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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:49:57 GMT -6
Drew Peterson Attorney Not Just a Pretty FaceAs a hearing on hearsay testimony gets underway, Reem Odeh prepares for vital role on Peterson’s defense team. (PRNewsChannel) / January 19, 2010 / Bolingbrook, Ill. / As a pivotal hearing on hearsay testimony gets underway today, it will again be Drew Peterson’s lead defense attorney Joel Brodsky who will get most of the face time. But it’s his partner, a model-turned-attorney, who may the secret weapon that could land an acquittal for the former Bolingbrook police sergeant. Reem Odeh wants the public to know that beyond her stunning good looks is a hard-nosed attorney who is a detail-oriented and who brings keen analytical skills to Team Peterson. “You don’t need to be front and center to know you’re playing a vital role in a huge criminal case,” says Odeh. “Drew knows what I’m doing. The legal team knows my contribution. Yet most of the public following the case probably have no idea who I am.” She hardly ever talks to the media. And though present, she rarely addresses the court. Though Odeh has largely taken a behind-the-scenes role, to be fair she did argue for a change a venue in the case. Odeh is a single mother of three children who became a “corner office” partner in a Chicago law firm before she turned 30. Brodsky, who has received the bulk of the press interviews, says he relies on his partner to review the tremendous amount of documents, transcripts, statements and investigative reports and to analyze and develop a legal strategy. “Reem has developed and implemented an incredibly powerful process that has allowed us to find and organize the evidence which will prove Drew’s innocence,” says Brodsky. “Her organizational and analytical skills are prodigious.” She gets equal accolades from co-counsel Andrew Abood. “She is an essential part of the team, and without her we would not be able to expose all the problems with the State’s case,” said Abood. During trial, she will conduct the direct examination of one of Peterson’s teenage children who will testify in his father’s defense. “The jury needs to hear what his children say about him,” says Odeh. “It’s very telling and extremely moving and says a lot about him as a man. Drew Peterson and his legal team are represented by the PR firm The Publicity Agency. www.prnewschannel.com/absolutenm/templates/?z=0&a=2126
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:50:59 GMT -6
By DON BABWIN The Associated Press Tuesday, January 19, 2010; 7:53 AM JOLIET, Ill. — Six years after she mysteriously drowned in a bathtub, Kathleen Savio is finally getting her day in court.
Savio essentially will testify from the grave Tuesday, with witnesses expected to tell a judge in Illinois how Savio discussed and wrote about her fears that her husband, former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson, would kill her.The hearing is expected to provide the first detailed look at evidence prosecutors contend ties Peterson to Savio’s death. It stems from a state law that allows a judge to admit hearsay evidence – testimony from witnesses who recount what they heard from others – in first-degree murder cases if prosecutors can prove a defendant killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. The Illinois Legislature passed the law after authorities named Peterson a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, then exhumed the body of Savio, his third wife, and reopened the investigation into her 2004 death. Though the bill’s sponsors were careful never to link the law publicly to Peterson, it has been referred to as “Drew’s Law,” and his attorneys have long suggested it was passed to put Peterson behind bars. During the hearing, which is expected to last three weeks, prosecutors will present to Will County Judge Stephen White about 60 witnesses to testify about 15 hearsay statements. White will then decide if the jury can hear any or all of those statements when Peterson stands trial. Peterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Savio, whose body was found in a dry tub. A trial date hasn’t been set. While neither side has talked much about the evidence in the case, from the day Peterson was arrested, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has made it clear that allowing Savio to tell jurors why Peterson wanted her dead is crucial to his case.
“In essence, what you’re basically allowing the victim of a violent crime to do is testify from the grave,” Glasgow, who pushed for passage of the bill, told reporters in May shortly after Peterson was arrested.The list of witnesses remains under seal, but Savio’s niece, Melissa Doman, said her mother, Anna Doman, is among those who have been called to testify. “It would be about things my Aunt Kitty (Savio) told my mom about how she was afraid for her life, she said she was afraid of Drew,” Melissa Doman said, adding that she has not been called to testify.Also expected to testify are other members of Savio’s family, including her sister, Susan Savio. It was Susan Savio who told a coroner’s jury shortly after her sister’s death that Kathleen Savio had told family members that, “if she would die, it may look like an accident, but it wasn’t.”The death initially was ruled an accidental drowning – until Stacy Peterson’s disappearance led officials to exhume Savio’s body, conduct another autopsy and conclude Savio was the victim of a homicide. Drew Peterson has not been charged in Stacy Peterson’s disappearance. Other possible witnesses who could be asked to testify about the stormy relationship between Drew Peterson and Savio are his former colleagues. Eighteen times in two years, police were called to the couple’s Bolingbrook home to respond to reports of trouble between the two, with Savio telling officers that her husband had beaten her and threatened to kill her. Peterson was never charged. Savio was charged with domestic battery and later was acquitted. There also are court documents that prosecutors are expected to present into evidence, including a 2002 order of protection in which Savio alleges that Peterson knocked her down, ripped off her necklace and left marks on her body.
