Murder In America - EP. 91 ILLINOIS - Drew Peterson (PT 2): The Killer Cop

Episode Date: December 2, 2022

Throughout his life, Drew Peterson was known as a womanizer, a fact that would eventually lead to the divorce from his third wife, Kathleen Savio, after his affair with 17-year-old Stacy Cales came to light. During Drew and Kathleen’s tumultuous divorce, and coincidentally right before an important court date, Kathleen was found dead in her bathtub. Initially ruled as an accidental drowning, it wouldn't be until Drew’s fourth wife - the same Stacy Cales he had an affair with - went missing that Kathleen’s death would be ruled a homicide. Follow us on this episode as we talk about Kathleen’s murder, Stacy’s disappearance, and the huge media frenzy surrounding this entire story. This is part two of the story of Drew Peterson, the killer cop of Illinois, and you are listening to Murder in America. - Don’t miss your chance for massive savings on an award-winning security system. Get 40% off any new system at simplisafe.com/state today. -  Try Audible free for 30 days! Visit Audible.com/state or text STATE to 500500. - Stay Connected:  Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook: (will eventually link to your Facebook Page) Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode is sponsored by Hocum, the new film that critics are calling Damian McCarthy's most unnerving horror yet. From the director of Oddity, Hocom stars Adam Scott, in a deeply monstrous horror that bloody disgusting called pure nightmare fuel that holds you firmly in its grip. Don't miss Hocom, the groundbreaking new horror from Damian McCarthy, now playing in theaters. This episode is sponsored by Better Help. is a journey. I know this. I think we all know this. Some days feel good and other days feel absolutely overwhelming. Whatever's keeping you up at night, it's easy sometimes to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. But the truth is, nobody has all the answers. And no journey should be taken alone. However, having someone with you to listen, to understand,

and to support you can make all the difference. I know that I'm a huge therapy advocate I've advocated for therapy for years. And if you want to give therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great place to start. Better help therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S. BetterHelp also does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences, and their 12-plus years of experience and industry-leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. And something that I love is if you aren't happy with your therapist match, you can switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored recommendations. I've personally

used BetterHelp in the past and I think that if you're on the edge, if you're thinking maybe it's time to start therapy, I say just go ahead and do it. There's literally no downside because you don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com slash MIA. That's BetterHELP.com slash MIA. I really love to get dressed up every once in a while when I'm going out with my girlfriends or on a date night with Colin. But lately I've been trying to be more intentional with my everyday wear, and I've found that the best options that work for me are good quality, effortless pieces that will last me forever, and they still look cute, which is why Quince has always been my go-to. The thing I love about Quince is that all of their

fabrics feel elevated. Their clothing always fits me perfectly, and I can just throw on anything from theirs, and it looks so put together, but it's so effortless. Now that the spring season, is upon us. Quince makes it so easy to refresh your wardrobe with spring pieces that feel as good as they look. I love that they always use premium materials like 100% European linen, organic cotton, and ultra-soft denim. And everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They also work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality and craftsmanship, not the brand markup. I recently, have been on the hunt for a good denim skirt. And so I went to Quince and I ordered their

stretched denim mini skirt and I am absolutely obsessed with it. It is so cute. I've already worn it several times. I have made a ton of different outfits with it. And I could not believe the price of it. I actually had to go back and double check it because it is such good quality. I could not believe how affordable it was. But that's been my experience with everything I've gotten from Quince. They are so affordable and their items are amazing, and I know you will love them too. So refresh your every day with luxury that you'll actually use. Head to quince.com slash America for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too.

That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash America for free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash America. The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. In last week's episode, we talked about the infamous Bowlingbrook police officer, Drew Peterson. Throughout his life, he was known for being a crooked cop and a womanizer. In 2004, he and his third wife Kathleen Savio were going through a nasty and tumultuous divorce.

