problem and struggles with mental illness.

"I really don't want to bad-mouth Tommy," he said Friday night in an interview with CNN's Larry King. "He has some serious emotional issues. He was losing his house, losing his wife. He had a drinking problem. He had a suicidal problem. So I really�and he is a family member�so I really don't want to bad-mouth him here."

John Morphey said his brother told him substantially the same story that he told his friend and neighbor, Walter Martineck, who went public with his account in December.

John Morphey said his brother told him that he met Drew at a coffee shop near Peterson's home on the night of Oct. 28. They talked awhile, then Peterson drove Tom Morphey to a nearby park and left him with a cell phone and instructions not to answer if it rang, his brother said. Peterson drove off. After awhile, the phone rang, and the name "Stacy" appeared on the caller ID, Morphey said.

"I believe he set my brother up with that phone call," John Morphey said.

When Peterson returned, the two men reportedly went to his house and moved the container from the home to the back of Peterson's 2005 GMC Yukon. John Morphey said his brother told him Peterson seemed very nervous as he drove him back to his home, a few minutes away in Bolingbrook.

The following evening, Tom attempted suicide, John Morphey said.

"I was on the phone that night when my brother swallowed those pills," he said. "He told me, 'That's it, I'm done. I'm taking a bunch of pills. [Peterson] is going to get me anyway.'

"He said that he thought he may have inadvertently helped dispose of Stacy's body," John Morphey said. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

John Morphey said he quickly hung up the phone and called 911, and paramedics took his brother to a hospital for treatment.

Morphey noted that for almost six months he has not spoken about Peterson or his brother, but after testifying for two hours Thursday before a special grand jury investigating Stacy's disappearance�and after seeing Peterson's CNN interview�he wanted to counter what he said is an inaccurate portrait of his brother.

Morphey acknowledged his brother struggled with alcoholism and manic depression but said he quit drinking after completing a six-month rehabilitation program in the mid-1990s and began taking medicine for depression.

"He became this totally different person. He became a different Tom, a Tom I'm proud of," John Morphey said. "He has a past, like anybody, but for the past 10 years or so, he's been a responsible citizen, taking care of [his longtime girlfriend's] three boys, showing them right from wrong."

John Morphey said he believes Peterson reached out to Tom for help because he has always been too trusting and loyal. "He doesn't say no to people, even when he should," John Morphey said. "He's loyal to a fault. Put it this way: His sophomore year of high school, he was playing football [at Hinsdale South High School] and one of the guys on his team picked up the ball and ran the wrong way. Tom blocked for him."

For his part, John Morphey said he supports the search efforts led by Stacy Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, and Roy Taylor, the son of Drew Peterson's neighbor.

"Cassandra and Roy are heroes," he said. "I'm behind them 100 percent."

He recently let searchers use a boat he and Tom, both avid fishermen, restored together. Embedded in the varnish is a picture of John and his brother as young kids, holding up fish they'd caught.

"We are very happy that we have his support in finding Stacy," said Pam Bosco, a spokeswoman for Stacy Peterson's relatives. "I think it makes a big statement on the case, and backs up what we've been saying all along."

Peterson's neighbor, Sharon Bychowski, said John Morphey called several weeks ago.

"He said, 'I would like to offer you my boat.' It's been used pretty much every day this week," she said.

Morphey said he believes his brother will be "thrilled" to know the boat is being used to help find Stacy.

"The boat's a lot like my brother. When we got it, people didn't think it could ever amount to anything, and now it's being used for such an honorable purpose as this."

[Lorie Taylor]

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-drew-peterson-web-apr18,0,3930171.story


Drew Peterson will soon face wrongful-death suit, attorney for Kathleen Savio's family says

Judges' rulings pave way for litigation, keep ex-cop's guns with state police
By Erika Slife and Matthew Walberg

Tribune reporters

9:47 PM CDT, April 17, 2008

Drew Peterson's legal team suffered defeats on two fronts Thursday, when one judge named new executors to the estate of his third wife, permitting her relatives to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against him, and another judge declined to order the return of his 11 guns.