“He wants me dead, and if he has to, he will burn the house down just to shut me up,” she wrote.Among the more intriguing possible witnesses are members of the clergy at a Bolingbrook church attended by Stacy Peterson. In the days after her disappearance, there were media reports that she had told a clergyman a couple months earlier that Drew Peterson had confessed to her that he killed Savio and made it look like an accident.Peterson’s attorneys have made it clear that they will attack the credibility of at least some of the witnesses. “All it is, is rumor, innuendo and gossip,” defense attorney Joel Brodsky said after a recent hearing concerning information contained in the 15 statements. “People had ulterior motives for saying what they said or are out-and-out unreliable people.” The defense is not expected to call any witnesses of its own during the hearing. “People should not think this is going to be the trial,” Brodsky said. He said the hearing will help Peterson. “We think that even in this questioning, a lot of beliefs that people have about what was said and who said them are going to be burst, dashed,” he said. (This version CORRECTS that Drew Peterson and Savio were still married at the time of her death.) www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011900330.html |
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:51:40 GMT -6
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:52:14 GMT -6
POSTED BY NOWAY406 ON JUSTICE CAFE January 19, 2010 at 12:17 pm | #45 Quote
I watched video that said a Starbuck’s employee testified about receipts that may show Drew is connected to Stacy’s disappearance.
If I heard right. Will watch again in other room. abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7226389 |
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:52:44 GMT -6
POSTED BY RESCUEAPET ON JUSTICE CAFE petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/first-peterson-hearsay-minitrial-takes-place-today/#commentsJanuary 19, 2010 at 12:33 pm | #51 Quote Jason Knowles January 19, 2010 (JOLIET, Ill.) (WLS) — A court hearing begins today that could have a major impact in the Drew Peterson murder trial. The former Bolingbrook Police sergeant is accused of killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004. Tuesday, hearsay evidence takes center stage at the Will County Court House in Joliet. The hearing started just before 10 a.m. Drew Peterson walked in looking confident but he was casual. He looked over to the media and gave a smirk. When asked how he was doing, he said he was doing fine, but then he wouldn’t say anything else after that. Peterson’s attorneys also walked in Tuesday morning, with an official motion to ban hearsay testimony, which Will County Judge Stephen White will hear today. Peterson was wearing a red-burgundy Polo shirt, khakis and glasses. The law that is being debated that allows hearsay testimony is known at “Drew’s Law.” The prosecutors want the judge to allow seven witnesses who will testify today and others to also be able to testify in Peterson’s actual trial. Prosecutors hope that the hearsay testimony can prove charges that Peterson murdered his third wife, Savio. Savio’s family and friends supposedly say that Peterson wanted to kill Savio and she also wrote a letter to prosecutors saying the same thing. Peterson is also suspected but not charged in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Today, a witness from Starbucks testified about Starbucks receipts that may link Peterson to the 2007 of disappearance. Prosecutors say other witnesses claim Drew wanted Stacy to disappear because she was going to talk about Savio’s death. “The question is whether some evidence that a jury may not even think is worth very much, that they may not give any weight to, may or may not be admissible in the actual trial,” said Joel Brodsky, Peterson defense attorney. “And while we’re gonna get a good look at what the state’s case is, you’re not gonna see all of the defense’s case, because we don’t have to, and I don’t want to show them all our hand, but they have to show me a good deal of theirs.” Peterson’s legal team says that they wanted the media to be shut out of this hearing, but they are also saying the hearsay law is unconstitutional and is all based on rumors. The bottom line is, it will all be up to a judge to decide if a jury can eventually hear the hearsay. abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7226389 |
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:53:09 GMT -6
POSTED BY RESCUEAPET JUSTICE CAFE
January 19, 2010 at 12:46 pm | #52
Quote
Joehosey
Four witnesses this morning. Kathleen Savio’s former
co-worker and boss recount stories of abuse and stalking.
2 minutes ago from txt
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:53:40 GMT -6
liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/01/19/drew-peterson-back-in-court/?test=latestnews
Drew Peterson Back In Court
January 19, 2010 – 2:19 PM | by: Marla Cichowski
Joliet, IL Drew Peterson is back in Will County Court today, for a hearing that will determine what hearsay testimony will be allowed at his trial. Peterson is charged with first degree murder for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, who died in 2004. The pretrial hearing is expected to last up to three weeks. The Will County State’s Attorney plans to call at least 60 witnesses to testify. Many will talk about conversations they had with Kathleen Savio about Drew Peterson. Court broke for lunch recess. Court resumes at 130pm CT.PM Update: No Savio family members in court so far this morning. Kathleen Savio’s name was brought up for the first time by the state’s third witness – Issam Karam- he is fmr coworker of Savio @ Parkway Imaging in fall of 2003-jan 2004. Karam said he was friends with Savio. During a mtg at her office at work Savio told Karam about what happened at her house the night before Karam testified Savio told him She Came home, she had a glass of wine and suddenly “drew peterson tackled her from the side, he had a knife, he threw her down and pinned her, grabbed her throat and said he’d kill her right there and then but he didn’t because it would be too bloody”. Karam went on to testify that Peterson told Savio “nothing she could do would make her safe”
Peterson said “he could kill her and it would be for blood”
Karam saw the bruises on Savio’s arm – when she was telling Karam about the attack by Peterson He never came fwd to police with this info about Savio’s death bc it was ruled accidental drowning After Stacy Peterson disapperared, Karam wrote a letter about his conversation with Savio and planned to mail it to a tv station or newspaper, he was eventually contacted by IL state police Savio’s fmr boss, Lisa Mordente, (LM) testified that Drew peterson sat outside Savios office workplace on several occassions in his squad car and in an unmarked car
Savio said he was trying to intimidate her .
