Charges coming in Peterson case?
State's attorney expects 'resolution,' Drew just shrugs
To mark the year that has passed since Stacy Peterson vanished, her sister and closest relatives will mourn privately, while neighbors hold a memorial vigil.
Drew Peterson has different plans for Tuesday: He's going on TV to talk about the disappearance of his fourth wife -- and the mysterious 2004 drowning death of his third wife.
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
"I'm not going to be here. I'm going to do some New York show," said Peterson, the former Bolingbrook cop who has been named the sole suspect in Stacy's disappearance but has continued to insist in media interviews that his 23-year-old wife voluntarily left him for another man.
But a year later, Will County authorities abruptly have signalled that some charges may be coming in Stacy Peterson's disappearance or Savio's death, which initially was classified an accident. After Stacy's disappearance, authorities exhumed Savio's body, conducted a second autopsy and labeled her bathtub drowning a homicide.
Calling the investigations into the two cases "highly productive," Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow last week said he expected to conclude one of the probes shortly.
"I fully expect there to be a resolution in at least one of these investigations in the near future," Glasgow said in a written statement.
A key issue in filing charges could be new legislation Glasgow is pushing that would allow so-called "hearsay evidence" from absent witnesses to be presented in murder trials. The proposed law Glasgow is backing would allow a judge to determine whether previous statements made by a witness -- even a murder victim -- could be admitted as trial evidence if prosecutors prove the defendant is responsible for the witness not being able to testify personally.
Both Savio and Stacy Peterson reportedly told friends they feared Drew Peterson --statements prosecutors conceivably could use against him if the hearsay bill becomes law later this year.
Their relatives remain upbeat that they ultimately will see criminal charges filed.
"I know something is coming," Stacy's sister Cassandra Cales said. "The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they're going to turn."
Savio's sister, Anna Doman, thinks charges in her sister's death aren't far off.
"This is gonna happen, I'm just not sure when," Doman said.
Peterson, who denies any wrongdoing, shrugged off Glasgow's efforts to enact the hearsay law and his recent pronouncement that he expects action soon in at least one of the cases.
"I'm just kind of numb to it all," said Peterson.
Attorney Joel Brodsky tied Glasgow's recent statements to his upcoming, contested Nov. 4 election and flatly predicted Peterson doesn't have to worry about standing trial.
"He's not going to be charged in either case," Brodsky said.