Ernie Raines

[Lorie Taylor]

Dad afraid his daughter will be Drew's next wife
'I'm doing everything i can to get her away from him'
Comments

December 18, 2008

BY SHAMUS TOOMEY, JOE HOSEY AND DAN ROZEK Staff Reporters

Drew Peterson, under a cloud of suspicion since his 23-year-old fourth wife vanished more than a year ago, has popped the question to another young woman -- drawing anguished pleas from a Chicago father convinced his daughter is the one.

"That ain't going to happen," Ernie Raines said. "I'm doing everything I can to try to get her away from him. . . . I'd like to say to him: Stay away from my daughter, take his ring back and look for his wife before he's out trying to get another young girl."
» Click to enlarge image
Christina Raines, 24, denies that she’s engaged to Drew Peterson. She says they’re friends but they never dated and he hasn’t proposed marriage.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times/Joliet Herald News)


RELATED STORIES
Special section: Searching for Stacy Prosecutors take second shot at Drew Peterson
Drew's past loves
Here's a partial list of the other women who have been associated with Drew Peterson:

Kim Matuska: A 22-year-old tanning salon worker, she met Peterson after his wife, Stacy, disappeared. The relationship didn't last. Peterson blamed media and police scrutiny of the young woman for dooming their relationship. Matuska was later called to appear before the Will County grand jury investigating Stacy Peterson's disappearance and Kathleen Savio's death.

Stacy Cales: She was 17. He was 47 -- and still married -- when they began dating. Drew swept her off her feet, and they married in 2003, exchanging vows in a Bolingbrook field. She disappeared in Oct. 2007, leaving behind the couple's two small children. Drew Peterson claims she left him for another man.

Kathleen Savio: After she met Peterson in the early 1990s, he surprised her with a Valentine's Day trip to Jamaica. By 2002, after several years of marriage, Savio sought an order of protection in a Will County court. In the order, she claimed that her husband had threatened to kill her. In 2003, Savio filed for divorce. In 2004, she was found dead in a bathtub at her Bolingbrook home. After initially being ruled an accident, her death is now under investigation as a homicide.

Vicki Connolly: She reportedly met Peterson in the early 1980s at a Bolingbrook bar. As soon as he set eyes on her, he was determined to have her, Connolly has said. They were married in 1982. In interviews, Connolly and her family have described Peterson as very controlling. In one published report, Connolly said Peterson told her he could kill her and make it look like an accident. They were married for 10 years.

Carol Brown: Peterson's first wife. She found him witty and charming when they met in high school. They were married from 1974 to 1980. In interviews, Brown described him as supportive but overbearing at times. Brown later found out Peterson had cheated on her. But she told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she would be surprised if Peterson was somehow involved in Stacy's disappearance or Savio's death.

Stefano Esposito

Peterson's lawyer confirmed the 54-year-old former Bolingbrook police sergeant is engaged to be married. Peterson refused to say who accepted his proposal, but denied that it's Raines' daughter Christina, 24.

Christina Raines, a waitress, also denied that she's the one, saying she's friends with Peterson but never dated him or got a marriage proposal.

But a police source said she is the bride-to-be, and her father insists, "It's her."

Ernie Raines said his daughter is trying to avoid the publicity that has followed Peterson since his wife, Stacy, disappeared in October 2007. Peterson has been named as a suspect in her "potential homicide" and is being investigated in the 2004 homicide of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Ernie Raines said his daughter told him about Peterson's proposal when he spotted a ring on her finger Friday.

"I said, 'You need to take that back. If you don't want to, I will,' " said Ernie Raines, 53. "I said, why would you want to marry someone like that anyway? He's my age for Christ's sake."

Christina Raines said her dad's got it wrong -- it was just a friendship ring from someone else. She said she doesn't know who Peterson plans to marry.

Joel Brodsky, Peterson's defense attorney, said, without naming names, "Yeah, he proposed and she accepted. I guess he's got to get divorced."

On Wednesday morning, a sleepy Peterson seemed irked that news of his engagement had leaked. "I can't believe this is happening," he said. "How the f - - - did this get out?"

Peterson said several female friends called him Wednesday to complain they were being questioned by news reporters.

"I've got calls from three or four women saying the media is bothering them," Peterson said. "They're bothering everybody I've known since third grade."

He said he wants to keep details of his new love under wraps.

"Last time I had a relationship, you guys screwed it all up," he said, referring to tanning salon worker Kim Matuska, 22. "The police had her, the grand jury had her. I'm not putting her through all that."