She said Savio often came to work looking very upset . Hallowed eyes and looking distressed.
LM said after savio encountered peterson outside her office one day, she came back inside and “She was a mess, hands were shaking , tears, she was crying and her hands were trembling “, savio refered to the man in the parking lot as her “ex ” and they were ” fighting over money” Savios coworker, Issam Karam, also testified that Savio told him she was “scared and afriad” of Peterson. He said Savio went to Bolingbrook PD for help and police told her she was “exaggerating” and Drew “would not harm her” When asked why the coworker an her fmr boss never reported anything to the local police after savios death, savios fmr boss said “Because it wouldn’t have helped. Because Kathleen said it won’t help.” (ie; the police would cover up for drew)
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:53:56 GMT -6
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:54:41 GMT -6
Witness: Former Ill. cop threatened to kill wifeJOLIET, Ill. - Former police officer Drew Peterson threw his wife to the floor one night, grabbed her throat and told her he "could kill her there and then," a one-time co-worker of the wife testified Tuesday at a hearing to determine what evidence can be admitted in Peterson's murder trial. Kathleen Savio, Drew Peterson's third wife, who mysteriously drowned in a bathtub six years ago, essentially is testifying from the grave during the hearing. Witnesses are expected to tell a judge how Savio discussed and wrote about her fears that Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, would kill her. The hearing, projected to last three weeks, is expected to provide the first detailed look at evidence prosecutors contend ties Peterson to Savio's 2004 death. It stems from a state law that allows a judge to admit hearsay evidence in first-degree murder cases if prosecutors can prove a defendant killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. Issam Karam, who said he worked with Savio at Parkway Imaging in Romeoville in late 2003, testified that Savio told him she had come home one night looking forward to a bath and glass of wine when Peterson threw her to the floor. Savio said the incident occurred after she had changed the locks to the home.Karam said Peterson grabbed Savio's throat and had a knife. Savio showed him a bruise on her arm, Karam said."(Peterson) said nothing that she could do would make her safe," Karam said. "She could not run or hide. He could kill her there and then."
Another witness, Savio's boss, testified that a number of times a Bolingbrook squad car was parked in front of her Romeoville business while Savio was inside. Lisa Mordente said that on one occasion, Savio was returning from lunch and approached another vehicle parked outside and spoke to a man inside.
"She was very shaken up when she came back in, her hand was shaking, she had tears, she was a mess," Mordente said.
Mordente also testified that Savio told her it was Peterson outside and they were fighting over money. Mordente's testimony highlighted what is sure to be a key part of the trial - the fact that Peterson was a police officer. His attorneys have raised questions about why witnesses didn't notify police if they believed Savio feared Peterson.
Mordente said she didn't call police when she learned Savio died "because it wouldn't have helped.""Kathleen had stated on several occasions she had called police," Mordente said.During the hearing, prosecutors will present to Will County Judge Stephen White about 60 witnesses to testify about 15 hearsay statements. White will then decide if the jury can hear any or all of those statements when Peterson stands trial. Peterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Savio, whose body was found in a dry tub. A trial date hasn't been set. The Illinois Legislature passed the hearsay law after authorities named Peterson a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, then exhumed the body of Savio and reopened the investigation into her death. While neither side has talked much about the evidence in the case, from the day Peterson was arrested, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow has made it clear that allowing Savio to tell jurors why Peterson wanted her dead is crucial to his case. "In essence, what you're basically allowing the victim of a violent crime to do is testify from the grave," Glasgow, who pushed for passage of the bill, told reporters in May shortly after Peterson was arrested. The list of witnesses remains under seal, but Savio's niece, Melissa Doman, said her mother, Anna Doman, is among those who have been called to testify. "It would be about things my Aunt Kitty (Savio) told my mom about how she was afraid for her life, she said she was afraid of Drew," Melissa Doman said, adding that she has not been called to testify.
Also expected to testify are other members of Savio's family, including her sister, Susan Savio. It was Susan Savio who told a coroner's jury shortly after her sister's death that Kathleen Savio had told family members that, "if she would die, it may look like an accident, but it wasn't."
