Strapped for cash, Drew Peterson tries to auction his house.

The Peterson home

Peterson’s house going to auction block?

November 11, 2009

BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist

Scoopsville: Huh? Sneed hears an attorney for jailed murder suspect Drew Peterson is hoping to rent out/auction off Peterson’s empty Bolingbrook home for broadcast use during his upcoming trial!

“We are thinking it could be an excellent site for a news broadcast during the trial,” said attorney Walter Maksym, who filed a federal suit against JP Morgan Chase bank recently for suspending Peterson’s access to his $220,000 credit line.

“It would be a perfect place for someone like Geraldo Rivera. Don’t you think?” Maksym told Sneed.

Peterson, who is in jail charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, was hoping to use the credit line to post part of his bond, pay his attorneys and hire expert witnesses. The credit line was authorized in 2005 and suspended by the bank in May.

“If he can’t pay for his own defense, the taxpayers could wind up paying for the enormous cost of the defense,” Maksym said. “I’m not handling his murder case. I’m working with his attorney Joel Brodsky, who is vigorously defending him, and we are looking for any way possible to raise money so Peterson won’t be denied a fair trial. The bank severed his credit line because Peterson is being detained for trial, and we believe it violates federal law.”

Auctioneer Leslie Hindman tells Sneed she received a call from Maksym on Tuesday wondering if she might auction off “the use of Peterson’s house as a site for broadcast during the trial.”

Quoth Hindman: “I said, ‘No. I’m not interested in doing such a thing. It would be much too weird.’ ”

The Peterson home, which once housed his missing fourth wife, Stacy, and four children, has been vacant since Peterson was incarcerated in May.

Read Sneed’s column at the Sun-Times
Read the story at NBC Chicago

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Tribute to Stacy Peterson stolen in the night

Plaque and tree honoring Stacy Peterson

The Drew Peterson defense must be anticipating more bad news in court today.

A tree and plaque commemorating missing mom, Stacy Peterson, were dug up and stolen from in front of the Bolingbrook Aquatic Center overnight, two years to the day after Stacy was first reported missing and the night before another status hearing for Drew.

Members of the Westbrook Christian Church in Bolingbrook erected the plaque and tree outside of the Aquatic Center, at 200 Lindsey Lane in Bolingbrook.

I’m reminded of the Dr. Seuss tale about the Grinch who attempted to destroy Christmas by stealing the Christmas tree.

Flowers and a candle remain at the site of the theft

Vandalizing the tribute to a missing woman won’t change the facts of her disappearance, and it can’t destroy the love and anguish of her family and friends. They will continue to miss her, to search for her and to pray.

The plaque’s inscription was a simple one:

Stacy Peterson
Mom Sister
Friend

We’ll be reporting any news from the hearing today, as we learn it. Check the comments on this post.

Larger photos of the plaque and tree (lilac bush?) from Summer 2008 (Thanks, Wayne!):
Tree and plaque
Plaque
Read a report on the theft at WBBM.

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Remembering Stacy Ann Peterson

October 28, 2009: Today marks the second anniversary of the disappearance of Stacy Peterson.

Let’s try to remember this today and mark it in some way in our own lives. Her passing has meaning. Her absence is felt. Her family and friends mourn her, yet they have no closure and no justice.

*************************************************************************
On October 28, 2007, after ending a phone call with a friend, Stacy Ann Peterson was never seen nor heard from again. She’s lovingly and fondly remembered by her sister, family and friends as a wonderful, devoted mom, someone who loved to be with family, especially when gathering to celebrate a happy occasion, and someone who wouldn’t hesitate to help another, if needed. Stacy’s disappearance and ensuing story touched many people, including strangers who never knew or met her–strangers who devoted week after week to search for her, who became friends with her sister and family members, and vowed to keep looking for her until she was found.

Tuesday, October 27, the WE network show: “Secret Lives of Women” is airing an episode called “Loved & Controlled” which will feature three stories, one of them the Drew Peterson cases. Anna Doman and Cassandra Cales , will be talking about their sisters, Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson and what life was like living with Drew Peterson.

In the clip below, Cassandra looks back at Stacy’s life, and her disappearance.

And Anna Doman talks about the mysterious death of her sister.

Upcoming Air Dates:
Tuesday, October 27 at 10pm | 9c
Tuesday, November 3 at 11pm | 10c
Tuesday, November 10 at 4pm | 3c
Tuesday, November 24 at 8pm | 7c
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This Saturday: Remember Stacy Peterson and help victims of abuse

Stacy Peterson, missing since October 28, 2007

This Saturday, October 24, you are invited to participate in Groundwork’s First Annual Angels Against Abuse 5k Walk to raise funds for Guardian Angel Community Services, a Joliet-based non-profit that provides services to victims and families of domestic violence.

In memory of Stacy Peterson, Team: “Angels For Stacy” is partnering with the missing persons advocacy organization, Peace4 the Missing.

Visit the team page to join the team, walk, sponsor or make a donation.