Will County Judge Carmen Goodman determined that the finding of the most recent autopsy showing Kathleen Savio had been murdered in 2004 was enough reason for her estate to be reopened. The judge replaced Peterson's uncle, James Carroll, as executor of the estate with Savio's father, Henry, and sister, Anna Doman.

Henry Savio and Doman now have the power to file a wrongful-death suit against Peterson, 54, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant who is a suspect in his fourth wife's disappearance. Kathleen Savio was found dead in March 2004 in the bathtub of her Bolingbrook home weeks before their divorce settlement was finalized.

At the time, a coroner's jury ruled the death an accident, but authorities decided to take another look after Stacy disappeared Oct. 28. In February, State's Atty. James Glasgow announced that a new autopsy determined she had been murdered.

Peterson has not been charged in either case and maintains he is innocent.

John Kelly, a New York attorney representing the Savio family who was the lawyer for Nicole Brown Simpson's family in the successful civil suit against O.J. Simpson, said the wrongful-death case would be filed within a couple of weeks.

Joel Brodsky, representing Peterson and Carroll, said he planned to appeal Goodman's ruling.

He argued in court that the Savios had two years under the statute of limitations to challenge the probate proceedings. Brodsky said he will base part of his appeal on that argument.

Attorneys for the Savio family argued their clients didn't have the grounds to file a challenge in probate court because Savio's death had been ruled accidental. And they didn't have the authority to proceed with a wrongful-death lawsuit because they were not the executors.

Reached after the hearing, Doman said the family didn't receive notification that Peterson's uncle had been made executor of Savio's estate. Since Savio died, her family has voiced its suspicions that Peterson may have been responsible.

Later in the afternoon, another judge blocked Peterson's efforts to force state police to return his eight long guns and three handguns seized from his home last fall in the investigation of Stacy's disappearance.

Brodsky filed a motion in December seeking the return of Peterson's firearms, vehicles and other items taken through a series of search warrants. In February, Judge Richard Schoenstedt ordered the return of all the items, including the firearms�provided Peterson had a valid Firearm Owners Identification Card.

After the order, state police revoked his card. This month Brodsky suggested the weapons be placed in the custody of Peterson's adult son, Stephen, an Oak Brook police officer.

But Thursday, with Stephen Peterson in the gallery, Schoenstedt said Peterson's reasons for wanting his weapons returned were not compelling enough to override the right of police to hold potential evidence in a criminal investigation.

He noted Peterson offered no argument for the return other than it is his personal property, and Peterson and his lawyers have not expressed a desire to sell the guns or do anything with them that necessitates their return from police custody.

The judge left open the possibility Peterson may find a reason that could reverse his decision.

"If you find a specific reason why Mr. Peterson wants these guns transferred, I will be willing to reconsider the motion," Schoenstedt said.

Brodsky said his client would now transfer ownership of the weapons to his son, rather than just give them to him for safekeeping.

"Put it in writing," Schoenstedt responded.

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Copyright � 2008, Chicago Tribune

[Lorie Taylor]

www.suburbanchicagonews.com/bolingbrooksun/news/940171,4_1_JO09_PETERSON_S1.article

Attorney: Police have tunnel vision

May 9, 2008

By JOE HOSEY [e-mail]
The daughter of Drew Peterson's second wife and the sister of his third wife appeared Thursday before the grand jury investigating the third wife's death and his fourth wife's disappearance.

Sue Doman, the sister of dead third wife Kathleen Savio, said Savio's former boyfriend, Steve Maniaci, testified before her Thursday. Maniaci spoke to Savio on the phone two nights before she was found drowned in her dry bathtub in March 2004.

Drew Peterson (left), of Bolingbrook, is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson (middle). The death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio (right), is also being investigated.

State police initially found no indication of foul play in connection with Savio's death. Their opinion was contradicted in November after a forensic pathologist performed additional tests on her remains and concluded she was the victim of a homicide.