The death initially was ruled an accidental drowning - until Stacy Peterson's disappearance led officials to exhume Savio's body, conduct another autopsy and conclude Savio was the victim of a homicide. Drew Peterson has not been charged in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. Other possible witnesses who could be asked to testify about the stormy relationship between Drew Peterson and Savio are his former colleagues. Eighteen times in two years, police were called to the couple's Bolingbrook home to respond to reports of trouble between the two, with Savio telling officers that her husband had beaten her and threatened to kill her. Peterson was never charged. Savio was charged with domestic battery and later was acquitted. There also are court documents that prosecutors are expected to present into evidence, including a 2002 order of protection in which Savio alleges that Peterson knocked her down, ripped off her necklace and left marks on her body. "He wants me dead, and if he has to, he will burn the house down just to shut me up," she wrote. Among the more intriguing possible witnesses are members of the clergy at a Bolingbrook church attended by Stacy Peterson. In the days after her disappearance, there were media reports that she had told a clergyman a couple months earlier that Drew Peterson had confessed to her that he killed Savio and made it look like an accident. Peterson's attorneys have made it clear that they will attack the credibility of at least some of the witnesses. "All it is, is rumor, innuendo and gossip," defense attorney Joel Brodsky said after a recent hearing concerning information contained in the 15 statements. "People had ulterior motives for saying what they said or are out-and-out unreliable people." The defense is not expected to call any witnesses of its own during the hearing. www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/peterson/1999159,Peterson-hearsay-witness-JO011910.article#
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:55:05 GMT -6
Witness: Peterson threatened to kill Savio
Comments
January 19, 2010
By JOE HOSEY jhosey@scn1.com
JOLIET- Stacy Peterson's uncle, Kyle Toutges, testified to today in a Will County court that Drew Peterson admitted to him that the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, was suspicious but said, "let them prove it."
Toutes also accused Peterson of murdering his niece. who has been missing since October 2007.
Pamela Bosco, sister of Stacy Peterson, leaves the Will County Courthouse during a lunch break in the Drew Peterson hearsay hearing which began Tuesday in Joliet.
Earlier in the day at the hearsay evidence hearing, one of Savio's former coworkers dropped explosive testimony about Savio's then estranged husband , saying Peterson allegedly attacked her with a knife in her own home.
Issam Karam testified that Savio told him she came home one night in late 2003 and "Drew Peterson tackled her from the side."
Peterson pinned Savio down on the stairs and held a knife to her throat, Karan said, then told her "nothing she could do or say would make her safe," telling her she could not hide.
Karam also said Savio told him, "he could kill her right there but it would be too bloody."
Savio's former boss, Lisa Mordente, testified that she witnessed Peterson stalking and intimidating Savio.
"She was crying and shaking, her hands were trembling," Mordente said.
Two employees from the Starbucks loss prevention department where Savio worked also took the stand. The employees verified the purchase of a cup of coffee by an unidentified customer.
Mordente says Savio told her it was Peterson outside and they were fighting over money.
Mordente's testimony highlighted what is sure to be a key part of the trial — the fact that Peterson was a police officer. His attorneys have raised questions about why witnesses didn't notify police if they believed Savio feared Peterson.
Mordente said she didn't call police when she learned Savio died "because it wouldn't have helped."
"Kathleen had stated on several occasions she had called police," Mordente said.
Peterson, a former Bolingbrook cop, is up on a murder charge in connection with the March 2004 apparent bathtub drowning of Savio, his third wife.
While Drew Peterson is not charged with Stacy's disappearance, during this week's historic hearing prosecutors are expected to prove he killed Stacy in order to make her unavailable to testify, opening the door for others to recount what Peterson supposedly told Stacy about Savio's death.
During the hearing, prosecutors will present to Will County Judge Stephen White about 60 witnesses to testify about 15 hearsay statements. White will then decide if the jury can hear any or all of those statements when Peterson stands trial. Peterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Savio, whose body was found in a dry tub. A trial date hasn't been set.
The Illinois Legislature passed the hearsay law after authorities named Peterson a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, then exhumed the body of Savio and reopened the investigation into her death.
While neither side has talked much about the evidence in the case, from the day Peterson was arrested, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow has made it clear that allowing Savio to tell jurors why Peterson wanted her dead is crucial to his case.
"In essence, what you're basically allowing the victim of a violent crime to do is testify from the grave," Glasgow, who pushed for passage of the bill, told reporters in May shortly after Peterson was arrested.
The list of witnesses remains under seal, but Savio's niece, Melissa Doman, said her mother, Anna Doman, is among those who have been called to testify.
Also expected to testify are other members of Savio's family, including her sister, Susan Savio. It was Susan Savio who told a coroner's jury shortly after her sister's death that Kathleen Savio had told family members that, "if she would die, it may look like an accident, but it wasn't."
The death initially was ruled an accidental drowning — until Stacy Peterson's disappearance led officials to exhume Savio's body.
The defense is not expected to call any witnesses of its own during the hearing.
