Two years since Drew Peterson’s arrest for murder. What has changed?

Two years ago, Drew Peterson was arrested and charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Since that day he has resided at the the Will County Adult Detention Facility in Joliet awaiting his trial which is on hold indefinately, while we await a decision by the appellate court on whether or not they will overturn Judge White’s decision on what hearsay testimony can be admitted. We’ve continued to follow the case this last year. So, what has changed since May 7, 2009?

Legal Representation

Two years ago: Brodsky & Odeh, Abood Law, and John Paul Carroll represented Drew Peterson. George D. Lenard joined the case in December of 2009.
One year ago: Andrew Abood and George Lenard withdrew from the case in April of this year, citing irreconcilable differences with Joel Brodsky. John Paul Carroll had a complaint filed against him in September and appears to have left the case. Presently, attorneys from Brodsky & Odeh, Steven A. Greenberg and Associates, Law Offices of Meczyk Goldberg, Joseph R. Lopez, P.C., and Walter P. Maksym Jr. made up the “Seven Samurai” representing Peterson in court.
Today: After months of rumors of arguing and even a physical incident at the law offices of Brodsky & Odeh, Reem Odeh left the partnership and withdrew from the Peterson defense team in September. In February of this year, Lisa Lopez, wife of Joe Lopez, assisted with the oral arguments regarding the hearsay decision before the Appellate court, which were presented by Steven Greenberg.

Media Exposure

Two years ago: Drew’s last interview was given over the phone to a WLS radio show host, Eric Mancow Muller, from jail on May 27, 2009. He also gave one other in-jail phone interview on May 15, to Matt Lauer of the Today show.
One year ago: Drew was prohibited from giving interviews to the press.
Today: Despite the gag order prohibiting interviews, Peterson has spent the year writing letters and statements that have been provided to the media, in particular to gossip columnist for the Chicago Sun Times, Michael Sneed.

Judges

Two years ago: Judge Richard Schoenstedt was first assigned to the case; then Judge Carla Alessio-Policandriotes and finally Judge Stephen White. Will County Chief Judge Gerald Kinney made the new appointments. Judge Daniel J. Rozak set Peterson’s bond.
One year ago: Judge Stephen White presided over the case.
Today: Judge Stephen White retired in October 2010. There is presently no judge assigned to the Kathleen Savio murder case.

Hearsay Evidence

Two years ago: The Hearsay Statue was passed into legislation November, 2008
One year ago: In October 2009, Peterson’s defense lost a motion to declare the act unconstitutional. Hearsay evidence and witnesses were heard during hearings in January 2010.
Today: The judge’s decision regarding the hearsay statements was leaked in July 2010, revealing that possibly fewer than five of the 15 statements being considered were to be allowed. This decision was appealed by the prosecution. During February oral arguments before the appellate justices, States Attorney Jim Glasgow was asked what he now wanted to “hang” his argument on. Glasgow said that he chose “804 (b)” or, in other words the common law doctrine that is part of the Illinois Rules of Evidence (rather than the so-called “Hearsay Law”). We are presently waiting on the opinion of the appellate justices.

Peterson family

Two years ago: Drew’s four youngest children were left in the care of their step-brother, Oak Brook Police Officer, Stephen Peterson.
Today : In August 2009, Stephen Peterson was suspended for accepting and hiding weapons for his father, shortly after the disappearance of Stacy Peterson. In February 2010, Peterson was fired from Oak Brook Police Force. He is presently appealing his dismissal. Son, Thomas, wrote a letter and made a filing asking to be removed from the Savio family’s civil suit against Drew Peterson. This has not been granted yet. Tom Peterson was chosen as valedictorian of his graduating class.

Drew’s Love Life

Two years ago: Christina Raines was at the house that Drew and Stacy Peterson shared at the time or his arrest and was also taken into custody. She removed her belongings from his home shortly afterwards. Raines is on the list to visit Drew in jail.
One year ago: In January Raines posted a status update on her Facebook page stating, “I met someone who i fell in love with and very happy with. I think i just about gave up on drew with all his lies i dont even really visit him anymore.” and then, “But his kids i love dearly and still visit with them they are good kids”
Today: In August 2010 we heard that Christina Raines was engaged to a new man. In February 2011 we obtained a photo of Chrissy with her fiancé. In April, an old acquaintance of Drew’s, Diana Grandel, released some letters from Drew in which he made sexual comments to her and offered Stacy’s clothing to her.

Illegal weapons charge

Today: After numerous appeals from both prosecution and the defense, weapons charges against Drew Peterson were dismissed in October 2010.