Did couple break up?
Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, claims Maniaci and Savio broke off their relationship the weekend before she was found dead.
"If he was smart, he took the Fifth," Brodsky said of Maniaci. "If it was my girlfriend who was found dead, and it was declared a homicide, and I had the code to the alarm system, and there were no signs of forced entry, I would have a lawyer with me."

Maniaci could not be reached for comment. Savio's niece, Melissa Doman, disputed Brodsky's assertion.

"No. If memory serves me correctly, he was at my aunt's wake," Melissa Doman said. "Why would he be there if they broke up?"

State police have not named suspects in the Savio homicide. They have conceded Peterson is under suspicion for disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, a matter they have classified a "potential homicide."

Brodsky said that instead of focusing on Peterson for Stacy's disappearance case, police should be turning an eye to others.

"They're got tunnel vision," Brodsky said. "I'm not just whistling Dixie."

Women testify
Peterson's second wife, Vicki Connolly, is alive and well in the tiny town of Paxton. Her daughter, Lisa Ward, appeared before the grand jury but declined to discuss her testimony. Sue Doman said she was advised by an attorney not to comment on her grand jury appearance but did share her feelings on the case.
"We miss my sister very much and this is just a horrible situation and we just want justice to be done," she said.

"We're just not letting this go," Doman said. "We miss her so much and our family just hasn't been the same."

[Lorie Taylor]

Drew Peterson faces gun charge in Bolingbrook

May 21, 2008Recommend (32)

BY DAN ROZEK AND JOE HOSEY Staff Reporters
Drew Peterson was arrested today on a felony weapons charge related to the seizure of 11 guns from his Bolingbrook home last November.

Peterson, who is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife Stacy, turned himself in at the Bolingbrook Police station today after he was picked up at home by his attorney, Joel Brodsky, around 12:35 p.m.


» Click to enlarge image

Drew Peterson (inset) was charged Wednesday with unlawful use of a weapon by Illinois State Police and Will County authorities. Pictured is Peterson's Colt model Sporter Lightweight, 223 Remington rifle.
(Courtesy/STNG)


PHOTO GALLERY


Peterson faces gun charge

RELATED STORIES
Judge: No guns for Drew Peterson
Drew's son to get Dad's guns
Searching for Stacy
Peterson is charged with knowingly possessing "a rifle, namely a Colt model Sporter Lightweight, 223 Remington rifle" with a barrel less than 16 inches in length, in violation of state law.
But Brodsky disputed the charges, saying Peterson was allowed to have the gun in his possession because he was a member of the Bolingbrook Police Department's SWAT team at the time the gun was seized.

Brodsky also questioned the timing of the arrest, noting that police have had the guns in question since Nov. 1 of last year. He said the arrest probably has more to do with a court hearing scheduled for Thursday in which the judge could order the weapons be returned to Peterson's son, Stephen.

"I find the circumstances very suspicious," he said.

Peterson was taken to the Will County Jail in Joliet to be processed. He arrived in an unmarked squad car around 1:30 p.m., and was smiling and joking with reporters.

Asked his thoughts on the arrest, Peterson smiled and said, "It's the usual."

Brodsky expects his client to post bail and be released later today.

Peterson, a retired Bolingbrook police sergeant, has not been charged in his wife's disappearance more than six months ago.

[Lorie Taylor]

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-drew-peterson-webmay22,0,1202975.story

chicagotribune.com
Peterson turns self in on gun charge
Case related to weapon he carried as a cop, attorney says
By Matthew Walberg and Erika Slife

Tribune reporters

1:51 PM CDT, May 21, 2008

Drew Peterson was arrested by Illinois State Police on Wednesday on a charge of felony unlawful use of a weapon, a case not directly connected to the disappearance of his wife Stacy.

Peterson surrendered Wednesday afternoon, hours after the arrest warrant was issued on the weapons violation, his attorney said.

Peterson, a former police sergeant, left his Bolingbrook home about 12:30 p.m. and shouted "I love you" to reporters before getting into the gold Mercedes owned by his attorney, Joel Brodsky. He was taken to the Bolingbrook police station and from there was transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where he arrived about 1:30 p.m. in the front passenger seat of an unmarked car.