Peterson said he does not believe his marital status should prevent him from becoming engaged. "I was married to Kathleen when I was engaged to Stacy," he said.

Ernie Raines said he and his daughter met Peterson at a Bolingbrook laundromat years ago, and that she has been friendly with him for months. Peterson has brought her roses, taken her to "Blue Man Group," promised to buy her a car and even autographed a book for him, Ernie Raines said.

Concerned about Peterson -- "I don't want a third one to come up missing" -- Ernie Raines said he drove to Peterson's house last month to "let him know that I'm here, that I'm around, that I know where he lives."

He said Peterson asked him, "Did you get my book?"

"We talked, I said, 'You know me, I'd kill for my kids, you know that,' " Ernie Raines said. "He told me: 'I will never do nothing to hurt your daughter, that's why I didn't put her name out.' "

Ernie Raines thinks his daughter sees security with Peterson. "He's got a house. He's got money."

But, as a father, he sees troubles.

"I said, if you don't answer your [cell] phone, don't worry about it," Raines said. "I'll drive my Cadillac right through his house."

[Lorie Taylor]

Mar 17, 2009 6:12 am US/Central
Peterson's Fiancee's Father Sent To Hospital
Ernie Raines Hospitalized With Heart Trouble
BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (STNG) ¯


1 of 2
Ernie Raines calls police on the day his daughter, Christina Raines, moved out of Drew Peterson's house. Christina Raines has since moved back in and is talking about getting married to Peterson



Apparently the prospect of becoming Drew Peterson's father-in-law nearly broke Ernie Raines' heart.

Raines, the father of Drew Peterson's fiancee, Chrissy Raines, was hospitalized with heart trouble Friday.

Raines, who remained at Edward Hospital through the weekend and into Monday, said he thought he was having a heart attack.

"It was pounding real fast," Raines said of his heart, which he believed would go out on him while he was trying to convince his daughter to again leave Peterson, whose track record with wives might give any father cause for concern.

Peterson's fourth and most recent wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished in October 2007. The state police believe she may be the victim of a homicide and have named Drew Peterson their sole suspect.

His third wife, Kathleen Savio, turned up drowned in a dry bathtub in March 2004. The state police initially found nothing fishy about this, and it was determined She was the victim of an accidental drowning.

But Stacy's disappearance led authorities to reconsider Savio's case and rule that her death was a homicide, giving the state police another bite at the apple.

In the meantime, Peterson, who is still married to the missing Stacy, is living with Chrissy Raines and her two small children.

If that wasn't enough for the worried dad, the couple is supposedly planning to wed — once the matter of Peterson's marriage to Stacy is resolved.

Raines said he has been working to end the affair since he learned about it late last year. He said he met his daughter Friday at the Bolingbrook T.G.I. Friday's where she waitresses in hopes of convincing her to break it off with Peterson.

During their dinner, Raines said, he was overcome by heart trouble.

On Monday, Raines was still worked up about his daughter's relationship with Peterson.

"I hope you burn in hell for what you did," Raines said he would like to tell Peterson. "You ruined a lot of lives. You ruined my daughter's life."

Raines, who said he has been approached by People magazine for an interview, explained that his daughter is reluctant to leave Peterson in part because she has grown attached to Lacy, Peterson and Stacy's young daughter.

At home on Pheasant Chase Court in Bolingbrook, Peterson said he was aware of Raines' hospitalization.

"He had some sort of heart issue," Peterson said.

Peterson refused to comment on whether he or his fiancee would visit or had visited Raines at Edward Hospital.

Raines said his daughter did visit him Monday.

A spokesman for Edward Hospital said Raines was in good condition Monday, but by the evening, Raines said there was no way he was going to get home that night.

"No," he said, "I'm staying here."

Stuck in a hospital bed a town away from his daughter and grandchildren, and unsure what his next move should be, Raines said he would keep fighting to get his little girl back.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm not going to give up though."

[Lorie Taylor]

May 13, 2009 8:42 am US/Central
Fianc¨¦e's Father Says Peterson Can Make Bail
Attorney Says $20 Million Bond Is Excessive
JOLIET, Ill. (STNG) ¨D



Drew Peterson's lawyer says the $20 million bond keeping his client locked up is way out of line, but the father of the accused wife-murderer's supposed wife-to-be claims Peterson has the cash to get free.

"My daughter says he's got it, but it might wipe him out," said Ernie Raines, the father of Peterson's live-in fianc¨¦e, Chrissy Raines.

Not only does Peterson, who is locked up on first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, have the money, but he was using it as bait to keep Chrissy in his home, Raines said.

