Drew Peterson Tried to hire a hit man

[Lorie Taylor]

CNN) -- Former police officer Drew Peterson tried to hire a hit man to kill his third wife, a prosecutor in Will County, Illinois, said at a hearing Friday.
Drew Peterson jokes with the media as he's escorted to court on May 8 in Will County, Illinois.

Drew Peterson jokes with the media as he's escorted to court on May 8 in Will County, Illinois.


State's Attorney James Glasgow said during a bail reduction hearing Friday that Peterson tried to solicit a hit man for $25,000 to kill Kathleen Savio, press secretary Charles Pelkie said.

The hearing concluded with 12th Circuit Judge Carla J. Alessio-Policandriotes denying Peterson's request to reduce his $20 million bail.

The former Bolingbrook, Illinois sergeant has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder for Savio's death in 2004.

The couple was going through an acrimonious divorce when Savio was found dead in her bathtub with a gash to the back of her head.

His attorney dismissed the allegation that Peterson sought a hit man to kill Savio, saying it was one of many claims to come out of the hearing that he would disprove.

"He said a lot of things he can't substantiate," attorney Joel Brodsky said after the hearing. "Each time he fails to prove them, we'll be there with a motion to reduce bond."

Peterson has also been named a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.
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Savio's death was originally deemed an accident, but after the Stacy Peterson case sparked new questions, Savio's body was exhumed. A grand jury indicted Peterson this month on a charge of first-degree murder in her death.

"So much of these 'new facts' have come to light in the last six months," Brodsky remarked. "People just seem to be having an amazing memory."

Members of Savio's family said they were not aware of the hitman allegations but were unsurprised by the news.

"After she first died, we were all convinced she was murdered," sister Susan Doman said. "I can't believe this day has come. ... It's a very bittersweet victory."
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Doman said that she knew Savio had a $1 million life insurance policy and that she had removed Peterson as beneficiary before her death.

"I knew he was the beneficiary at one point," she said. "I don't know if he knew she had changed it."

[Lorie Taylor]

May 22, 2009 6:23 pm US/Central
Prosecutors: Drew Peterson Tried To Hire Hitman
Peterson Allegedly Tried To Pay $25,000 To Have Kathleen Savio Killed
JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) ―


Former Bolingbrook, Ill., police sergeant Drew Peterson arrives at the Will County Courthouse Friday, May 8, 2009, for his arraignment on charges of first-degree murder in the 2004 death of his former wife Kathleen Savio.


Drew Peterson tried to hire someone to kill his third wife because he thought a pending divorce settlement would financially ruin him, just months before she was found drowned in her bathtub with a gash to the back of her head, prosecutors said Friday.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow says Peterson offered to pay someone $25,000 to kill Kathleen Savio. But prosecutors say ultimately, Peterson did it himself.

And just three weeks before Kathleen Savio was slain, Peterson, then a Bolingbrook cop, allegedly said to a fellow officer: "My life would be easier if she [Savio] was just dead," Glasgow alleged in court.

The information came out in a hearing in Will County Criminal Court on Friday, where Judge Carla J. Alessio-Policandriotes refused to reduce Peterson's $20 million bond.

A source tells CBS 2 that the new judge's husband is an investigator with the Will County Sheriff's office.

Peterson is known for making smart-aleck remarks in the media, but he was much more subdued in court Friday. Glasgow said Peterson finally understood the seriousness of his situation.

He "realizes there is no way out," Glasgow said.

Peterson hung his head as he left Friday's hearing, and got into a van to go back to jail.

Glasgow told the judge that Peterson was a flight risk because he knew how to disappear and knows he faces 20 to 60 years in jail if he's convicted.

Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky said he wanted the judge to reduce his client's bond to under $500,000, arguing that since police named Peterson a suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance in late 2007, he has traveled to such places as Mexico, California and Florida without ever trying to flee.

Brodsky said that he had heard talk about Peterson hiring someone to kill Savio, but said it was "nothing substantive." He added that they would investigate the prosecutor's allegations on the murder plot.

