Former cop Drew Peterson found guilty of murdering wife
Former Illinois police officer Drew Peterson — who became infamous after his much-younger wife disappeared back in 2007 — was officially convicted on Thursday of murdering his previous wife named Kathleen Savio.
According to reports, a judge announced that jurors has found 58-year-old Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Relatives of Savio gasped at the decision of the judge, then proceeded hugging each other as they cried silently.
Since the State of Illinois has no death penalty, Drew Peterson faces a maximum of 60 years behind bars when sentenced on November 26.
Savio’s family members were very emotional as they left the courtroom.
“Finally, finally, finally. … We finally got that murdering bastard,” Savio’s brother-in-law, Mitch Dorman, said.
Peterson’s personality loomed over the murder trial, and bystanders who gathered outside the courthouse began chanting, “Loser. Loser. Loser,” as reporters interviewed the ex-cop’s attorneys.
Before his arrest in 2009, the smooth-talking, cocky Drew Peterson seemed to taunt authorities, even making jokes on talk shows and suggesting a “Win a Date With Drew” contest. Due to his notoriety, a Peterson-inspired TV movie has been made starring Rob Lowe.
“The whole world has been waiting for Drew Peterson to be convicted. They hate him. … They passed a law to get this individual,” defense attorney Joe Lopez said.
The verdict was said to be a vindication for Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow and his team, who made a gamble by putting on a case they acknowledged was filled with a lot of holes.
Attorney Glasgow drew cheers from the crowd gathered outside the courthouse.
“He was a thug,” Glasgow said of Drew Peterson. “He would threaten people because he had a gun and a badge. Nobody would take him on, but we took him on and he lost.”
As previous reports have stated, the drowning death of 40-year-old Kathleen Savio, an aspiring nurse, was initially considered as an accident — a slip in the tub. After Peterson’s fourth wife, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007, the body of Savio was exhumed, re-examined and her death reclassified as a homicide.
Drew Peterson had divorced Kathleen Savio one year before her death. Prosecutors said that the former cop’s motive for killing his wife was fear that a pending settlement — which included their $300,000 home — would wipe him out financially.