Raines said Peterson told his daughter that "everything is paid for. The house, she don't have to work," and that he went to Peterson's home to confront him about this while Chrissy was out.

"I saw the house," Raines said. "It's gorgeous."

Raines said Peterson boasted he would put Chrissy through school, but the father of the bride-to-be grew suspicious that, while Peterson has plenty of money, he did not plan to spend it on his girlfriend.

"He lied to my daughter," Raines said.

"He didn't give her nothing."

And Raines says his daughter, who is now living with her two children at her sister's home, has grown angry with him for speaking out against Peterson. Raines said he explained to his daughter, "I'm trying to defend you.

"I'm trying to tell the world, 'It's not you, it's him,'" he said.

Chrissy has yet to visit Peterson in jail, her father said, and he told her to keep it that way.

Peterson is due back in court Monday. His attorney is trying to get the $20 million bond dropped to something more affordable, but Raines believes Peterson is just trying to hold some cash back and can make bail anyway.

Raines does not want to see that happen.

"If he does bond out, I'm afraid my daughter's going to go running right back to him," he said.

[Lorie Taylor]

Peterson spotted at Downers Grove club
December 21, 2008 9:08 PM | 44 Comments
In the latest chapter of the is-he-or-isn't-he saga known as Drew Peterson's engagement, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant and a woman he identified as his fiance were spotted Saturday night at a dance club in Downers Grove.

"Is this your new fiance?" an off-camera voice asks in a clip shot by a freelance videographer.

"Yes sir," Peterson replies, laughing and kissing the head of the woman with him.

"No!" she says. "No, it's not. I'm sorry."

Interviewed tonight, the woman confirmed that she was at the club with Peterson and appears in the video. But she is not in a romantic relationship with Peterson, she insisted.

Nor is she Christina Raines, the 23-year-old Romeoville waitress Peterson has said is his fiance.
Raines' family -- and her live-in boyfriend -- say Peterson is dreaming when he says the two are engaged.

Raines lives with a man who said the engagement announcement by Peterson is revenge for her rebuffing his advances.

"He's [mad] at her and he's trying to get back at her by dragging her name through the mud," said Mike, who identified himself as Raines' boyfriend but declined to give his full name.

But Peterson, 54, insisted that his fiance ended things with Mike, who Peterson said "is going loony over this," and that they are living together because of the lease. Peterson said he had nothing to do with the breakup.

Raines, a mother of two young children, could not be reached for comment.

Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, was 23 when she vanished in October 2007. The death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in an empty bathtub, has since been reclassified a homicide. Peterson has not been charged in either case. Peterson contends that Stacy ran away and that he's been trying to divorce her.

The newest drama involving the former Bolingbrook police sergeant began Wednesday when his publicist issued a statement confirming he was engaged.

Raines reportedly denied she is engaged, but her family said Peterson had given her a ring.

"She never said, 'Yes, I will marry you,' " said Mike, who said he and Raines have dated for two years and have lived together for more than a year. He and Raines both work at a Bolingbrook restaurant frequented by Peterson.

Raines' family members are acquaintances of Peterson.

Mike said Raines and Peterson have been casually hanging out in recent months, but were not dating. He said he has told her to stay away from him. Peterson said they were dating and that things were going well until it became public.

"It was a nice relationship," Peterson said. "We both got kids, we got along together. Now we've got the world trying to break us up."

Ernie Raines said his daughter is naive and vulnerable. He said that Peterson and his daughter have been dating for four months, but that it was not serious. He said Peterson tricked his daughter into an engagement.

"He put the ring on her finger," Raines said. "He said, 'We're going to get married and get a house.' . . . He said he'll probably go to jail for a couple of days, but will probably be bonded out . . . She never said she was going to marry him. This is in his head.

"She told me, 'I love Mike. I want to be with Mike,' " said Raines, who is scheduled to appear Monday on CBS' "The Early Show."

Joey Raines, Christina Raines' half-brother, said Saturday he fears she's confused on what she wants. He said she's become evasive.

"She's telling me that it's not true," said Raines of southwest suburban Worth. "I overheard [family members] talking about the ring supposedly that Drew got her. . . . She's probably telling us one thing and telling him another."

Ernie Raines said he and his daughter met Drew and Stacy Peterson at a Bolingbrook coin-op laundry in 2003. He said that he told a then-17-year-old Stacy it was nice that she was doing her father's laundry, but that in fact the clothes belonged to Drew.

