Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Drew Peterson: New Bid for Freedom?

Episode Date: October 11, 2025

Former Illinois cop Drew Peterson is still behind bars for the murder of his third wife, but his 4th wife Stacy Peterson is still missing.  Nancy digs into the case with Drew Peterson's former lawyer Joel Brodsky, Cold Case Research Institute director Sheryl McCollum, psychologist Dr. Chloe Carmichael, and reporter Robyn Walensky.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Well, it's Friday night, and it is special. A cop that murders at least two wives. Wow. And gets away with it for years and years and years. Of course, I'm talking about the sleaze bag, Drew Peterson, in the last weeks, an update in the Drew Peterson case. I'm Nancy Grace.

This is crime stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Guys, you do know Stacey Peterson, wife number four's body, has never been found. He was finally convicted in the murder of his third wife, Catholic. Catherine Savio, she was found dead, covered in bruises, head to toe, drowned in a bone-dry bathtub, and he skated on that for years until her body had to be exhumed to put his sorry rear in behind bars. Okay, get this.

Peterson was wheeled into the courtroom and wearing glasses. trying to look pitiful, claiming he needs a psychological evaluation. Well, I could have told you that on day one because he's a purve, not because he has any mental illness. Trust me on that. This is in his bid to overturn his conviction for murder one of third wife, Kathleen Savio. Okay, rewind. What happened in that case? And trust me, he's sick all right, but it does not rise to a mental illness. A police officer that married and divorced three times. His fourth wife now missing, seemingly leaving behind her home and her children.

Without a trace, that's odd, isn't it? Still no resolution in the missing person report of Stacey Peterson. With me right now, Drew Peterson's defense lawyer, Joel Brodsky, Cole Case Research Institute director, Cheryl McCollum, New York psychologist, Dr. Chloe Carmichael, and WSB reporter Robin Wollensky. Let's just kick it off with Drew Peterson, in his own words. Now, Stacey Peterson goes missing. According to those close to her, she desperately wanted a divorce.

and at the time she knew his third wife, Kathleen Savio, was murdered by Drew Peterson. Nobody else knew that. Listen to what Drew Peterson tells Dr. Phil. Well, there have been many allegations that have been made against Drew regarding Stacey

and allegation, accusation, whatever you want to call it. Now, you know, we don't know if Stacey made these claims. But I have a graphic here with some of them. First, Stacey's family says Stacy told Drew she wanted a divorce shortly before she disappeared. Is that true? No. She told me she wanted a divorce, and I hate saying this, but the reality of it, she told me she wanted divorce once a month. So you're saying it varied with her menstrual cycle? Very much so. And I'm not trying to be disrespectful. I'm being saying that, but that was a reality. There is an allegation.

or an accusation that Stacey told a neighbor, if anything happened to her, it was not an accident that Drew had killed her. Do you think that she actually said that to a neighbor? I really have to question the credibility of the neighbor because Stacey and I still, even with her difficulties, we still had a very romantic relationship. We still were together a lot. We still spent time cuddling, that type of thing. But Drew, if you had a romantic relationship, if you were still intimate and affectionate and together with one another,

how could she disappear and you not dismantle the world looking for her? I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I think I've done all that I can do and all I have the resources available to do. But that defies common sense. I mean, if you were in love with this woman, were you in love with her when she disappeared? Yes, very much so. Are you in love with her today? I try to be, but it's, I'm having, I have a lot of anger issues about it now, that she took off like she did.