Brodsky talked with his client shortly after the accused murderer learned he wouldn't be getting out of jail today.

"He was, I think, a little bit taken aback," Brodsky said. "He felt, as a lot of people did, that the $20 million was exceptionally high."

The families of Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson were jubilant. Henry Savio believes the former police sergeant killed his sister Kathleen.

"The streets are safer, and we're ready for a bottle of champagne right now," Henry Savio said. "It's a small start."

"We have a long ways to go," said Kathleen's sister Sue Doman.

Cassandra Cales is the sister of Stacy Peterson.

"I'm going to sleep good tonight knowing that he's paying for what he's done," Cales said.

Glasgow said allowing Peterson to bail out would in essence allow him do so using Kathleen Savio's blood money.

"We're obviously very pleased with Judge Policandriotes' ruling today to keep the bond at $20 million," Glasgow said. "I believe it's appropriate in keeping with other bonds set in this county."

Glasgow said Savio was murdered by Peterson in a crime staged to look like an accident.

"These types of cases always cause people to come forward out of the woodwork to try to inject themselves into a high-profile situation," Brodsky said.

Sue Doman argued in vain five years ago that Peterson had killed her sister Kathleen. Today, she had this message for the sister she always called Kitty.

"I love you, Kitty," Doman said. "It took five years. I put a note in your coffin, you finally answered my prayers. I love you and I miss you. And we're gonna get him."

Peterson is charged with first-degree murder in the 2004 drowning of Kathleen Savio. Her death was initially ruled an accident but was reopened after Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, disappeared in 2007.

Peterson is also a suspect in Stacy's disappearance, but hasn't been charged with a crime in that case.

Savio's body was found by a friend of Peterson after the police sergeant called him to say he was worried because he had not talked to or seen Savio for a few days. The couple had recently divorced and a financial settlement was pending.

The friend, Steve Carcerano, has said he went to the house and went upstairs while Peterson waited downstairs. When he found Savio's body in the bathtub, he called to Peterson, who has said he then ran upstairs, took Savio's pulse, but found none.

Savio's death initially was ruled an accidental drowning, but authorities reopened the investigation after Stacy Peterson disappeared. They ruled Savio's death a homicide after exhuming her body and completing a new autopsy. Peterson was arrested May 7.

Peterson was 47 and married to Savio when he met his fourth wife -- then-17-year-old Stacy Cales -- at a hotel where she worked, and the two began having an affair. Savio and Peterson divorced in 2003 after Savio found out that Stacy was pregnant.

Later that year, Peterson and Stacy married and the couple had two children, a boy and a girl.

In August of 2007, Stacy Peterson told a pastor of her church that she was afraid of her husband, the pastor said. In a wrongful death lawsuit, her family says she also told the pastor that she knew her husband killed Savio.

Glasgow said Friday that Peterson is the only suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. He also said Savio's own statements would be used against him at trial.

State lawmakers last year passed legislation, sought by Glasgow, that allows a judge to admit hearsay evidence in first-degree murder cases if prosecutors can prove the defendant killed a witness to prevent them from testifying.

Possible evidence includes letters of protection in which Savio said Peterson would kill her to shut her up and her sister's testimony to a coroner's jury that Savio told her family it would be no accident if she died.

Peterson's attorneys have vowed to challenge the constitutionality of admitting such evidence, and said one of Peterson's sons with Savio has "provided a lock-tight alibi" for his father. In an appearance on CBS' "The Early Show" last month, 16-year-old Thomas Peterson appeared alongside his father and said Peterson was with his children when Savio was killed.

In court Friday, Brodsky asked the judge if she was considering recusing herself from the case because of her past involvements in Peterson's divorce case from Kathleen Savio. The judge chose to stay onboard.

The defense has nine more days to decide if they want to have her removed from the case.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli and the Associated Press and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

[Lorie Taylor]

CNN) — Former police officer Drew Peterson tried to hire a hitman to kill his third wife, a prosecutor in Will County, Illinois, said at a hearing Friday

State’s Attorney James Glasgow said during a bail reduction hearing Friday that Peterson tried to solicit a hitman for $25,000 to kill Kathleen Savio, press secretary Charles Pelkie said.