[Lorie Taylor]

conversationaltone.wordpress.com/tag/ernie-raines/

Drew Peterson’s Lawyer Makes Accusations!
July 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Well it’s been extremely quiet on the “Drew Peterson Crazy Train” of late! The judge put a sock in Drew Peterson’s mouth, and that of his lawyer Joel Brodsky at the last court date. Thank goodness! No news means good news to us, but Joel Brodsky and the rest of the Drew Peterson camp must have been ancy because after this past Tuesday’s court date, Brodsky had something to say.

It has been reported in several of the local news agencies that the Peterson Team came out and accused Christina Raines of trying to date another police officer. Christina Raines is being represented by famous lawyer Gloria Alred, and she has issued a written statement from her office. Her statement that was released said ” Chrissie has not had dinner with or gone to the movies with any police officer other than Drew Peterson, and she has no interest in doing so.” She continued in her statement to say “She does not feel she was “hit-on” by any police officer, We do not think there is a bias for filing a complaint against any officer and we have no plans to file such a complaint.”

Brodsky announced that he intended to file a motion regarding this. According to Brodsky some unknown detective asked Christina Raines on a date during the investigation of Peterson for murder of third wife Kathleen Savio and disappearance of the fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

The State’s Attorney’s office spokesperson has refuted what Joel Brodsky has aleged. The office further stated that Brodsky accusation is “preposterous and disingenuous”. Meanwhile, after hearing such nonsense, Ernie Raines, who is Christina Raines’ father has stated that Joel Brodsky is a scumbag. He also let loose a couple expletives as he claimed with his threat that he is going to kick the bleep out of him!

It is a free country and I guess if Christina Raines wants to date another police officer, I guess she can. It would be easier if it wasn’t one that was investigating her ex-boyfriend-ex-fiance’-! It appears that everyone, and anyone according to Brodsky/Peterson is a liar, cheat, slut, low-life, drug abuser, mentalcase, and criminal!

Too bad for them, they surrounded themselves with people like that! Drew Peterson is shining! He is a superstar among the scum!!

I have but one thing to say- WAKE-UP! We all know that Peterson is all of those mentioned above! And while he did travel in circles of the under-belly, and he shines in no ones eyes but his own. This writer is once again glad to say that I am so glad he is safely tucked away in his small cell and is as quiet as a church mouse!

No news is good news to me!

Just my thoughts, just my opinions, and always in a conversationalTone.

Mary Caliendo

[Lorie Taylor]

Father of Drew Peterson's Fiancee Relieved

Sunday , May 10, 2009

FC1
ADVERTISEMENT

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," May 8, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: First, the ever-cocky Drew Peterson, shackled in a jail jumpsuit, charged with the murder of his third wife, screamed this to reporters on his way into court today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drew! Drew!

(CROSSTALK)

DREW PETERSON, CHARGED IN MURDER OF THIRD WIFE: Three squares a day and this spiffy outfit, how can I beat that? Look at this bling I got.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us live is Mary Frances Bragiel, reporter for WBBM radio. Boy, he is cocky, is he not.

MARY FRANCES BRAGIEL, WBBM RADIO: Greta, nothing's changed in the last 18 months since this case, this investigation, I have to say, began. And I spoke to a spokesperson with the Will County jail late this afternoon. He said Drew's in great spirits in a six-by-nine cell with a shower there, and he couldn't be happier.

VAN SUSTEREN: I -- where -- I mean, what happened today in court? He wasn't there long.

BRAGIEL: No, he was there -- just there for a few moments. His attorneys weren't there. I spoke to Joel Brodsky about an hour ago, his attorney, who told me that it wasn't necessary for him to be there because any first-year law student could handle that today, faxing in this motion to have the arraignment moved until next week. So he was just there for just a few minutes, and then he was -- went back in the van with the shackles on and taken back to the jail.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, now, this is bizarre. We're looking at this photo. This guy is laughing, yelling things to the media. This -- I mean, is he taking any of this seriously? I mean, I guess this has got to be -- I mean, he's not insane, of course, but I mean, this is sort of bizarre behavior.

BRAGIEL: But you know what, though? We've been hearing this since it began, Greta. He keeps talking about sort of that's how he handles stress, by making a joke of everything. But nobody else thinks it's a joke out there -- he's the only one -- that there are two women dead here, there's a lot of violence against women in this country. But somehow, he believes that it's funny.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you have any more information tonight what it is that links him to this murder of his third wife? I mean, we know that the autopsy report has been -- has been determined that the cause of death is a homicide. But what is it that links him specifically to this homicide?