Asked how he was feeling, Peterson said, "The usual."

Peterson, 54, has been named a suspect in the Oct. 28 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, who was 23 at the time. He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged in that case.

Wednesday's charge—a Class 3 felony that carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison—alleges Peterson "knowingly possessed a rifle, namely a Colt model Sporter Lightweight, 223 Remington rifle ... with a barrel less than 16 inches in length" in violation of state law, the Will County state's attorney's office said.

The rifle was among 11 guns seized Nov. 1 during the execution of a search warrant on Peterson's house. Those guns have been the subject of an ongoing legal fight waged by Brodsky to have Peterson's belongings returned to him. The next court date in that case is scheduled for Thursday.

Brodsky said the charge was related to a weapon that Peterson carried while employed by the Bolingbrook Police Department.

"He was a SWAT team member, and he was allowed to have two duty weapons," Brodsky said. "This was a registered duty weapon with the Bolingbrook Police Department, and he carried it for 10 years. The State Police had this weapon in their possession before he retired, so there is no basis for this charge."

Brodsky said the charge is related to a technical requirement about the length of the gun barrel.

"According to what I was told, [the barrel] was three-eighths of an inch too short," Brodsky said.

The warrant, signed by Will County Chief Judge Stephen White, carried a bond of $75,000. Peterson must post 10 percent, or $7,500, to secure his release while awaiting trial. A court date for Peterson to appear on the weapons charge was not yet scheduled.

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[Lorie Taylor]

Months after he was named a suspect in his wife's disappearance, Drew Peterson was arrested on an unrelated weapons charge.
On Wednesday, Peterson -- accompanied by his attorney, Joel Brodsky, -- turned himself in to the Bolingbrook Police Department just before 1 p.m. He is charged with a Class 3 felony because, according to prosecutors, the barrel of one of the guns seized from Peterson's home is too short and violates state law.
Brodsky identified the gun as an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle. He said Peterson, who was a Bolingbrook police officer, was exempt from the length provision. He also said Peterson, who is now retired, was still serving on the force when the gun was seized by police.
Peterson's wife, Stacy, went missing in October 2007. Her disappearance led officials to reopen the death of Peterson's third ex-wife, Kathleen Savio in 2004. Her body was exhumed and Savio's death has since been labeled a homicide.
Story continues belowAdvertisementPeterson was named a suspect in Stacy's disappearance, but has not been charged in that case or the Savio case. He maintains his innocence in both cases.
The gun in question is one of 11 seized during a November 2007 search of Peterson's Bolingbrook home. Those guns were expected to be returned to Peterson's son on Thursday. Now, Brodsky said a judge is expected to rule immediately on the existing gun case.
"For some reason I can't fathom, state police seem fixated or obsessed with making sure Drew or his family can't get these weapons back," said Brodsky. He also said "Drew has never fired a gun in anger."
Peterson turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He remains in custody as of 2:30 p.m.
His bond was set at $75,000, according to his attorney. Peterson's grown son reportedly posted 10-percent of his bond Wednesday afternoon. Peterson was released from custody just after 3 p.m. He made no comment to reporters at the scene.
"Drew will be home by dinner," said Brodsky. "If they thought this was a tactic, it won't work."

[Lorie Taylor]

Petterson Arrested on Gun Charges

Last Edited: Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 1:11 PM CDT
Created: Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 12:34 PM CDT





Bolingbrook, IL. -- Drew Peterson arrived at the Bolingbrook Police Department around 12:40 pm, with his attorney. Joel Brodsky says Peterson turned himself in on a gun charge, and is expected to have bond set, and then will be released later this afternoon.
Brodsky told reporters he did not consider the charges to be a form of harassment by police. The weapon in question, according to Drew's spokesman, Glenn Selig, is a gun that Peterson possessed legally as a member of the Bolingbrook Police Department's swat team, and it was later seized by police, so Peterson could not return it even if he needed to.
Brodsky says the weapon is 3/8 of an inch shorter than is allowed by law.