The hearing concluded with 12th Circuit Judge Carla J. Alessio-Policandriotes denying Peterson’s request to reduce his $20 million bail.

The former Bolingbrook, Illinois sergeant has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder for Savio’s death in 2004.

The couple was going through an acrimonious divorce when Savio was found dead in her bathtub with a gash to the back of her head.

His attorney dismissed the allegation that Peterson sought a hitman to kill Savio, saying it was one of many claims to come out of the hearing that he would disprove.

“He said a lot of things he can’t substantiate,” attorney Joel Brodsky said after the hearing. “Each time he fails to prove them, we’ll be there with a motion to reduce bond.”

Peterson has also been named a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson

Savio’s death was originally deemed an accident, but after the Stacy Peterson case sparked new questions, Savio’s body was exhumed. A grand jury indicted Peterson this month on a charge of first-degree murder in her death.

“So much of these ‘new facts’ have come to light in the last six months,” Brodsky remarked. “People just seem to be having an amazing memory.”

Members of Savio’s family said they were not aware of the hitman allegations but were unsurprised by the news.

“After she first died, we were all convinced she was murdered,” sister Susan Doman said. “I can’t believe this day has come. … It’s a very bittersweet victory.”

Doman said that she knew Savio had a $1 million life insurance policy and that she had removed Peterson as beneficiary before her death.

“I knew he was the beneficiary at one point,” she said. “I don’t know if he knew she had changed it.”Article Source

[Lorie Taylor]

[Lorie Taylor]

Prosecutors: Drew Peterson Offered Hitman $25G to Kill Third Wife, Then Did It Himself

Saturday , May 23, 2009

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The $20 million bond keeping Drew Peterson behind bars on murder charges won't be lowered, a judge ruled Friday, after prosecutors argued the ex-police sergeant offered someone $25,000 to kill his third wife — but then did it himself.

Peterson also told a fellow officer just a few weeks before his wife Kathleen Savio was found in a bathtub that his life would be easier "if she was just dead," prosecutors said.

The former Bolingbrook, Ill., policeman is charged with murdering Savio and staging the death to look like an accidental drowning.

Prosecutors contend that Peterson was worried that their forthcoming divorce would leave him penniless.

Peterson and his defense team were back in court in Joliet, Ill., to fight for a reduction in the hefty bond so that he could get out of jail while he awaits trial. That request was denied.

Click here for photos.

Savio's body was found in a bathtub in 2004. Her death was initially ruled an accident, but a later autopsy on her exhumed remains declared she was the victim of a homicide. Peterson is charged with first-degree murder.

He also is a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Click here to read the charges against Peterson.

He has long maintained his innocence in both cases.

Prosecutor James Glasgow said Peterson told a fellow police officer that he would be financially ruined by a pending divorce, and life would be easier if his wife were dead.

Three weeks later, Savio was discovered dead with a gash on the back of her head, the Will County prosecutor said. Glasgow did not reveal the source of his allegation.

Peterson was arrested May 7.

Glasgow said Peterson was a flight risk because he knows how to disappear and knows he faces 20 to 60 years in jail if he's convicted.

But attorney Joel Brodsky said Peterson has not fled during trips to Mexico, California and Florida since police named him a suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Peterson's attorneys said they planned to appeal the judge's refusal to lower his bail to under $1 million.

Savio's family — who long said they believed Peterson killed her — were shocked at the attempted hit allegations.

"Finally someone's listening to us," said Sue Doman, Savio's sister. "This is a victory for our sister, Kathleen."

Peterson, who is known for making smart-aleck remarks in the media, was subdued in court Friday. He hung his head as he left the hearing.

Prosecutors in the murder case against Peterson got their wish Thursday when a new judge was appointed to preside over his trial.

