Why was Kathleen Savio’s third autopsy “news” last week?

Authorities exhume the body of Kathleen Savio 11/13/2007

Last week Lisa Bloom appeared on CNN’s Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell with a story about Dr. Michael Baden’s autopsy of the remains of Kathleen Savio, promising “jaw-dropping” and “gruesome” details. Then followed stories on CNN, CBS and numerous local news outlets.

For anyone who has been following the Drew Peterson cases, it was a bit of a déjà vu experience. There was essentially no new information in any of the reports. Since Dr. Baden performed his autopsy at the request of the Savio family in November 2007, he has made public his opinion that Savio was beaten, that she struggled, and that her drowning death was a result of an act of homicide.

So why were news outlets resurrecting this 20-month-old story? It appears that Lisa Bloom got possession of Baden’s actual report on his autopsy findings and a hard-copy of the document was enough to warrant a news story.

The report itself doesn’t appear to shed any new evidentiary light on what may have happened to Kathleen Savio during the last days of February, 2004. Yes, there are details about the condition of her remains that aren’t pleasant to read. Velez-Mitchell called these details “gruesome” but in reality they are only sad. Naturally, a body exhumed after three years in the grave will have undergone some decomposition, but that’s not what should be making us cringe or shudder.

What should be giving us goosebumps is the thought that she was murdered, that she predicted it and pointed out the man who would kill her to no avail, that she cried out for help and was ignored, that after her murder a sham of an inquest betrayed and insulted her and consigned her to the ground to wait for three years until yet another tragedy shed new light on her case.

So, we’ve heard these details and opinions before. Well, fine then. Why not hear them again? The story should be told over and over — even if it isn’t “news”. Kathleen’s family and friends live it every day.

REMINDER: If you have any legal/courtroom questions about the case for Karen Conti, please continue to post or email them and we’ll post her replies. Thanks!

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Drew Peterson Trial Questions? Ask a Lawyer!

Karen Conti and Greg Adamski

You may remember Karen Conti as the attorney who presented the prosecution’s closing arguments in The People v. Drew Peterson, the WGN-hosted mock trial of Drew Peterson for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. 

Karen Conti and her husband, Greg Adamski, of the law firm Adamski & Conti, host the radio show Legally Speaking on WGN-AM 720, where every Sunday they give their legal insights on current news stories, argue with each other about controversial verdicts, and interview interesting lawyers and litigants.

Karen Conti has appeared on Fox News to comment on the Peterson case, and others. In fact, Ms. Conti was recently featured on the Fox News Chicago morning show discussing Peterson waiving his right to a speedy trial.

Ms. Conti has very graciously agreed to answer the legal questions that we have from time to time. So, if you have a question about the change of venue, the jury, any motions that may be presented, or anything about legal procedure involving this case, just be sure to post it or email it to petersonstory@gmail.com. We’ll send them along and post the answers.

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Christina Raines’ Lawyer: Peterson’s fiancée not “hit on” by cop

Christina Raines

UPDATE July 17:

Chicago Sun-Times
State’s attorney: Cops did not hit on Drew Peterson’s fiancee
July 17, 2009
BY JOE HOSEY jhosey@scn1.com

…Brodsky said he planned to file a motion regarding the state police detective’s supposed romantic overture.

Charles B. Pelkie, the spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office, refuted Brodsky’s accusation, calling it “preposterous and disingenuous.”…

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It seems that Ms. Raines is not on the same page as Joel Brodsky when it comes to the definition of “being asked out on a date”, as evidenced by this email sent out on behalf of Christina Raines by her lawyer, Gloria Allred.

Source: Gretawire

From: Gloria Allred
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 7:02 PM
To: Miller, Jeffrey; O’Connor, Kerry
Subject: Chrissie Raines

Dear Jeff and Kerry,

Last night Greta ran a story about my client Chrissie Raines who is the fiancé of Drew Peterson. Unfortunately before the story was run no one contacted me for a response. I represent Chrissie Raines in the criminal case of People v. Drew Peterson and I am her spokesperson. Enclosed please find my response to the allegation that Greta ran on her show involving Ms. Raines. I hope that Greta will be able to run my response. Thank you very much.

“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 does not feel that she was “hit on” by any police officer.

We do not think there is a basis for filing a complaint against any police officer and we have no plans to file such a complaint.”

Very truly yours,

Gloria Allred

Allred, Maroko & Goldberg

Thanks to Harleyjoey for the link!

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Drew Peterson waives right to speedy trial. Lawyer charges improper ISP conduct towards fiancée.

Chicago Breaking News (Chicago Tribune/WGN)
Drew Peterson murder trial delayed
July 14, 2009 1:32 PM

Drew Peterson’s murder trial won’t be going ahead next month as planned, after he waived his right to a speedy trial today.