Stunts

Two years ago:When Drew was arrested, he was preparing to fly out to the Bunny Ranch Brothel in Reno, Nevada, to see if he would be a good fit as head of security there.
One year ago: Soon after Drew’s arrest he attempted to have his motorcycle auctioned off on eBay. He was asking for $50,000 and offered to apply a decal with his signature on the bike. eBay removed the auction for violation of its “murderabilia” rules.
Today: While Drew’s bids for attention have been mostly curtailed due to his detention, his lawyer and PR people continue to pepper the news with updates and letters from him detailing everything from his life in jail to his opinions about the legal decisions regarding his children. More recently Kathleen’s oldest son, Tom, has been the subject of news stories and has written his own letters to the press in support of his father.

Stacy Peterson

Two years ago: Missing. No communication from her since October 28, 2007. Searches were ongoing.
One year ago: Still missing with no sightings or communication from her.
Today: In August 2010, based on a tip, searches for Stacy’s remains took place near Peoria. No evidence was found.

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Drew Peterson and Stephen Peterson remember gun hand-off differently

 
On Saturday, Drew Peterson‘s son, Stephen Peterson, was fired from his job at the Oak Brook Police Department for accepting weapons from his father in the days following the disappearance of Stacy Peterson and in so doing, obstructing the investigation.

Today’s Herald News printed some comments from Drew Peterson taken from an email that Drew Peterson’s lawyer, Joel Brodsky, sent to them. Drew, reportedly “angry” over his son’s firing attempted to set the record straight as per his recollections of the exchange:

“When I gave Steve my guns there was no investigation to impede,” Peterson said. “They were my favorite guns, and I was going to give them to Steve when I retired anyway. I only gave him three of the dozen or so guns I owned, and I kept most of my guns in my house and the police confiscated them all, so how could giving him those three guns impede anything?”

Interesting version of the facts, especially if one recalls that Stephen testified at his own hearing to save his job that he had received the guns because they were his fathers favorites and that he was worried they might be damaged when they were seized by law enforcement. Would it help if you heard Stephen say this with your own ears? Check out the video at the top of this post.

By the way, I realize that October 2007 was a long time ago, and maybe Drew has a hard time remembering the actual sequence of events surrounding the disappearance of his wife, but luckily the Internet has an uncanny ability to store information. According to online transcripts of the Nancy Grace show, there was an investigation as early as October 30—two days after Stacy disappeared:

Aired October 30, 2007 – 20:00:00 ET

GRACE: With that, I agree. Everybody, we`re taking your calls live, but I want to tell you about a police sergeant`s wife gone missing. Maybe you can help. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators are searching for any clues in the whereabouts of 23-year-old Stacy Peterson of Bolingbrook. She was last heard from on Sunday morning when she was supposed to do some painting at a friend`s house but never showed up. State police are handling the investigation, but Bolingbrook police are also talking to family and friends. Right now they say there are no signs of foul play.

Yes, there was an investigation at the time of the gun transfer.

Even a lay person would know that law enforcement was going to be interested in in examining all of the weapons that Drew Peterson kept in his house. Both Drew Peterson and Stephen Peterson were police officers. They both knew that it would be an obstruction of justice to remove those guns. Is the public really supposed to believe that either of them are so ignorant of police protocol? If they are — then all the better that they are both off the force.

Read story at the Herald News
Decision rendered in Officer Peterson Discipline Matter

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Stephen Peterson is fired from Oak Brook police force

Stephen Peterson

This morning at a meeting by the Oak Brook Police and Fire Commission, by a unanimous decision, Stephen Peterson, son of accused murderer Drew Peterson, was fired from his position as police officer.

Peterson had been suspended with pay since August, when he was accused of interfering with an investigation, accepting an illegal firearm and failing to keep the investigation confidential.

He was found guilty of only one of the three charges: Obstructing the investigation into the disappearance of his step-mother, Stacy Peterson.

View this document on Scribd

Charges against Stephen Peterson
Read story at the Daily Herald

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Oak Brook police chief: If it was a toaster—he should have known better

The Chief of Police of the Village of Oak Brook took the stand last night to testify in the second day of hearings to remove Stephen Peterson, son of Drew Peterson, from the force.

Peterson has been disciplined numerous times during his career at Oak Brook, but the charges that he accepted a large sum of money and hid guns for his father during the early days of Stacy Peterson‘s disappearance are grounds for termination according to Police Chief Thomas Sheahan.

Sheahan testified that by hiding those guns the younger Peterson obstructed the investigation into Stacy Peterson’s disappearance. “If it was a toaster—he should have known better and he should have cooperated with the State Police. The evidence could have helped solve the case or exonerate someone.“

Officer Peterson maintains that his decisions and actions were those of a dutiful son, trying to help out his father and that the money and weapons had no evidentiary value.

Chief Sheahan doesn’t it see it that way, “He’s a police office. He knows what evidence is.“

Oak Brook Fire and Police Board will meet again on January 10 for a closed session to come to a decision about how they will proceed. Meanwhile, Stephen Peterson remains on paid leave from the force.