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:55:30 GMT -6
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:56:06 GMT -6
www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/01/19/general-us-drew-peterson_7285993.htmlAssociated Press
Witness: Former Ill. cop threatened to kill wife
By DON BABWIN , 01.19.10, 06:04 PM EST
JOLIET, Ill. -- Former police officer Drew Peterson threw his ex-wife to the floor one night, grabbed her throat and told her he "could kill her there and then," a one-time co-worker of the woman testified Tuesday at a hearing to determine what evidence can be admitted in Peterson's murder trial. Kathleen Savio, who mysteriously drowned in a bathtub six years ago, essentially is testifying from the grave during the hearing. Witnesses are telling a judge how Savio discussed fears that Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, would kill her. Prosecutors, meanwhile, are offering the first detailed look at evidence they contend ties Peterson to Savio's 2004 death. Article Controls The hearing stems from a state law that allows a judge to admit hearsay evidence in first-degree murder cases if prosecutors can prove a defendant killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. The law was passed after authorities named Peterson a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, then exhumed Savio's body and reopened the investigation into her death. Issam Karam, who said he worked with Savio at Parkway Imaging and Graphics in Romeoville in late 2003, testified Savio told him she had come home one night looking forward to a bath and glass of wine when Peterson threw her to the floor. Savio said the incident occurred after she had changed the locks to the home. Karam said Peterson grabbed Savio's throat and had a knife. Savio showed him a bruise on her arm, Karam said. "(Peterson) said nothing that she could do would make her safe," Karam said. "She could not run or hide. He could kill her there and then." Another witness, Savio's boss, testified that a number of times a Bolingbrook squad car was parked in front of her Romeoville business while Savio was inside. Lisa Mordente said that on one occasion, Savio was returning from lunch and approached another vehicle parked outside and spoke to a man inside. Mordente testified that Savio told her it was Peterson outside and they were fighting over money. "She was very shaken up when she came back in, her hand was shaking, she had tears, she was a mess," Mordente said. Mordente's testimony highlighted what is sure to be a key part of the trial - the fact that Peterson was a police officer. His attorneys have raised questions about why witnesses didn't notify police if they believed Savio feared Peterson. Mordente said she didn't call police when she learned Savio died "because it wouldn't have helped." "Kathleen had stated on several occasions she had called police," Mordente said. During the hearing, prosecutors will present to Will County Judge Stephen White about 60 witnesses to testify about 15 hearsay statements. White will then decide if a jury can hear any or all of those statements when Peterson stands trial. Peterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Savio, whose body was found in a dry tub. A trial date hasn't been set. While neither side has talked much about the evidence in the case, from the day Peterson was arrested, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow has made it clear that allowing Savio to tell jurors why Peterson wanted her dead is crucial to his case. "In essence, what you're basically allowing the victim of a violent crime to do is testify from the grave," Glasgow, who pushed for passage of the bill, told reporters in May shortly after Peterson was arrested. The death initially was ruled an accidental drowning - until Stacy Peterson's disappearance led officials to exhume Savio's body, conduct another autopsy and conclude Savio was the victim of a homicide. Drew Peterson has not been charged in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. Stacy Peterson's uncle, Kyle Toutges, testified Tuesday that shortly after Savio's death some of Drew Peterson's friends were teasing him at a party, saying it looked suspicious that Savio died as the two were amid property settlements. "(Peterson) said 'Let them prove it,'" Toutges said. The list of witnesses remains under seal, but members of Savio's family also are expected to testify. Peterson's attorneys have made clear they will attack the credibility of at least some of the witnesses. "All it is, is rumor, innuendo and gossip," defense attorney Joel Brodsky said after a recent hearing concerning information contained in the 15 statements. "People had ulterior motives for saying what they said or are out-and-out unreliable people." The defense is not expected to call any witnesses of its own during the hearing.