BRAGIEL: Well, at this point, they have to figure that out. They have to prove -- these prosecutors have to prove that, in fact, it's not all circumstantial, that, in fact, he either did it or he had somebody take care of it for him. But this is -- you know, obviously, this is all based on grand jury testimony. And I will tell you that James Glasgow is keeping it close to the vest exactly what they have on this guy.

VAN SUSTEREN: When is he due in court next?

BRAGIEL: He is due in court on May 18, now, about a week from this Monday, so -- according to his attorney. And Joel Brodsky, by the way, did also tell me that Christina (ph) Raines, his girlfriend or his fiancee or whatever you want to call her at this point, may be retaining an attorney because, apparently, the Illinois State Police have been asking her a lot of tough questions, he tells me.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, that's interesting that you raise it because her father is coming right up. Mary Frances, thank you.

BRAGIEL: Thank you.

VAN SUSTEREN: Things are pretty fluid in Drew Peterson's life right now, but as of yesterday, Peterson was still engaged to 24-year-old Christina Raines. So is the wedding still on? Christina's father, Ernie Raines, joins us. Ernie, good evening. Have you spoken to your daughter in the last 24 hours?

ERNIE RAINES, FATHER OF PETERSON'S FIANCEE: Yes, I have.

VAN SUSTEREN: What is she saying about Drew Peterson?

RAINES: Well, she says that she still loves him and can't believe that he did it.

VAN SUSTEREN: What are your thoughts about Drew Peterson personally? Not whether he did it or not, but do you like the guy?

RAINES: When I first met him a long time ago, yes. And then but when -- when Stacy come up missing and then they brought out Kathleen Savio, but then the real point, when he went after my daughter. That's when I drew the line because I was saying to myself -- go ahead.

VAN SUSTEREN: No, go ahead. What did you say to yourself?

RAINES: As I was saying, I was thinking to myself that any other man would be looking for his wife, finding some kind of closure for Stacy. He's not even divorced yet. He went after my daughter, moved her in, and that right there tells me, yes, well, he knows she ain't coming back. And I despise him for that.

VAN SUSTEREN: She had been living with him. Was she living -- was she at the house yesterday, as recently as yesterday?

RAINES: Yes, she was. Yes, she was.

VAN SUSTEREN: Has she ever said -- has she ever expressed any sort of concern about Drew and think that maybe he had some -- that he'd murdered his third wife or had any involvement in the disappearance of the fourth? Or did he do anything untoward -- I mean, (INAUDIBLE) done anything weird towards her?

RAINES: No. No. No, she said that he was, you know, good to her, treated her good, and the kids.

VAN SUSTEREN: The reporter we just had on moments ago...

RAINES: Of course...

VAN SUSTEREN: Go ahead.

RAINES: Of course, because he knows that I wasn't going anywhere and he knows that I was watching him. And so was everybody else. He made one false move, he knew I'd he there, that my daughter just call me and said something that he said to her, he know I'd be there. Wouldn't take me that long to get there. I wasn't afraid of him.

VAN SUSTEREN: The reporter we just had on said that your daughter's being questioned by law enforcement and may hire a lawyer. What kind of questions are they asking her?

RAINES: I don't know, but I'm taking care of that. I'm getting her a lawyer.

VAN SUSTEREN: Why does she need a lawyer?

RAINES: Because -- well, they first got her, and then she called me. And then I talked to her again last night at about 1:00 o'clock. She said they won't leave her alone. And I told her, Well, the reason being is you move out, you go back, move in, go back. Now they're thinking that maybe you know something. And you know, that's why they're going to be on you. So we'll have to take care of that.

VAN SUSTEREN: Has Drew Peterson ever said anything to you, or to your daughter that's been repeated to you, that's the least bit -- that makes you think that he's guilty of murder of number three or involved in the disappearance of wife four?

RAINES: Well, like I said before, any other man wouldn't move another woman in when he's not even divorced, move another woman into his house. Not even divorced?

VAN SUSTEREN: But has he ever said anything...

RAINES: Don't know what...

VAN SUSTEREN: But -- OK, but has he -- but has he ever said anything to you about wife number three, about Kathleen Savio, to make you think that he was...

RAINES: No.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... there that night, that he drowned her in the bathtub?

RAINES: No. No, he didn't.

VAN SUSTEREN: How about the -- What about the disappearance of Stacy? Did he ever say anything to you or anything repeated -- anything your daughter's repeated to you that he's involved in the disappearance of Stacy?

RAINES: No. All's he says was that, Oh, she ran off with another guy. That's all he said.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you believe that?

RAINES: No, I don't. I know. She disappeared, just like Kathy Savio did.