By the way, you don’t need to join the “Angels for Stacy” team to participate. You can join a different team, start your own, or register without joining any team.

• WHERE:
  Hammel Woods, Crumby Recreation Area, Shorewood IL
  Enter on Black Road, .25 miles east of Rt. 59
• WHEN:
  Saturday, October 24, 2009
  8:00am Check-In. On-site Registration
  8:45am Opening Remarks by Will County State’s Attorney, James W. Glasgow
  9:00am Walk Begins
• FEE:
  $10 Registration
  Free T-Shirt with $50 Donation

Groundwork is a domestic violence program of the Guardian Angel Community Services, a non-profit 501c (3) social service agency. Groundwork operates a 24-hour emergency shelter that provides a safe haven for victims. Last year the shelter provided almost eight thousand nights of shelter. Nearly a third of those nights were for children who had been impacted by domestic violence. Additionally, Groundwork operates a 24-hour hotline providing crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals. All services are offered to victims free of charge. Groundwork also offers legal advocacy as well as individual and group counseling to adults and children.

Team Angels for Stacy/Peace4 the missing is not associated with the Friends of Stacy Peterson.

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Drew loses big. Change of venue denied, hearsay law upheld in Peterson case.

Drew Peterson defense team arrives at the Will County courthouse. Photo - Warren Skalski

Hearsay law upheld in Peterson murder case
October 2, 2009 4:32 PM

A Will County judge today upheld the state’s new hearsay law, which prosecutors plan to use in their murder trial against Drew Peterson.

Under the law, which took affect in December, prosecutors plans to submit as evidence letters and statements by Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio, to friends and family before she was killed in 2004.

Peterson’s attorneys have argued that the so-called “Drew’s law” violates a defendant’s 6th Amendment right to cross-examine witnesses; goes against state and federal constitutional provisions against retroactively applied laws; and “erodes the presumption of innocence” by asking a judge before the trial even starts to find that Peterson murdered Savio to silence her.

But Judge Stephen White sided with prosecutors and allowed the law to stand.

Peterson’s attorneys said they would notify prosecutors whether they intend to introduce their own hearsay evidence by Oct. 29, their client’s next court date.

Peterson, in custody at the Will County Jail in Joliet, is also considered a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Eearlier, Peterson lost his bid to move his murder trial outside of Will County.

Peterson’s attorney, Joel Brodsky, has argued that widespread publicity would make it difficult for the former Bolingbrook police sergeant to get a fair trial in Will County.

The motion cited stories about Peterson that ran in the Chicago Tribune, CNN, Huffington Post and local television stations.

Some of the stories detailed the order of protection Savio took out against Peterson and the letters she mailed out before her death. The motion argued that they exposed jurors to “highly significant information which may not be admissible at trial.”

Peterson’s attorneys also objected to a 2008 press release from the Will County state’s attorney’s office that announced that results of an autopsy on Savio’s exhumed remains concluding her death was a homicide.

The complete autopsy was not released, only the manner of death, which his attorneys said “prejudiced the jury pool in regards to the most contested fact of the entire case — namely the manner of death.”

– Steven D. Schmadeke

Read the story at the Chicago Tribune

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Kathleen Savio’s death inquest – a sister testifies

Susan Doman

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that we’ve been trying to locate the full transcript of the coroner’s jury inquest into the death of Kathleen Savio from May 1, 2004.

To date we’ve been able to share with you the pages containing the testimony of Herbert Hardy (pages 7-15). We’ve now located the first six pages of the transcript, in which Susan Doman (then Savio) testifies, and we’re pleased to be able to share them with you.

EXCERPT:

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to add, ma’am?

A. Yes. I just — it’s very difficult for my family because of my sister telling us all the time, and I can figure, everyone, everything — one that she has seen that if she would die, it may look like and accident, but it wasn’t. She just told me last week, and she was terrified of him. He always threatened her. He had her in the basement one time. He did, many, many things to her. He only wished for her to go away.
And it’s just very hard for me to accept that, what happened. His reactions after this were a laughing matter. Cleaning everything out, ready to get rid of the house. It’s very hard.

Sue Doman’s testimony is especially interesting at this time, as this Friday is the date of Drew Peterson’s next hearing in which the defense will be arguing against the constitutionality of the “hearsay law”.

View this document on Scribd

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Drew Peterson defense team starts blog

(Click to see full size)

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 28: That was fast. The blog that is the subject of this post is no longer there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just noticed that a site which formerly contained links to Drew Peterson’s defense documents (and is still entitled: Drew Peterson Documents) has now morphed into a blog with updates about the Peterson case.

Members of the Peterson’s defense team already send out frequent press releases, update the Abood Law and Brodsky & Odeh web sites with news and legal briefs, and Joel Brodsky continues to grant radio interviews even though Judge Stephen White has asked to preapprove all media appearances by all attorneys involved in the case.

The judge issued specific guidelines to Peterson’s attorneys on pre-trial publicity and media interviews, asking that the lawyers inform the judge of any pre-arranged media interviews and supply him with copies of any press releases sent out on the case.