During a hearing at the Joliet courthouse, Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky told Judge Stephen White that the defense team needs more time to review some 40,000 pages of evidence.

Peterson was scheduled to stand trial Aug. 24 on charges that he murdered his ex-wife Kathleen Savio in 2004. But White canceled that trial date today, after asking Peterson whether he understood that he was giving up his right to a speedy trial.

Peterson, wearing blue jail scrubs, stared down at his lap and replied “Yes, your honor.”

He did not speak again during the hearing.

Prosecutor John Connor, head of the major crimes unit of the Will County state’s attorney’s office, did not object to the trial delay.

Drew Peterson and Empathy

Dr. Keith Ablow, psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author.

by Dr. Keith Ablow

When Drew Peterson was brought into court on charges that he murdered his third wife Kathleen Savio, he was in a good mood. He yelled jokes to reporters about how “spiffy” his red prison jumpsuit was and called his shackles “bling.”

Peterson is, of course, also a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Stacy Peterson, his fourth wife. He insists he is an innocent man.

Think of how you’d respond to being dragged into court on murder charges, especially if you were wrongly accused. You might be terrified or confused or enraged at the injustice of your plight, but you wouldn’t be all smiles, spewing one-liners.

So how can Drew Peterson do it?

To have any hope of understanding Drew Peterson, one first has to understand human empathy. Empathy is the ability to resonate with the feelings of others to such an extent that one actually experiences some of their joy or grief or anxiety. It is a remarkable and inexplicable quality that we too often take for granted. The fact that a friend can be brought to tears by a loss of yours, that you can intuit and share the worries or hopes or pride of your partner in life, or that the hunger of children thousands of miles away could spur you to action on their behalf is a tribute to this miraculous force.

Empathy does even more, though. It helps us contain our anger and our destructive impulses, because we can imagine how it might feel to be the object of that rage. It also helps us gauge what is appropriate language and behavior in various situations, again because we can imagine how others are likely to respond to us. We can put ourselves in the shoes of our friends or neighbors or loved ones.

Drew Peterson: another hearing this friday

UPDATE July 8: Hearing rescheduled for Tuesday, July 14th.

NAME                 DATE     ROOM    TIME      CASE   
PETERSON DREW W     7  10  9  402     930     09CF001048
PETERSON DREW W     7  10  9  402     930     09CF001048

Drew Peterson will be in court again this Friday, July 10, for a motions hearing. At that time Judge Stephen White should rule on continued motions and hear any new ones.

At Peterson’s last hearing Joel Brodsky argued six motions before the judge. He asked that prosecutors be required to give more details about their theory of how Peterson killed Kathleen Savio as well as summaries of the 9,470 investigative reports provided to the defense. This was denied. The judge also denied the request that Peterson be allowed to retain evidence against him while he is in jail.

At the last hearing Judge White asked the prosecution to reveal if payment or other consideration was given to Paula Stark, Len Wawczak or Thomas Morphey in exchange for their testimony. He also agreed to enter an order forbidding the state from listening to recorded phone calls between Peterson and his attorneys; although John Connor, chief of the Will County State’s Attorney’s major crimes unit stated that prosecutors have not been listening in.

The prosecution was also asked to produce a list of the fifty witnesses most likely to be called to testify, from over 800 witnesses originally named.

Will County Circuit Court Schedule

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TruTV/True Crimes ~ Drew Peterson: Wife Killer?

From the Tru-TV Crime Library

Death Foretold

By: Chuck Hustmyre
 

Kathleen Savio

BOLINGBROOK, Ill.—Kathleen Savio predicted her own murder. She told her sister it would be made to look like an accident. She even named her killer, her ex-husband, police sergeant Drew Peterson. Not long afterward, Kathleen Savio, 40, was found dead—drowned in a bathtub, her long dark hair matted with blood from a one-inch gash on the back of her head. The county coroner ruled her death an accident. She was Drew Peterson’s third wife.

With Kathleen’s death, Drew Peterson got control of a million-dollar life insurance benefit for the couple’s two sons, and he inherited all of his ex-wife’s money and property, including her suburban Chicago home and her half of their joint business investments. Kathleen’s dire prediction to her sister was not the first time she foretold her own murder. In November 2002, two years before her death when her divorce from Peterson was at its nastiest, Kathleen wrote to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, begging the prosecutor to charge Peterson with breaking into her home and holding a knife to her throat.

Kathleen wrote that her police sergeant ex-husband was furious over having to pay her child support. “He knows how to manipulate the system, and his next step is to take my children away,” Kathleen wrote. “Or kill me instead.” In the end, prosecutors now say, he did both. Three years later, Drew Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy, disappeared.