VAN SUSTEREN: Ernie, thank you, and...

RAINES: And that's why...

VAN SUSTEREN: Go ahead.

RAINES: I said that's why, you know, I keep telling my daughter, and that's why I'm glad that they got him and my daughter's out of danger now, you know? Because he was going to move on the lakefront and get a bigger place. And I was reading through the lines on that -- in other words, take her away from me because he knew that she was close to me and I'm close to her, and I was going to be there, no matter what. And that was his way of trying...

VAN SUSTEREN: Ernie, thank you very much.

RAINES: ... to say, Well -- OK.

VAN SUSTEREN: Ernie, thank you very much.

[Lorie Taylor]

Shepard Smith Interview On Scripod

www.scribd.com/doc/11594540/Shepard-Smith-Interview-with-Ernie-Raines

[Lorie Taylor]

Peterson's Future Father-In-Law Hospitalized

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (STNG) - Apparently the prospect of becoming Drew Peterson's father-in-law nearly broke Ernie Raines' heart.

Raines, the father of Drew Peterson's fiancee, Chrissy Raines, was hospitalized with heart trouble Friday.

Raines, who remained at Edward Hospital through the weekend and into Monday, said he thought he was having a heart attack.

"It was pounding real fast," Raines said of his heart, which he believed would go out on him while he was trying to convince his daughter to again leave Peterson, whose track record with wives might give any father cause for concern.

Peterson's fourth and most recent wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished in October 2007. The state police believe she may be the victim of a homicide and have named Drew Peterson their sole suspect.

His third wife, Kathleen Savio, turned up drowned in a dry bathtub in March 2004. The state police initially found nothing fishy about this, and it was determined she was the victim of an accidental drowning.

But Stacy's disappearance led authorities to reconsider Savio's case and rule that her death was a homicide, giving the state police another bite at the apple.

In the meantime, Peterson, who is still married to the missing Stacy, is living with Chrissy Raines and her two small children.

If that wasn't enough for the worried dad, the couple is supposedly planning to wed — once the matter of Peterson's marriage to Stacy is resolved.

Raines said he has been working to end the affair since he learned about it late last year. He said he met his daughter Friday at the Bolingbrook T.G.I. Friday's where she waitresses in hopes of convincing her to break it off with Peterson.

During their dinner, Raines said, he was overcome by heart trouble.

On Monday, Raines was still worked up about his daughter's relationship with Peterson.

"I hope you burn in hell for what you did," Raines said he would like to tell Peterson. "You ruined a lot of lives. You ruined my daughter's life."

Raines, who said he has been approached by People magazine for an interview, explained that his daughter is reluctant to leave Peterson in part because she has grown attached to Lacy, Peterson and Stacy's young daughter.

At home on Pheasant Chase Court in Bolingbrook, Peterson said he was aware of Raines' hospitalization.

"He had some sort of heart issue," Peterson said.

Peterson refused to comment on whether he or his fiancee would visit or had visited Raines at Edward Hospital.

Raines said his daughter did visit him Monday.

A spokesman for Edward Hospital said Raines was in good condition Monday, but by the evening, Raines said there was no way he was going to get home that night.

"No," he said, "I'm staying here."

Stuck in a hospital bed a town away from his daughter and grandchildren, and unsure what his next move should be, Raines said he would keep fighting to get his little girl back.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm not going to give up though."

[Lorie Taylor]

Drew Peterson's Fiancee Moves Out After Father Issues Ultimatum

Friday , January 30, 2009

FC1
ADVERTISEMENT

The fiancée of ex-cop Drew Peterson, who is suspected in the disappearance of his fourth wife and the death of his third, left him after her father gave her a "him or me" ultimatum.

Christina Raines, 24, packed up and moved out of Peterson's Chicago-area house Friday with her two children after her father, Ernie Raines, forced the issue, according to "Drew Peterson Exposed" author Derek Armstrong.

Click here for photos.

Ernie Raines, 53, came to Peterson's home in Bollingbrook, Ill., Friday morning with a news crew and the police and demanded that his waitress daughter leave, he told FOX News. He said he feared for Christina's life.

"I tried to tell my daughter that I don’t want to have to wake up and find out that you’re gone," Raines told FOX. "Believe me, I couldn't sleep nights."

Raines said he didn't like the way Peterson had begun to act toward Christina.

"He was starting to control her," he said. "He was trying to use my daughter as a doormat to try to watch his kids."

Raines said Peterson told him "F— you" when he arrived at his house with police to collect his daughter.

Christina Raines left Peterson's house Friday escorted by several police cars. The couple has broken up and Peterson, 54, blames her father and the press.