[Lorie Taylor]

Drew Peterson Turns Self In On Gun Charge
Criminal Complaint: Peterson's Gun Barrel Too Short Under State Law
BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (CBS) ― Drew Peterson turned himself in to police early Wednesday afternoon on a gun charge.

His attorney, Joel Brodsky, said the charge was trumped up.

The criminal complaint against Peterson, issued by the Will County State's Attorney's office, charged him with Class 3 Felony unlawful use of a weapon.

The complaint said Peterson possessed a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches in length. These guns are not permitted under state law, the complaint said.

Bond for Peterson was set at $75,000, and he was required to pay 10 percent to be freed from custody, the complaint said.


Brodsky said the charge involves a gun seized after Drew Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in October.

Brodsky says the weapon in question is an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle that Peterson used while he was a police officer. He contends police officers are exempt from the length provision of the law and Peterson was still a police officer when the gun was seized.

He said he would contact Illinois State Police and post bail for Peterson within the day.

Peterson walked into the police station around 12:40 p.m. He has been fighting a ruling that he cannot have his guns returned.

When asked for comment by CBS 2 as he left his house, Drew Peterson simply said, "I love you."

Stacy Peterson has not been seen since Oct. 28, 2007. Illinois State Police said several months ago they suspect she is dead and have called Drew Peterson a suspect in her disappearance.

But Peterson has long contended his wife left him for another man. His attorney has said perhaps Stacy Peterson just did not want to be tied down to an older man and four children anymore.

Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, was found dead in a dry bathtub four years ago, in what was initially ruled to be an accidental drowning. But Savio's body was exhumed in November of last year and her death was ruled a homicide.

Drew Peterson has not been charged with any crime in either case.

[Lorie Taylor]

UPDATE: Drew Peterson released from Will County jail

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Danya Hooker and Don Grigas
Suburban Life Publications
Wed May 21, 2008, 03:06 PM CDT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bolingbrook, IL -
3:06 p.m. Drew Peterson was released from a Will County jail around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Also, a judge pushed back the hearing on Peterson's guns until 3 p.m. on Thursday. The hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday morning.

2:36 p.m. The hearing on the gun charge is being held Wednesday afternoon, Drew Peterson's lawyer, Joel Brodsky, said.

2:20 p.m. Drew's son, Stephen, wrote a check for the $7,500 and Brodsky posted the bail money Wednesday.

"I really believe that for some reason that I can't comprehend the Illinois State Police seem to have an obsession with these guns and with getting them. They're willing to go to any lengths to prevent that.

The next scheduled court date in the guns' case is scheduled for Thursday. Brodsky said he expects Stephen Peterson will get his father's guns during the court case.

Brodsky believes this is a tactic by the Illinois State Police to harass his client.

"Any inconvience (the Illinois State Police) can cause (Peterson) the better," Brodsky said. "They may believe it's a tactic to shake him up, but it's certaintly not going to work."

2:10 p.m. Drew Peterson, who turned himself in to police Wednesday afternoon, is scheduled to be released from the Will County Jail at 2:45 p.m.

1:25 p.m.: Drew Peterson turned himself in to police Wednesday afternoon after a warrant was issued for his arrest for felony unlawful use of a weapon, his lawyer, Joel Brodsky, said.

The felony weapons charge stems from Peterson having too short of a barrel on one of his guns when he was a Bolingbrook police officer, Brodsky said. The Class 3 felony carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.

Shortly after noon on Wednesday, Peterson was taken by Brodsky to the Bolingbrook Police Department before being handed off to the Illinois State Police. State police then transported Peterson to the Will County courthouse where Brodsky said he will post Peterson's $7,500 bond.

The gun--a Remington rifle--was seized during a search warrant execution from Nov. 1, 2007, the Will County State's Attorney's Office said. The charge alleges Peterson "knowingly possessed a rifle, namely a Colt model Sporter Lightweight, 223 Remington rifle ... with a barrel less than 16 inches in length" in violation of state law, the Will County State's Attorney's office said.