Gossip
As is typical, when there is news about Stephen, Drew’s people manage to get items planted in the gossip columns to try to deflect from it. Today’s nonsense is downright bizarre. The upshot is that due to Drew becoming out of shape and developing high blood pressure while being detained, he has been inspired to draw up yet another will in which he states that upon his death he would like his remains to be cremated and then pressed into diamonds to be given to his family.

Sure beats being dumped in a landfill, or the Cal Sag Channel…

Bolingbrook Patch
Chicago Tribune
Hinsdale Patch
Sun Times
We’re following Sabrina Wu and Joe Hosey on Twitter
Document: Charges against Stephen Peterson

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Drew Peterson’s gun charge dismissal won’t be appealed

The Chicago Tribune has reported that prosecutors have decided not to appeal Judge Richard Schoenstadt‘s decision to dismiss the weapons charges against Drew Peterson.

After becoming the only suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Stacy Peterson, three years ago, Peterson’s home was searched and his weapons confiscated. He appealed successfully to have his confiscated weapons returned, but it was determined that one weapon, a Colt AR-15 had an illegal 11½-inch barrel and that led to his arrest on the illegal weapons charges.

Drew Peterson remains in jail awaiting trial for the murder of this third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Chicago Tribune Story

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Weapons charges against Drew Peterson dismissed

Today Judge Richard Schoenstedt agreed with Drew Peterson‘s defense that the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act cleared the way for him to possess a semiautomatic rifle with a shortened barrel.  It is unknown at this point whether or not the State will appeal the decision.

Peterson was originally charged with possession of an illegally altered weapon in May of 2008. The case was dismissed once already but that decision was reversed and remanded by an appellate court in July of this year.

Also today, attorney Reem Odeh officially submitted her request to withdraw as counsel for Drew Peterson citing irreconcilable differences with co-counsel, Joel Brodsky. Brodsky challenged her withdrawal, wishing to have Peterson terminate her.

View this document on Scribd

Read more at ABC 7
We’re following Joe Hosey on Twitter

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Peterson’s cop son suspended

Stephen Peterson

Peterson’s cop son suspended

August 28, 2010

By JOE HOSEY

JOLIET — The Oak Brook cop son of accused wife-killer Drew Peterson was suspended from his job, possibly for his part in hiding an assault rifle from the state police.

Stephen Peterson, a 6-year veteran of the Oak Brook department, was put on paid administrative leave Friday. He declined to discuss the matter.

Stephen Peterson testified in court four days prior to his suspension and admitted to taking possession of an AR-15 and at least one other weapon his father did not want the state police to get their hands on.

From the witness stand Monday, Stephen Peterson recalled that on Oct. 30, 2007, Drew Peterson showed up at his son’s North Aurora home with two or three guns. The weapons were among his father’s “favorites,” Stephen Peterson said, and “he didn’t want anything to happen to them.”

Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, was reported missing the day before Drew Peterson’s visit to his son’s home. Her whereabouts remain a mystery, and the state police suspect Drew Peterson killed her.

More than a year and a half after Stacy vanished, the state police arrested Drew Peterson and charged him with murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found drowned in a dry bathtub in March 2004. At the time of her death, and for the ensuing three and a half years, the state police insisted that Savio was the victim of a freak bathing accident, only changing their tune after Stacy disappeared.

Maybe Drew Peterson’s defense team should go “buy” the book.

The weapons charges against Drew Peterson were dismissed in November, 2008. However the State has appealed that decision and would like to pursue the charges again. Last Monday, August 3rd, Drew Peterson’s defense filed a new response to the prosecution’s decision to appeal a court’s dismissal of gun charges.

While one could question why attorney, Andrew Abood is filing a 30-page brief about the appeal of a dismissed weapons charge when his client is already in jail indicted on two counts of murder, it’s a little more concerning that some of the information given in the response is blatantly un-factual.

In particular, this quote from pages 29-30:

No one can deny the Chicago Tribune and the Naperville Sun have reported on this case regularly. The Naperville Sun has even published a book about Mr. Peterson, featuring him on the cover connected to a lie detector machine.

For the record, there have been only two books published about the Peterson case. Neither of them was published by the Naperville Sun.

Joseph Hosey, who reports for the Herald-News in Joliet, authored “Fatal Vows: The tragic wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson“. It was published by Phoenix Books.

The other book written about the Peterson case is by Derek Armstrong. It’s called “Drew Peterson Exposed” and it was written after Peterson’s publicist, Glenn Selig, went looking for an author to tell “Drew’s side” of the story. It’s published by Kunati Books.