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 18:56:29 GMT -6
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 19, 2010 21:04:28 GMT -6
Ex-Savio co-workers tell of Drew Peterson threats
Ex-Bolingbrook police sergeant somberly listens to testimony in hearsay hearing
By Stacy St. Clair, Steve Schmadeke and Erika Slife, Tribune reporters January 19, 2010 Looking and acting nothing like the courthouse jester who cracked jokes at his arraignment eight months ago, a somber Drew Peterson listened Tuesday as prosecutors called witnesses intended to help his ex-wife testify from the grave. The day’s most chilling testimony came from two former co-workers who recounted statements Kathleen Savio allegedly made about Peterson’s sadistic behavior months before her March 2004 death. One colleague said Savio, with a bruised arm, detailed a home invasion in which Peterson held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her right there, but it “would be too bloody.” Another told the judge that Peterson stalked Savio at the office, sitting in the parking lot for hours and waiting for her to leave.Neither called the police to share their concerns before — or immediately after — Savio’s death because they said she told them that the Bolingbrook Police Department protected Peterson, a decorated sergeant with three decades on the job.“Kathleen said it wouldn’t help,” said Lisa Mordente, owner of the Romeoville sign company where Savio was a saleswoman.Peterson, 56, gave no visible reaction to the testimony, though he often jotted notes on a yellow legal pad and conferred with attorneys. Wearing an ill-fitting red polo shirt, khaki pants and glasses, he occasionally looked into the gallery and gave small smirks to reporters. He has gained about 20 pounds in segregation at the Will County Jail, his attorneys said. Peterson has been in custody since he was charged in May with Savio’s murder. She had drowned and was found in an empty bathtub in her Bolingbrook home March 1, 2004. Officials initially ruled her death an accident, but after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy, disappeared in October 2007, authorities reopened Savio’s case and determined she had been killed. He has not been charged in Stacy Peterson’s disappearance. At his arraignment in May, Peterson joked and hammed it up for the news media. On Tuesday, a grayer and more subdued Peterson sat at the defense table with his back to his gallery for the majority of the proceeding. He largely ignored the media and spectators, offering only a quick laugh to one reporter’s observation that his shirt barely covered his abdomen. His attorney Joel Brodsky, however, continued his irreverent approach to the murder case as he handed out pens with his name emblazoned on them to some media members. “If anybody else is good to me, then they get a pen,” he said as he dangled a large bag of Brodsky ballpoints before the courtroom gallery. None of Peterson’s family or friends attended the hearing, the first day of testimony in a monthlong proceeding to determine whether hearsay statements should be allowed into evidence if the case goes to trial. Prosecutors are expected to call about 60 witnesses to testify regarding 15 separate statements allegedly made by Savio and Stacy Peterson. Prosecutors have built their case around those statements, which they say give Savio a voice from the grave. The hearing is being held under a new Illinois statute, referred to as Drew’s Law, that allows certain types of hearsay at trial. “And while we’re going to get a good look at what the state’s case is, you’re not going to see all of the defense’s case because we don’t have to,” Brodsky said on his way into the courthouse. “I don’t want to show them all our hand, but they have to show me a good deal of theirs.” Peterson’s defense team has a standing objection to the hearsay evidence and is expected to appeal if Will County Judge Steven White deems any of it admissible. They also plan to question the credibility and motivation of the witnesses called by the state. On Tuesday, nine people testified on the prosecution’s behalf. Among the statements in question is the testimony from Issam Karam, who worked with Savio at the Romeoville sign company in late 2003. He told the court that during a visit to her office, she told him that Peterson recently had broken into her home, tackled her on the stairs and held a knife to her throat as he threatened to kill her.“He told her that nothing she could do would make her safe. She could not run or hide,” Karam said. “He said he could kill her right there and then, but he wouldn’t because it would be too bloody.”Karam testified that Savio showed him a bruise on her arm and told him it came from the attack. As she recounted the incident, she cried, he said.“She truly felt her life was in danger,” Karam said.The defense tried to paint Karam as an attention seeker who came forward only after Stacy Peterson’s disappearance made national headlines. Karam said he didn’t go to the police immediately after Savio’s death because he assumed other people knew about the incident and because her death was later ruled an accident. He planned to write an anonymous letter about Savio’s allegations to the media after Stacy Peterson’s disappearance in 2007, Karam said, but Illinois State Police contacted him before he mailed the note. “I felt as a human being that I needed to tell people what Kathleen told me,” he said.
Mordente, Savio’s former boss, testified that a man stalked Savio at the office in late 2003. A white male would sit outside the building in a car — at least once in a Bolingbrook squad car, other times an unmarked vehicle — and wait for Savio to leave.On one occasion, Savio approached the car and spoke with the man in the driver’s seat. When she returned to the office, she tearfully told her boss that the man was her ex-husband, Mordente testified.
“Her hands were shaking,” she said. “She was a mess.”An uncle of Stacy Peterson’s testified he overheard Peterson say “let them prove it” when Peterson’s friends suggested it “looked bad” for him to have his ex-wife die at such a convenient time in their tumultuous custody and property battle.