"This is what the media always does to me," Armstrong quoted Peterson as saying. "As soon as the story got out on Chrissy, I knew it would be a problem for us."

Peterson admitted that his appearance on ABC's Nightline Thursday didn't help the situation.

In the segment, Peterson told the reporter, "I'd be wary of me too" when asked about Christina Raines' family and said that "when the romance is gone" in his relationships, he tends to have flings and move on.

The comments sparked a fight between the couple, Armstrong said. Christina Raines returned the engagement ring and a cell phone.

Peterson's fourth wife, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson, disappeared in October 2007. The death in a bathtub of his third wife Kathleen Savio was ruled a homicide after initially being deemed accidental. Savio's body was exhumed and re-examined after Stacy Peterson vanished. A grand jury is still weighing evidence in both cases.

Drew and Stacy Peterson have two children, 6-year-old Anthony and 4-year-old Lacy.

They remain married, though Peterson met with high-profile Chicago attorney Jeffery M. Leving — a lawyer in the Elian Gonzalez case — earlier this year to see what his rights to a split might be.

Desertion for at least one year is grounds for divorce under Illinois law, though Peterson would have to show he wasn't at fault for causing his wife to leave, Leving said.

Ernie Raines said he's glad that his daughter, at least, is safe.

"This guy don't care about nobody," Ernie Raines told FOX. "I am not afraid of that man. That's why he don't like me."

[LorieT]

Peterson's ex Christina Raines on CBS's 'The Early Show'
Woman known as Drew Peterson's former fiancee tells "Early Show" co-anchor Julie Chen that the engagement was a stunt to keep his name in the news

DATE February 2, 2009
TIME 7:00-9:00 AM
NETWORK CBS
PROGRAM The Early Show

JULIE CHEN, co-host: Joining us are Christina and Ernie Raines, along with CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom.

Good morning to you all.

Christina, let me begin with you. Can you walk us through your relationship with Drew Peterson? When did you meet him and how did you meet him?

Ms. CHRISTINA RAINES (Former Fiance of Drew Peterson): I had met him at a bar, but before that I've known Drew Peterson every since I was like 15.

CHEN: So did you know his wife Stacy as well, then?

Ms. RAINES: Yes.

CHEN: OK, and how did this relationship with Drew get to the point where you were engaged to him?

Ms. RAINES: It started out as a friendship.

CHEN: I imagine it's very difficult.

Mr. ERNEST RAINES (Father of Drew Peterson's Ex-Fiance): I can--I can add a little bit to that. We moved to Bolingbrook when we were little. And Drew Peterson was a policeman, a sergeant at the time, and he helped me a lot, and I trusted him. And all of a sudden later on I got word that he was trying to date my daughter.

CHEN: That he was trying to date your daughter?

Mr. RAINES: Yeah.

CHEN: At what point, after Stacy had been reported missing?

Mr. RAINES: Yeah, after Stacy disappeared. And six months ago, I believe it was--my daughter works at a restaurant, and he was going in there and then going where she was hanging out at and just kept pursuing her.

CHEN: And how did you react to this?

Mr. RAINES: I wasn't happy. She knew how I was, how I felt about it. So what I--what I tried to do, I called the state police, they says that it's an ongoing investigation, there's nothing you can do. I called Bolingbrook, they sent a police car over to their house to do a track number, which is where I got the officer's name, badge number and report number. The next day another officer called me, fouled up on it and said, `I wish you luck, you know, but there's really nothing we can do.'

CHEN: Hm.

Christina, let me ask you this. OK, obviously your father wasn't happy finding out about you two dating. How would you describe Drew as a person? Was he kind to you?

Ms. RAINES: Yes, he was very kind to me.

CHEN: Was he ever violent towards you?

Ms. RAINES: No, not at all.

CHEN: How was he as a father to his children?

Ms. RAINES: He was a great father, and he was really good to my kids.

CHEN: Did you--did he ever talk to you about Stacy after she went missing?

Ms. RAINES: I don't feel comfortable answering that right now.

CHEN: You don't want to discuss it. What--you said you knew Stacy also. Do you think he had anything to do with her disappearing?

Ms. RAINES: I really don't feel comfortable answering that at all right now.

CHEN: Do you think he had anything to do with the mysterious death of his third wife?

Ms. RAINES: I don't want to answer any of those questions right now.

CHEN: What do you want the public to know about you or about Drew Peterson?

Ms. RAINES: Well, that I'm a good person and I have a good heart, and instead of following with my head I followed with my heart and...