12:11 p.m.: Neighbors of Drew Peterson said that police officials are at Peterson's house Wednesday

www.mysuburbanlife.com/bolingbrook/peterson/x1902443396/BREAKING-NEWS-Neighbors-Police-officials-at-Drew-Petersons-house

[Lorie Taylor]

FindStacyPeterson.com Blog Taken Down
Drew Peterson filed a complaint with the FBI saying the blog did more to spy on him than it did to help find his missing wife.
ThePublicityAgency.com - May 20, 2008

Last month Drew Peterson offered a $25,000 reward for Stacy Peterson's safe return.


(PRNewsChannel) / Bolingbrook, Ill. - When Stacy Peterson disappeared, the FindStacyPeterson.com blog became a hub for information for concerned family, friends and members of the community.


But in the months since, her husband Drew Peterson, a suspect in her disappearance, has complained that the site has done little to find his missing wife, and instead, had become a vehicle to spy on him, discuss plans to harass him, and to reveal his personal comings and goings.

The site, he says, had intruded on his personal life and Peterson filed two complaints against the blog--one with the FBI and one with local authorities.

While the information Web site is still online, the popular blog has now been taken down.

A message on the site reads: We are restructuring our site to become an information based only site. Thank you to all who have have contributed to the forum.

"I'm not certain if the complaints we made caused the authorities to take the blog down or if it was something else," says Joel A. Brodsky, Peterson's criminal defense attorney, "but they crossed the line with the site there's no doubt about it."

Drew Peterson says he's pleased the blog has been dropped and he hopes the focus can now shift back to finding Stacy.

"I hope people start focusing on finding Stacy instead of my personal life," says Peterson.

Peterson says Stacy spoke with him before she disappeared and told him that she was leaving with another man. He says he too can't understand why she has not been located when so many people are looking for her.

And Peterson now says he is growing increasingly worried and fears someone, perhaps the man she ran off with, has harmed her or is preventing her from making contact.

"I wasn't that worried for a long time," says Peterson. "But now I am."

He says he hoped a $25,000 reward he offered last month for information leading to Stacy's safe return would've produced some productive leads. But it hasn't.

"My children miss their mother," says Peterson. "Yes I'm mad that she left me for another man and caused the world to suspect me in her disappearance. But I am now also very concerned."

He says he hopes that with the findstacypeterson.com blog dismantled, maybe the focus will shift back to finding Stacy rather than wasting time watching his every move.

Media Contacts:
Joel A. Brodsky, Drew Peterson's Attorney Phone: [phone] or
Glenn Selig, ThePublicityAgency.com, glenn (at) thepublicityagency.com, [phone]

To view this press release online, please visit www.prnewschannel.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=548&z=9

Source Web Site: ThePublicityAgency.com





www.prnewschannel.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=548&z=4

[Lorie Taylor]

Stacy Peterson Web site forum curtailed

Tribune staff report
12:38 PM CDT, May 20, 2008

Administrators for findstacypeterson.com have shut down the active forum on the Web site dedicated to the missing Bolingbrook mother, saying the site will now only be used for updates, searches and events.

The Web site started shortly after Stacy Peterson disappeared Oct. 28 and once boasted at least 1,600 registered users from as far away as Australia who posted thousands of messages about her case.

The activity on the site slowed in recent months, said Sharon Bychowski, a friend and neighbor of Stacy Peterson. Site administrators felt the forum had run its course.

Peterson was 23 when she vanished. Her husband, Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, has been named a suspect in the investigation. Peterson, 54, denies any wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed.

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-peterson-web_may21,0,63455.story

[Lorie Taylor]

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. -- Friends of missing Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson say administrators of the Web page findstacypeterson.com have shut down the site's online forum.
Peterson's friends and family say the site will be used for updates, searches and events. But family friend Sharon Bychowski (by-KOW'-skee) says activity on the Web site has slowed since the 23-year-old's October disappearance.

Peterson is the wife of former Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson. He has been named a suspect in her disappearance.
Drew Peterson has denied any wrongdoing and says the Web site served as a place for people to spy on him.

His attorney Joel Brodsky says Peterson filed complaints with the FBI and local authorities about the site.

abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6155226