“Our family gave Drew the benefit of the doubt,” Kyle Toutges testified. “We were told Kathleen was crazy and on drugs and needed to be in a home.”Other testimony focused on a cup of coffee bought at a Bolingbrook Starbucks at 8:44 p.m. Oct. 28, 2007, the day Stacy Peterson disappeared. Prosecutors intend to use videotapes and cash register data from the purchase to bolster Drew Peterson’s stepbrother’s allegation that the two men were together on the night she disappeared.Thomas Morphey has told police that Peterson used him to concoct a fake alibi for that day. The defense team dismisses the allegation as lies from a man with a long history of mental illness and multiple suicide attempts.Prosecutors also quizzed a cell phone company representative over records detailing cell phone calls made on the day she vanished. And a police lieutenant testified that Peterson punched him in the head after a round of locker room horseplay at the Police Department.www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/ct-met-0120-drew-peterson-hearing-20100119,0,1105938.story?page=2 |
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 20, 2010 9:03:04 GMT -6
Witnesses: Peterson threatened to kill Saviowww.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1999159,Peterson-hearsay-witness-JO011910.article# January 20, 2010 By JOE HOSEY jhosey@scn1.com JOLIET — A cop, co-workers and the uncle of the woman her husband left her for told of the anguish and abuse Kathleen Savio suffered at Drew Peterson's hands. "She was a mess, she was crying and shaking, her hands were trembling," said Lisa Mordente, Savio's boss at a Romeoville sign company Mordente said Peterson, a disgraced former Bolingbrook cop, regularly stalked and intimidated Savio in late 2003 while the couple was divorcing, with Peterson sometimes using his police car to tail his estranged wife. Mordente was one of nine witnesses to testify at Tuesday's hearing to determine what — if any — hearsay evidence will be allowed at Peterson's murder trial. The prosecution plans to call at least 50 witnesses before the proceeding is through. Hearsay refers to statements a person didn't hear directly. In most cases, they aren't admissible in court. Instead, the person who actually heard the statement has to testify. But a law recently passed in Illinois would allow some hearsay testimony to be admitted if the person who actually heard the statements was killed so he or she couldn't testify. This hearing will determine if things Peterson allegedly said to Savio and his next wife can be used against him at his trial. Peterson was permitted to wear a red polo shirt and khaki pants instead of his usual jail scrubs, and on occasion nervously gnawed on his left index finger during the hearing. He is charged with drowning Savio — his third wife and the mother of two of his six children — in March 2004. Peterson's next wife, Stacy Peterson, who is the mother of two more of his children, has been missing for the past two years and three months. State police believe Drew Peterson may have killed her but have yet to bring criminal charges in the matter. Savio's death Stacy Peterson's uncle, Kyle Toutges, also testified on the first day of the hearing. He recalled a party held at the Peterson home in March 2004. Savio's recent death was brought up by a group of Peterson's friends, he said. "They were talking about how convenient it was for his wife to be found dead at that time … and how bad it looked for him," Toutges said, adding that Peterson responded, "Let them prove it." Bolingbrook police Lt. James Coughlin, a co-worker Peterson once punched in the head during a station house locker room dustup, said he ran into Peterson in the courthouse in February 2004. He said Peterson groused about the attorneys handling his divorce making money off him and said, "My life would be a lot easier if she were dead or died." Savio turned up dead two weeks later. Peterson's divorce attorney, Alexander Beck, was called as a witness but could say little due to attorney-client privilege. Peterson's stepbrother Bolingbrook police Detective Kenneth Simpson, two Starbucks loss prevention employees and a representative of Sprint-Nextel also testified, likely to lay the groundwork for the potentially explosive statements of Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey. Morphey said in an exclusive interview with The Herald-News that the night Stacy disappeared, he and Peterson got coffee at a Starbucks drive-through before heading to a park off Weber Road. There, Morphey said, Peterson handed him a cell phone, told him not to answer it, then left. About 45 minutes later the phone rang. Then it rang again. Both times, the caller ID showed "Stacy's cell," Morphey said. Peterson returned to the park within an hour of the phone calls, Morphey said, and Drew insisted he help him "at the house moving something." They went inside the Peterson house, and Morphey noticed all of the children's bedroom doors were closed. They took a blue barrel "right out the front door" to Peterson's Yukon Denali, which was parked in the driveway, Morphey said. Part of a thick plastic bag was protruding from the lid of the barrel, he said. Morphey is sure Stacy's body was in the barrel. Morphey has not yet testified at the hearsay hearing. Co-worker's letter During Tuesday's hearing, one of Savio's co-workers from the sign company, Issam Karam, testified that Savio told him she came home one night in late 2003 and "Drew Peterson tackled her from the side." Peterson pinned Savio down on the stairs and held a knife to her throat, Karam said, then told her "nothing she could do or say would make her safe," telling her she could not hide. Karam also said Savio told him Peterson said "he could kill her right there but it would be too bloody." After hearing about Stacy's October 2007 disappearance, Karam said he wrote a letter about the stories Savio told him about Peterson. He planned to anonymously send it to a TV news outlet. But before he could get it in the mail, he was contacted by state police and decided to turn the letter over to the authorities. One of Peterson's attorneys, Andrew Abood, claimed Karam was attempting to seek the spotlight by sending an anonymous letter. "You just wanted to bring attention to yourself," Abood told Karam. "That's exactly what you did." Another of Peterson's attorneys, Joel Brodsky, accused Toutges, Stacy's uncle, of coming forward with his story for the sake of publicity. "Kyle never came forward until he was getting limo rides to Larry King and such," Brodsky said. Toutges explained that he told his sister about Peterson's suspicious statements, but since the state police had initially decided Savio died accidentally — and because Peterson made her out to be a mad woman — he did not go to the authorities."We were told Kathleen was crazy, on drugs, heavily medicated," Toutges said. "That's what Drew told us."
Toutges also failed to see the point of reporting Peterson to the police since "he is a police."
Toutges went on to explain that he was unsure how to handle the situation because he "never had a niece murdered before" — referring to Stacy.