Why does the defense continue to court the public even after filing a motion for a change of venue which complains that “media overexposure” has made it impossible for their client to obtain a fair trial of his peers?

Should we be expecting a return of the Drew Peterson Defense Fund website, where “For the cost of a few cups of your morning coffee, you (could) help to ensure that Drew can afford to support his ongoing legal defense” and “find his missing wife”?
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Remember Stacy Peterson and help victims of abuse

On Saturday, October 24, you are invited to participate in Groundwork’s First Annual Angels Against Abuse 5k Walk to raise funds for Guardian Angel Community Services, a Joliet-based non-profit that provides services to victims and families of domestic violence.

In honor of Stacy Peterson, Team: “Angels For Stacy” is partnering with the missing persons advocacy organization, Peace4 the Missing.

Visit the team page to join the team, walk, sponsor or make a donation.

By the way, you don’t need to join the “Angels for Stacy” team to participate. You can join a different team, start your own, or register without joining any team.

• WHERE:
  Hammel Woods, Crumby Recreation Area, Shorewood IL
  Enter on Black Road, .25 miles east of Rt. 59
• WHEN:
  Saturday, October 24, 2009
  8:00am Check-In. On-site Registration
  8:45am Opening Remarks by Will County State’s Attorney, James W. Glasgow
  9:00am Walk Begins
• FEE:
  $10 Registration
  Free T-Shirt with $50 Donation

Groundworkis a domestic violence program of the Guardian Angel Community Services, a non-profit 501c (3) social service agency. Groundwork operates a 24-hour emergency shelter that provides a safe haven for victims. Last year the shelter provided almost eight thousand nights of shelter. Nearly a third of those nights were for children who had been impacted by domestic violence. Additionally, Groundwork operates a 24-hour hotline providing crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals. All services are offered to victims free of charge. Groundwork also offers legal advocacy as well as individual and group counseling to adults and children. 

Team Angels for Stacy/Peace4 the missing is not associated with the Friends of Stacy Peterson.
  

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Lisa Madigan and James Glasgow file objections to Peterson’s challenging of the “Hearsay law”

Lisa Madigan and James Glasgow

On September 4th, Illinois’ State’s Attorney, James Glasgow, and Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, filed separate objections to motions filed by Drew Peterson’s defense team, which challenged the constitutionality of the so-called “Hearsay Law“.

The objections maintain that the new statute violates neither ex post facto nor confrontation right principles.

Even if you normally have a hard time wading through legal documents, I’d urge anyone with an interest in this case to read through these objections. The quality of the research, the clearness of argument and the absence of silly evidence (i.e., quoting of Google searches) is in striking contrast to the motions that have been filed thusfar by Peterson’s defense.

UPDATE 9/11/09: The defense has filed a response to the objections by the State. It is the last motion to be filed regarding this issue before the hearing on October 2. Scroll down to read the reply. All of the motions can be found on the documents page.

Attorney General’s Filing of Objections to Defendant’s Motion to Declare 725 ILCS 5/115-10.6 Unconstitutional

View this document on Scribd

State’s Attorney’s Response to Defendant’s Motion to Declare 725 ILCS 5/115-10.6 Unconstitutional

View this document on Scribd

UPDATE – Filed September 11, 2009: DEFENDANT’S REPLY TO THE RESPONSES OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS AND THE WILL COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY TO DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DECLARE 725 ILCS 5/115-10.6 UNCONSTITUTIONAL

View this document on Scribd

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Searching for Stacy Peterson

The effort by today’s searchers was a sight to behold. There were men and women who heard about the need for volunteers on the news and decided to help. One man told me he was having his coffee when he heard about it, and decided to come out. Another man heard the call for volunteers on the news also. He said he wanted to be involved in trying to find Stacy, even though he said she is now in a better place. He lost his own son, only in his 20’s, when he was home from the Service on leave. He was senselessly shot and killed, so he fully understands the anguish of Stacy’s family.

It was a trying search, to say the least. The area to be covered is a Wetland Preserve. About the only way I can explain how it feels to go into something like that is to liken it to walking into a cornfield. Only, the growth is marsh and cattails, and the ground is muddy, mucky. The further you go in, the more water you encounter, sometimes more than knee deep. Sometimes I’d take a step, sink further into the muck, and find it hard to get my foot up and out to take another step. If you’d lose your footing, there was nothing to grab onto. To be safe, people had to stay in groups, because it was like being in a maze, without knowing which way to go back out.

There were a couple of places of interest, one a mound that didn’t match the area around it, as though something could have been buried there. Searchers used their hands to dig further into the ground, but it turned out to be nothing. Another time, searchers actually found a large boulder, with rope tied around it, in a waterway. As though it were an anchor to weigh something down. A group of searchers then volunteered to go back to the area where the rock was found, in water that was thigh high, with sticks to poke at the bottom. Nothing was found in the area where the rock was discovered.

All I can say is I was amongst an awesome group of people. Family, friends and strangers who want only to find Stacy and bring her home.

~ Rescue

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