CHEN: Do you love him?

Ms. RAINES: I don't love him.

CHEN: Did you love him?

Ms. RAINES: I thought I did.

CHEN: How did you become engaged to him? When did you become engaged to him?

Ms. RAINES: It was never an engagement, really.

CHEN: What was it, then?

Ms. RAINES: It was more like a stunt.

CHEN: A stunt?

Ms. RAINES: Yes.

CHEN: On whose part?

Ms. RAINES: On Drew, so could be in the media.

CHEN: Did you know it was a stunt when...

Ms. RAINES: Well, he had told me that his lawyer had wanted him to be in the media and wanted to propose to someone at a restaurant.

CHEN: And then what happened? So he said to you...

Ms. RAINES: Well...

CHEN: ...`We're friends, we're dating, you want to be a part of this stunt?' Is that how it went down?

Ms. RAINES: That's how it went down, but I would not go with it. I would not go along with it.

CHEN: What would you say to him?

Ms. RAINES: I told him no, and he had said, `Well, if it comes out that I'm engaged to someone, it's not really true.'

CHEN: So you were never engaged to him, is that what you're saying?

Ms. RAINES: No, I was never engaged to him.

CHEN: But he was putting it out there that he was engaged?

Ms. RAINES: That he was engaged.

CHEN: To you.

Ms. RAINES: He had--he had told me that he never said it was me. He never said that he was engaged to me.

CHEN: OK...

Ms. RAINES: But I have heard that, like, off camera he had told I think his producer or publicist that it was me.

CHEN: OK, let me ask you this. But you did live with him, correct?

Ms. RAINES: I did live with him.

CHEN: What was the breaking point? Why did you break up with him?

Ms. RAINES: All it was, was I moved in with him, and the reason why I left, I had went on a Monday to collect some of my items from my apartment...

CHEN: From your apartment that you shared with him, or your own apartment?

Ms. RAINES: My own apartment that I shared with my ex-boyfriend Mike.

CHEN: OK.

Ms. RAINES: And he had sat me down...

CHEN: Who sat you down?

Ms. RAINES: Mike.

CHEN: OK.

Ms. RAINES: And he was telling me, you know, `This is not right. He's not a good guy.' Just kind of opened up my eyes, and a lot of things made sense. And he guided me from Monday through Thursday, and Thursday's when Mike had asked me to move back in...

CHEN: With him.

Ms. RAINES: ...with him. Lisa, let me bring you in. From a legal standpoint, let's say--just say Drew Peterson does propose to someone, anyone.

Ms. LISA BLOOM (CBS News Legal Analyst): Mm-hmm.

CHEN: Can he even legally get married to a woman right now, because isn't he still considered married even though is last wife is nowhere to be found?

Ms. BLOOM: Yeah, you really put your finger on it. He can get engaged, but legally he cannot get married. He is still legally married to Stacy Peterson, who is missing, been missing for over a year. And her clothes are still in that house, right, Chrissy? I mean, they're still in the closets. She's still a presence in that house.

CHEN: In the final seconds, Lisa, what do you make of all this? If you were advising Drew Peterson, if you were his attorney, what would you say?

Ms. BLOOM: Well, I wouldn't be advising Drew Peterson. I think he's getting bad advice. And I've been very happy to be advising Ernest, and he--I want to give hats off to Ernest for being the dad in this situation, for staying close to his daughter.

CHEN: Yeah.

Ms. BLOOM: For being there for his daughter and for helping her to get out of this bad situation. It really is a success story. We don't see a lot of these.

CHEN: Lisa Bloom, Ernie, Christina, thank you for all coming on.

Mr. RAINES: I just want--I got one comment to make. Johnny Cash came out with a song that Kris Kristofferson wrote, but Johnny Cash sang it...

CHEN: And?

Mr. RAINES: ...and it was called "Beat The Devil." And that's what we did. We beat the devil.

CHEN: Ernie, we thank you. Thank you all.

Mr. RAINES: And I want to holler out to Phil, Dr. Phil. I want to thank him so much...

CHEN: All right. Thank...

Mr. RAINES: (To Bloom) And I want to thank her.

CHEN: Thank you.

Mr. RAINES: Because if it wasn't for them...

Ms. RAINES: Mike.

CHEN: Yeah.

Mr. RAINES: And Mike. Hats off.

CHEN: All right. We got to go. Ernie, thank you so much.

Mr. RAINES: You're welcome.

CHEN: Christina, we're glad that your dad is happy and that you feel that you're safe.

Mr. RAINES: Oh, I'm happy, I'm happy.