She also said that, and I believe it's the same neighbor, you probably know better than I, that you always called and checked on Stacey, that you were very attentive and, in fact, it got to the point of being controlling, but that you were always calling to check up on her. We were always calling each other. Yeah. So I don't think it was a one-way thing, and I was trying, wasn't trying to be controlling. when you have a romantic relationship with somebody you're calling them all the time so it's also been alleged that stacey told her sister that she feared for her life do you believe she said that to her sister again i don't know and if she was trying to set me up for some sort of divorce or anything that might have been a way to do it in that you did have a pattern of calling each other all the time

why did you not call her the day she disappeared i did but she there was a way she didn't but she there was she wanted her space she wanted her space so that day i gave her her space because there are those obviously that say you called her because you didn't call her because you knew she couldn't answer but you're saying you didn't call her because you were given her space correct crime stories with nancy grace conviction from murder one, also threw in to the stew ineffective legal counsel. He also claims prosecutorial misconduct occurred in the case. He's basically saying, look over here at my defense attorney and the prosecutor.

Don't look at me and the two wives I've murdered. Yeah. Don't look there. Look here. Okay. This guy is not mentally ill. And if he has deteriorated behind bars, as he thinks about, has nightmares about, all the women he's murdered, that does not mean he was insane at the time of the two, excuse me, one murder.

Listen to what Drew Peterson tells Dr. Phil. Did you ever get physical with her? Did you ever attack her? Did you ever have a physical fight? There was a physical confrontation where I cornered her in the kitchen one time, and she hit me in the head with a frozen steak. but I've been a retaliate or anything. Because her step sister says that you threw Stacy down the stairs,

knocked her into the TV, and threw her across the room. That never happened. Just never happened. Never happened. Why are these people saying these things? I don't know. Unless they're trying to add some sort of fuel to the fire. You know what your stepbrother has said.

Right. That he says that he helped you move a blue barrel that it was warm to the touch. he told friends that he thought after the fact that he actually helped you move her body that didn't happen was there a blue barrel no did he come over and help you do anything move anything do anything never the day i was with him the day before and i was attempting to get him a job at a grocery store he just lost his job and he was so intoxicated or high on something that i had to cancel the interview and we couldn't follow through with it so he's not a reliable guy i would say no Well, the phone records show that you were near the Chicago sanitary and ship channel

the day she went missing. Were you there? Yes, I was driving through that area. What were you doing there? I was looking for in a couple spots I thought that she might be. I was looking for my car that she was driving. You just heard Drew Peterson talking to Dr. Phil, our friend, regarding a lot of points that are not lost on prosecutors.

My first point would be Cheryl McCollum, director of the Cold Case Research Institute, every time I would try somebody for murder or for anything for that matter, the defense attorneys would say, she's just mean because she's on a period. I mean, you know, it doesn't matter what you're doing. It's because you're on your period.

That's always what men claim. Why is that? Here's what's interesting to me, though. Every time she's on her period, all she asked for is a divorce. She's not crying, she's not fighting with him. She just wants to get the hell away from you. So that to me would be a pattern that he would need to look at,

that it's not because of her period. She wants away from you. You know, to Robin Wilensky joining me, WSB investigative reporter, Robin Wilensky, the claims that she wanted a divorce are overwhelming. But we also know that at the time she goes missing, she had been boxing up Drew Peterson's possessions to kick him out and stacking them up in the garage, Robin. Yeah, Nancy, she totally wanted out of this marriage. He's got a very, very long history of four wives, all who had their period, all who really wanted away from him.

His first wife, Carol, was married six years. She claimed he was a cheater. They got divorced. Then there was Vicky who said that he was abusing her and threatening her, allegations, of course. And she told police, you know, after Stacey disappeared, that Peterson threatened to kill her and make it look like an accident. And oh, then there was Kathleen who he was married to for 11 years, who mysteriously dies in a dry bathtub. I was there, by the way, the day they dug her up at the cemetery. And then, of course, there's Stacey, who was only 19, and Drew was, what, 49, and she wanted far away from him, period or not. broke my heart, speaking to Vicki and her daughter, learning about life with Drew Peterson. But that's a whole other can of worms.