[Lorie Taylor]

Prosecutors: Drew Peterson wanted wife dead
By DON BABWIN - The Associated Press
Drew Peterson leaves the Will County Courthouse after a court appearance. (AP photo)
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JOLIET — Worried he would be left penniless by his divorce, ex-cop Drew Peterson tried to pay someone $25,000 to kill his third wife before drowning her himself a few months later, prosecutors said Friday as they disclosed some of their evidence for the first time.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow made the allegation at a hearing over Peterson's $20 million bond. Glasgow said he revealed the new details to emphasize why he believes Peterson wanted Kathleen Savio dead, how dangerous he remains and why he might disappear if released.

Judge Carla J. Alessio-Policandriotes refused to reduce the bond for Peterson, who is charged with first-degree murder in Savio's 2004 death.

He also is suspected in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. He has maintained his innocence in Savio's death and Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Glasgow said that Peterson tried to hire someone in late 2003 to kill Savio, and told a fellow police officer that his life would be easier "if she was just dead." The source of the allegations wasn't immediately clear. Three weeks after the alleged conversation with the officer, Savio was found drowned in her bathtub with a gash to the back of her head.

Peterson, known for making smart-aleck remarks to reporters, was subdued in court Friday, andhung his head as he got into a van to go back to jail. Glasgow said Peterson finally understood the seriousness of his situation.

He "realizes there is no way out," Glasgow said.

Glasgow told the judge that Peterson was a flight risk because he knew how to disappear and faces 20 to 60 years in jail if he's convicted.

Peterson's attorneys said they plan to appeal the judge's refusal to lower his bond; they had asked her to reduce it to less than $1 million, arguing that since police named Peterson a suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance in late 2007, he has traveled to such places as Mexico, California and Florida without ever trying to flee.

Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky said he'd heard talk about Peterson trying to hire someone to kill Savio, but it was "nothing substantive." He added that they would investigate the prosecutor's allegations.

Savio's family — who long said they believed Peterson killed her — said Friday's allegations about an attempted hit were a shock. But they were relieved that Peterson would remain in prison.

"Finally someone's listening to us," said Sue Doman, Savio's sister. "This is a victory for our sister, Kathleen."

Pamela Bosco, a friend of Stacy Peterson who has acted as a spokeswoman for her family, agreed.

"What comes to mind is for so many years nobody heard the cries, the pleas from Kathleen," Bosco said. "They were too slow to react to Stacy. I think today the court's listening to them."

Savio's body was found by a friend of Peterson after the police sergeant called him to say he was worried because he had not talked to or seen Savio for a few days. The couple had recently divorced and a financial settlement was pending.

The friend, Steve Carcerano, has said he went to the house and went upstairs while Peterson waited downstairs. When he found Savio's body in the bathtub, he called to Peterson, who has said he then ran upstairs, took Savio's pulse, but found none.

Savio's death initially was ruled an accidental drowning, but authorities reopened the investigation after Stacy Peterson disappeared. They ruled Savio's death a homicide after exhuming her body and completing a new autopsy. Peterson was arrested May 7.

Peterson was 47 and married to Savio when he met his fourth wife — then-17-year-old Stacy Cales — at a hotel where she worked, and the two began having an affair. Savio and Peterson divorced in 2003 after Savio found out that Stacy was pregnant.

Later that year, Peterson and Stacy married and the couple had two children, a boy and a girl.

In August of 2007, Stacy Peterson told a pastor of her church that she was afraid of her husband, the pastor said. In a wrongful death lawsuit, her family says she also told the pastor that she knew her husband killed Savio.

Glasgow said Friday that Peterson is the only suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. He also said Savio's own statements would be used against him at trial.

State lawmakers last year passed legislation — sought by Glasgow — that allows a judge to admit hearsay evidence in first-degree murder cases if prosecutors can prove the defendant killed a witness to prevent them from testifying.

Possible evidence includes letters of protection in which Savio said Peterson would kill her to shut her up and her sister's testimony to a coroner's jury that Savio told her family it would be no accident if she died.

Peterson's attorneys have vowed to challenge the constitutionality of admitting such evidence, and said one of Peterson's sons with Savio has "provided a lock-tight alibi" for his father. In an appearance on CBS' "The Early Show" last month, 16-year-old Thomas Peterson appeared alongside his father and said Peterson was with his children when Savio was killed.