Please note that the book cover showing Drew attached to the “lie detector machine” is that of Armstrong’s book–the book  written after Drew voluntarily provided “hundreds of hours” of interviews and personal photos to the author. It should also be pointed out that the polygraph of Peterson took place at the offices of his lawyer, Joel Brodsky, and at Brodsky’s request. In fact the photo credit in the book reads, “Photo courtesy of Brodsky & Odeh”.

So, to be clear (since Abood is not), the photo in question was one that Drew Peterson actually posed for, taken by and provided to the author by Joel Brodsky…and yet the defense team is now using it as an example of how the jury pool has been tainted.

If Peterson’s defense team can’t get details like this straight, can we trust the accuracy of any of the information in those 37 pages?

When Joel Brodsky was asked to comment on such an embarrassing gaffe, this was his response:

I think it’s a very slight mistake. I took the picture for Drew and he gave it to author Derek Armstrong to prove Drew took the lie detector test, which was a prerequisite for Armstrong to do his book. The picture (part of the book cover) was later re-published in the Naperville newspaper and I also believe in the Joliet Herald and the Sun Times when Armstrong’s book came out. The Naperville Sun did not publish the book, but they did publish the picture of Drew on the lie detector. However, Joe Hosey, who works for the Sun Times Group, of which the Naperville Sun is a part, did in fact author a book about Peterson. The line in the brief should have read “The Naperville Sun published a story about Mr. Peterson, featuring him on the cover of a book connected to a lie detector machine.” This is not a big deal, and these things happen, (like when the New York Times has its daily “clarification and corrections” section every day on page 2 of its newspaper). Its not significant to the legal argument, and we will clarify the issue in the rebuttal brief.

UPDATE AUGUST 14: Two days ago, Abood filed a correction which reads:

The Naperville Sun even published a story about Mr. Peterson about a book featuring him on the cover connected to a lie detector machine.

Now, the information has gone from false to nonsensical.

The original brief:

View this document on Scribd

The letter of correction submitted August 12

Drew Peterson’s next hearing is on August 10.

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Joel Brodsky: This Witness Isn’t Credible Because He’s Lying–I Mean Confused!

"Nothing against people with mental illness..."

Tuesday afternoon, in response to Thomas Morphey coming forward and giving a detailed account of his knowledge of the events surrounding the disappearance of Stacy Peterson, Joel Brodsky held a news conference.

In front of a handful of bored-looking reporters, he recited the same tired defense we’ve heard for the last seventeen months: Thomas Morphey is delusional and suffers from mental illness. He never came to Drew’s house. There was no blue barrel. Not in the past, the present or the future (pretty neat trick that–seeing into the future).

But earlier in the day Joel strayed from the script a little and told Steve Miller of WBBM that maybe Tom was just confused, “There’s probably things in the past that Morphey might have done – helping Drew unload a truck on some job project or something, that Morphey, in his mind, may have twisted around.”

Joel Brodsky did the same thing when the Engagement Stunt fiasco was in the news. Joel at first completely denied that there was any sort of stunt. But, when it got a little hot for him (since the Idiot Woman-child, Christina Raines, claimed that it was in fact, Joel who had plotted it) he hedged a bit saying, “I don’t blame her. She made a mistake. She basically confused a couple of things she overheard and just didn’t know what she was really saying…”

Drew Peterson and Joel Brodsky Explain it all. Christina Raines says Nothing.

Last night, Joel and Drew sat down together and phoned in to Dana’s Scared Monkeys radio show to try to explain the latest confusion about Drew’s private life–namely the engagement stunt that they say was no stunt. Apparently, Christina Raines was content to let these two speak for her. She declined to be interviewed.

They also briefly gave their views on the status of the weapons charges, the likelihood of Drew ever being charged, and the pernicious evil of morning television producers.

Below are a few excerpts:

Drew explains how Christina Raines came to leave his home.

What happened was she was at work and she went ahead and heard me make some comments, off-the-cuff comments, joking around with the television show, the CBS people and that I was really dismissive with women. If I didn’t like them I would move on and trade them in or whatever and basically they didn’t play the whole thing. As usual, when you tape something it gets cut up and turned around and twisted and that’s what happened here.

And then all of a sudden there was like …everybody in her family, there was TV producers, there was lawyers, there was other family members from Kathleen were there, friends and family and it was like an intervention. Everybody was there trying to get her off of me, actually and she was very upset. Her father was there and he doesn’t like the relationship and he was doing what he could. He threatened her with, if she didn’t go home with him that night he would disown her, that type of thing.

Next thing you know she’s freaking out. Next thing you know she’s in New York going on television saying that it was a publicity stunt—the engagement, when actually it was very real. The only thing that was not real about the whole engagement was the ring I gave her and the ring I gave her was only a temporary one. So, I gave her a ring that really wasn’t that good but she did ask me to marry her five or six times and I agreed and we were in fact, for real, engaged.