Dr. Chloe Carmichael, New York psychologist, joining me, founder of AnxietyTools.com. Dr. Chloe, isn't it true statistically, when women that have been abused try to leave the relationship or get pregnant, that's the highest incidence of their murders? Yes, Nancy. Of course, it's absolutely true because what that does is it provokes anger on the part of the person that they're attempting to leave, which is why I actually think it's very interesting that this gentleman said that he was actually very angry with her. He says that he was angry because she left, which may have even been what she was planning

to do, but of course we don't know that she left and really neither does he. And so it's very unusual for someone whose spouse is missing to suddenly just say that they're angry with the person for leaving because anger puts more distance between us. And when you genuinely miss your spouse and didn't want them gone, it's actually difficult to even connect with any feelings of anger, even if they're appropriate. So the fact that he's jumping to anger with her in the case of someone who is at best case missing, I think it's. It's very unusual and so much suspicious. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. In the last days, convicted killer Drew Peterson is back in a Will County courtroom, having himself rolled in in a wheelchair. Oh, okay.

Wearing glasses. Okay. claiming he needs psychological evaluation. He may be a sex addict, but that does not rise to a mental illness. He may be a two-time stone cold killer, maybe more for all I know, but he is not mentally ill. The only illness he has is in his underwear. Okay? Now, this is what happened.

With me right now, you know his name very well, renowned. Chicago defense attorney Joel Brodsky. Let's just say this isn't our first time in the boxing ring. Joel Brodsky defending Drew Peterson at trial. His longtime defender, Joel Brodsky, well now hold a minute. I've seen many a photo of Drew Peterson and for him to say the only physical incident they ever had was when she, Stacey, hit him in the head with a frozen steak. How'd you do that? Stand on a ladder. He towers over her. Yeah, I mean, he would, he was, his position was he never was physically violent with any of his wives. And he would always, his excuse always was that, well, if I, as a police officer, committed domestic battery, I'd lose my job.

So I would never do that. But, you know, Drew was a, you know, trained, trained Swat, Twain Army officer. You know, if he wanted to resort to violence, he could, you know, do it in a way that wouldn't leave. Marks. He was an expert at that, you know, from all the training and the department and the army that he had. You know, I know that there was, with Kathy, I know that there was evidence of some physical altercations, nothing, you know, where there's. Well, you sure know how to put perfume on the pig? What do you mean by physical altercations with Kathleen Sawyer, later found dead, drowned in a dry bathtub? What do you mean physical altercations? Tercation. You mean he beat her up?

No, they had a fight that was on, actually it was on videotape. Stacey actually taped it. You know, Kathy was a very you know, very I went vivacious. I mean, she wouldn't back down from anything. So they

went at it, but Drew was obviously so much physically stronger. He pinned her to the ground. And then the police came and charged them both with battery, kind of cross charges. but you know there was no evidence of him ever by breaking bones or causing bloody noses or anything like that okay well wait hold on just a moment Cheryl McCollum have I lost my mind I mean Cheryl you know that for nine years I volunteered at the battered women's center at night when I was prosecuting absolutely do you hear

Joel Brodsky still defending Drew Peterson he says well there was never a broken bone but oh yeah he pinned her to the ground that was caught on video Hello? It'll be a cold day in H-E-W-L. My husband pins me to the ground, and the police are not called, okay? That ain't going to happen. Cheryl, what happened? I feel like I went down the rabbit hole.

Here's the deal. The devil takes many forms, and the reality is a 19-year-old girl was married to a 49-year-old man, and that was nothing about but control, and he abused his money with her, his emotions with her, his sex with her, his physical being with her. There's no doubt that every one of his four wives was abused in some way. Drew was not about to let anybody get his money. Well, yeah. They weren't going to touch his retirement.

Yeah, Drew. Okay, jump in, Joel. Drew was very controlling, very control. I mean, there's no question. He was very controlling of all his wives. They all said that. He would monitor them electronically, follow them. Wait, whoa, whoa, wait.

You mean the GPS tracker I've got on my husband is wrong? Just kidding. Okay. That's not true. Why did I say that? Joel Broski, what is the defense for Drew Peterson? His wife, Stacey, just goes missing. And another thing that he said, we just heard him tell Dr. Phil, was the brother-in-law, was a drinker.