Brodsky shot back, "It didn't happen," to which Toutges replied, "Then where's Stacy?"
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 21, 2010 10:50:26 GMT -6
www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/drew-peterson-hearsay-hearings-resumeDrew Peterson Hearsay Hearings Resume Updated: Thursday, 21 Jan 2010, 7:44 AM CST Published : Thursday, 21 Jan 2010, 7:15 AM CST FOX Chicago News Chicago - Hearsay hearings will resume today for Drew Peterson. A judge is hearing arguments on a new state law that was enacted specifically for this case. It permits hearsay evidence in first-degree murder cases. The prosecution is trying to convince the judge that Peterson is behind the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. They claim Peterson did something to Stacy because she was about to tell police that Peterson had killed his third wife - Kathleen Savio. Peterson is charged with first degree murder in Savio's 2004 death.
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 21, 2010 13:14:55 GMT -6
Peterson hearing resumes with stepbrother’s testimony January 21, 2010 11:25 AM A relative who claims he helped Drew Peterson carry out a heavy barrel the night Peterson’s fourth wife Stacy disappeared has taken the stand today in a hearing over whether hearsay evidence should be allowed when Peterson is tried for the murder of his third wife. Tom Morphey, Peterson’s stepbrother, testified that the day before Stacy disappeared, Peterson asked him if he could kill for Peterson. “How much do you love me?” Peterson asked, according to Morphey, 42. “Enough to kill for me?” Morphey said he told Peterson no, and Peterson then asked, “Can you live with knowing about it?” “I always assumed that you killed Kathleen,” Morphey said he replied, referring to Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio, who had been found dead in a bath tub more than three years before. “No,” Peterson answered, according to his stepbrother, “I would never hurt Kathleen. She was a great mother.” Morphey said the conversation occurred the morning of Oct. 27, 2007, the day before Stacy Peterson, Peterson’s fourth wife, disappeared. Peterson had picked Morphey up at Morphey’s home and the two were traveling in Peterson’s Yukon Denali SUV. Morphey has said he fears the barrel he helped carry out contained Stacy’s body. Peterson has not been charged in connection with Stacy’s disappearance, but he has been charged with murder in the death of Savio. Testimony is expected to continue into the afternoon. The hearing is an outgrowth of a new state law that has come to be known as Drew’s Law. Will County prosecutors are calling witnesses to testify that before her death Savio feared that her former husband would kill her. The law allows prosecutors to introduce as evidence statements from victims who allegedly were killed to prevent them from testifying against their attackers. Prosecutors are expected to call dozens of witnesses over the next several weeks. On Tuesday, a co-worker of Savio testified Savio told him about how Peterson confronted her with a knife and told her he could kill her if he wanted to. – Steve Schmadeke www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/peterson-hearsay-hearing-resumes-today.html |
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 21, 2010 13:16:23 GMT -6
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 21, 2010 13:17:14 GMT -6
POSTED BY RESCUEAPET ON JUSTICE CAFE: # rescueapet January 21, 2010 at 12:16 pm | #116 Quote Also, Craig Wall was asked about DP’s demeanor. He said he was focused on Morphey, but when he looked over at DP, his face was red with anger, as though he were sunburned. Mophey also detailed a conversation in which DP told him Stacy was having an affair, and he had to get rid of her because she’d get his money. petersonstory.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/peterson-hearsay-hearings-to-continue-thursday/#comment-56145 |
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Post by Lorie Taylor on Jan 21, 2010 13:18:09 GMT -6
www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Petersons-brother-in-law-testifies-in-hearsay-hearing82266037.htmlProsecutors in the Drew Peterson pre-trial hearsay hearing called today on Peterson's step brother to testify about the former Bolingbrook cop's murderous nature. Thomas Morphey told the court that Drew asked him to kill his fourth wife Stacy Peterson, but that he declined. "How much do you love me?," Morphey said Drew asked. " ... enough to kill for me?" Morphey has gone on record before saying that helped Peterson carry a blue barrel from Petersons bedroom that contained the body of Stacy Peterson about a week after Drew asked Morphey to murder her. He admitted that he suffers from manic depression, and says he was so shaken by the incident, he tried to kill himself with a bottle of anti-depressant pills. Morphey also listened as States Attorney Jim Glasgow played a wiretap of a phone conversation he had with Drew Peterson during which Peterson tells him not to talk to anybody.
"If the police want to talk to you," Peterson said on the tape. "tell them you want a lawyer."Morphey has been granted immunity by state's attorneys. Peterson is not on trial for Stacy Peterson's death, but under the terms of the hearsay law, speculative testimony counts. Morphey said that he always assumed Peterson killed his third wife Savio. Savio's death was ruled a homicide after Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, disappeared in 2007. Peterson hasn't been charged in the Stacy Peterson dissappearance, but he is the lead suspect, cops say. First Published: Jan 21, 2010 11:44 AM CST
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why killer murdered of Kathleen and Stacey An Cales Peterson