Tag Archives: Drew Peterson

Drew Peterson defense expected to begin calling witnesses

CHESTER, Ill. (AP) — Lawyers for former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson are expected to start calling witnesses at his trial on murder-for-hire charges.

Peterson is accused of trying to hire someone while in prison to kill former Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, who helped convict Peterson in 2012 of killing Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio, eight years earlier. The state Supreme Court is reviewing the conviction.

Peterson is serving a 38-year sentence, but could get another 60 years if he’s convicted in the murder-for-hire case.

Among the evidence prosecutors presented were secret recordings of Peterson talking with a prison informant.

Savio’s death was initially deemed accidental. Glasgow reopened the case after the 2007 disappearance of Stacy Peterson, Peterson’s 23-year-old fourth wife. Peterson was never charged in her disappearance but told the informant he worried that Glasgow would eventually do so.

 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Big John Howell Show Notes 5-24-16

Governor Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Mike Madigan met with other party leaders in Springfield to try and find some common ground in the long running budget battle. There are nine days left to go in the legislative session, so the pressure is on to come to some sort of agreement. Governor Bruce Rauner joined John to talk about the status of the negotiations. (Listen here)

A fellow inmate says Drew Peterson admitted to killing his wife, and also asked for help to hire a hit man to kill James Glasgow. The testimony came from Antonio “Beast” Smith, who is serving 40 years for attempted murder, home invasion and robbery.

The parking meters and garages in Chicago took in $156 million in 2015. The city didn’t see any of that money, thanks to Mayor Daley. Chris Fusco from the Sun Times joined John to talk about the fallout from the parking meter deal. (Listen here)

The two candidates likely to square off in November’s general election are both disliked or even hated by roughly six in 10 Americans, according to the results of the latest weekly NBC News/SurveyMonkey tracking poll out Tuesday. Fox News contributor Juan Williams with The Hill says that the electoral math in 2016 is not in Donald Trump’s favor. (Listen here)

Big John Howell Book Recommendations:

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald says they shouldn’t worry about wait times, because Disneyland has long wait times. People on both sides of the aisle immediately began to register their disgust, including Illinois Senator Mark Kirk.

Hillary Clinton is asking a question that most of America has probably thought of during the current election cycle: How could Donald Trump lose money running a casino? Doesn’t the house always win?

If Hillary Clinton is elected President and is ultimately found guilty of some wrong-doing in the email scandal, Clinton could conceivably pardon herself.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has released a new ad featuring Juanita Broderick and Kathleen Willey. The black and white spot runs for about 20 seconds and includes quotes from a 1999 interview on ‘Dateline.’

A Chicago chihuahua got a foot stuck in a bathtub drain — and it took 16 firefighters two hours to set the pooch free. That group of firefighters will now receive an award from PETA for saving the dog, a 5-year-old named Moky.

The San Diego Padres apologized to a gay choir, whose members said they were humiliated following a bungled performance of the national anthem before a game. The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus was brought in to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” before the team’s matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on Saturday. A recording of the choir was supposed to play over the loudspeakers, but a recording of a woman singing the anthem sounded instead.

North Korean dictator Kim Jung-Un is looking for a few good men, to date his sister. He is holding a contest to find a husband for his unmarried sister. If you win, you get a fairy tale wedding to the sister of the Supreme Leader of Best Korea. If you lose, you get a front row seat to their next nuclear test.

Opening statements launch Peterson murder-for-hire trial

CHESTER, Ill. (AP) — Opening statements are to begin in the murder-for-hire trial of Drew Peterson, the former suburban Chicago police officer accused of plotting to kill the state’s attorney who prosecuted Peterson in his third wife’s death.

Attorneys are scheduled to make their opening statements Monday as jury selection wraps up.

Sixty-two-year-old Drew Peterson was convicted in 2012 of first-degree murder in the 2004 death of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio. His fourth wife, Stacey Peterson, has been missing since 2007.

Drew Peterson is now charged with soliciting a fellow inmate to find someone to kill Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow.

Peterson faces a sentence of up to 60 years if convicted of both solicitation of murder for hire along with solicitation of murder. He is serving 38 years for Savio’s death.

 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Drew Peterson charged with trying to hire hitman to kill prosecutor

                                                 Drew Peterson / photo credit Illinois Department of Corrections         

(Chicago)  Convicted wife killer Drew Peterson appeared in a downstate courtroom Monday morning on charges of trying to arrange a murder-for-hire-plot against a southwest suburban prosecutor.

Peterson, 61, is charged with solicitation of murder for hire, and solicitation of murder for the plot he tried to carry out between September 2013 and December 2014 against Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office.

He appeared in Randolph County Court Monday morning and is next scheduled to appear March 3, a statement from state prosecutors said.

Both crimes are Class X felonies. The murder-for-hire charge carries a mandatory prison term of at least 20 years, and the solicitation charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years, prosecutors said.

“I have absolute faith in law enforcement and our criminal justice system to handle this case appropriately.” Glasgow said in a written statement.

“It is unfortunate that prosecutors sometimes must deal with allegations of this nature. However, in no way will a threat to my personal safety deter me from the important work I perform,” Glasgow said.

Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police officer, was convicted in 2012 of killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio. His fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007, and has not been found.

He is serving a 38-year sentence at the Menard Correctional Center in southwest Illinois, where he has been moved to a higher security unit that is “more appropriate, given the charges filed today,” Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Tom Shaer said in an email.

“Inmates in the unit where Offender Peterson now resides are much more restricted, in numerous ways, than those housed in other areas,” Shaer said.

Glasgow was scheduled to make a statement on the charges at 3 p.m. at his office in Joliet.

A spokesman for the Randolph County state’s attorney referred questions to the attorney general’s office.

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