He was this. He was that. That didn't happen. He didn't help him get rid of Stacey's. body in a blue cooler but they were caught on video together yeah that night that night driving through a starbucks so yes the night stacey goes missing so how can he say they weren't together i've watched the video yeah the video uh i don't don't think that was before uh he gave that interview before any charges had been brought so um we never he had never seen the video at that point

he didn't know they had that of joel you know what you should consider professional dancing because you just danced around. I'm going to call Dancing with the Stars. You need to be there, buddy. Joel, I didn't ask you, did the Starbucks video come to light after his statement to Dr. Phil? You're just saying, yeah, he lied

because he didn't know about the video. That's what you're saying. I mean, he obviously lied because he didn't know he had been caught. You know, if you knew about the video, he would have altered the story in some way, I'm sure. Made up a different lie, Joel. How do you stand yourself?

help me out i'm trying not to use such direct language but yeah i'm sure he wouldn't have said that if he knew that there was evidence to the contrary uh but you know drew was building uh was making this uh trying to tell a consistent story about what happened to stacey to keep with that his position that she ran away that was his his story from day one uh that she ran off with some other guy that's true joel he's never wavered in his story robin walensky wsb let's start at the beginning. We know she married him when she's 19. He's 40-something. What happened around the time of Stacey's disappearance? As of right now, today, she has never been seen again. The theory of Drew Peterson and his lawyer with us right now, high-profile lawyer out of Chicago,

Joel Broski, is that she took off to be with her boyfriend. So what happened? Tell me the events around her disappearance, Robin. Well, she was very angry. She wanted out of the marriage. And, you know, the one thing we have not mentioned so far, Nancy, is the fact that she was so, Stacey was super petite. And she could have fit in that barrel very easily. And there were reports at the time when I was out in Bowling Brook

that he had access to a small plane. And there was one theory that the Bolingbrook police and detectives were working on at the time, that he had flown the plane and that he could have dropped the barrel into a forest area. And there were many searches at the time looking for that barrel. It had never been found in the forest, never been found in any body of water. But she clearly, Nancy, could have fit in that barrel. They had a very tumultuous relationship. She wanted out.

And the next thing you know, she disappeared. She disappeared and has never been seen again. FYI, right now, we know that money has run dry. And Stacey's sister has actually launched an effort to raise money. on a GoFundMe site to continue the search for Stacy Peterson's body. Her sister also, like me, believes that Stacy is dead. Go to GoFundMe and look for Help Me bring Stacy Peterson home. Help me bring Stacy Peterson home at GoFundMe.

Now what we do know, now Joel Brodsky, his defense lawyer, is not going to admit to this. Former defense lawyer, is that his brother-in-law, from one of his other marriages showed up, was called over to Peterson's home that night and helped him carry a very heavy blue cooler out that was warm to the touch. And to this day, that brother-in-law, who later tried to commit suicide,

says he thinks he unwittingly helped dispose of Stacey's body. Her disappearance and or death still unresolved. Drew Peterson's bid to, overturn his conviction for murder one. In his court filing, claims Peterson is, quote, incapable of relaying his allegations of constitutional deprivations, probably because there were no constitutional deprivations. That is why he is incapable of relaying them. Oh, he can't explain them, quote, to his legal team in a manner that would allow them to, quote, adequately and

ethically submit claims. Because there are no claims. Have you thought of that? Now, according to this appeal, the defense attorney believes a former judge who found no doubt as to Peterson's mental fitness was, quote, clearly in error. Right. I guess you want the judge to believe you and not his her lying eyes. Now the lawyers are spending our tax money, by the way, to seek a, quote, more specialized psychological expert to evaluate Peterson. Okay, good luck with that. I just want to remind you, his wife, Stacy Peterson, who was just 23 at the time she vanished, has never been found, and he hasn't been tried for that. You know, it just never ends with this guy. We wait as justice unfolds.

Good night, friend. This is an I-Heart podcast.