After she found out, he was having an affair with a 17-year-old named Stacey Kales. After the divorce, Drew and Stacey would go on to get married. But the fights with his ex-wife Kathleen only seemed to escalate. And then one day, right before an important court date, Kathleen was found dead in her bathtub, murdered by her ex-husband. At first, her death was rolled in accident, and it wouldn't be investigated as a murder until years later, when Drew Peterson's fourth wife, Stacey, mysteriously disappeared. Follow us on this episode as we talk about Kathleen Savio's murder, Stacey Peterson's disappearance, in the huge media frenzy surrounding this entire case. This is the story of the killer cop Drew Peterson.

I'm Courtney Browne. And I'm Colin Browne. And you're listening to Murder in America. Maine's autopsy would prove to be the exact opposite of what actually happened. The first autopsy report found that her death was at around 2.20 p.m. 5 hours before Drew entered the home with the neighbors. This would end up being a mistake. The post-mortem exam for Kathleen was on March.

2nd 2004. And the pathologist, Dr. Brian Mitchell, who worked for Will County, determined her death to be caused by drowning. During the autopsy, water was found in her sinuses and there was damage to her lungs. Her hair was damp when she was brought in, so Dr. Mitchell determined it was an accidental drowning. But interestingly enough, there was no water in the bathtub when her body was found, so he suggested it might have been drained after she died. There was also a laceration found on her scalp and multiple bruises all over her body. But Dr. Mitchell determined that the laceration must have been from her falling and hitting her head before she was submerged in the water. And for whatever reason, he didn't make any notes regarding the bruising on her body.

His final conclusion read, In consideration of the circumstances surrounding her death, the available medical history and autopsy findings, the death of this 40-year-old white female, Karen Savio, is ascribed to drowning. The laceration to the posterior scalp may have been related to, a fall in which she struck her head. There was never any mention of murder in Kathleen's death, although her family was highly suspicious of Drew. Two weeks after her body was discovered, Drew went to court to gain full custody of their children. Child support payments stopped, and everything that was divided between the two and the divorce would now all go to Drew.

There was also a $1 million life insurance policy for Kathleen that would go to to her sons in the event of her death. It was all very convenient for Drew Peterson. Before her death, he was set to lose a lot, and now all of his problems mysteriously disappeared overnight. Drew was obviously questioned about Kathleen's death, especially since he was there during the discovery of her body. But it was not at all a formal interview. In fact, he was actually questioned in the break room of the police station instead of an interrogation room. They also talked to Stacey Peterson who claimed that Drew had been with her the entire night of Kathleen's murder.

It couldn't have been him because she was his alibi. And it's important to mention that during Stacey's questioning, Drew sat directly beside her throughout the entire thing, which is definitely against protocol. Stacey should have been questioned alone, like any other person would in that situation. But again, they didn't have to follow the rules because Drew was one of their own. He got special treatment. So with this and the autopsy ruling that Kathleen died by accidental drowning, the investigation of Kathleen Savio's death was over with,

and Drew Peterson got everything he wanted. After Kathleen's death, Drew and Stacey continued their day-to-day lives, and they even welcomed a daughter in January of 2005. They named her Lacey after Stacey's sister who passed away from SIDS. Drew's children with Kathleen, Thomas and Christopher, came to live with them at Six Fessent Chase Court, and they seemed to be one big happy family. Around this time, Stacey befriended her neighbor, Sharon Bikowski, and a Vaughn's saleswoman with grown adult children. Sharon would later tell police that Stacey was a loving mother. to all the children, including Christopher and Thomas. Despite her young age, having children matured Stacy and she really seemed to grow into the mom role. Her family was her life. Now, Sharon was well

aware of Kathleen's death, and she said that shortly after she died, Drew cracked a joke about it, saying, it was ruled an accident. That was close. And if you knew Drew, you'd know that this was his type of humor. And you'll get to see a little bit of it and the audio clips we'll use here in a little bit. But Sharon did not find it funny. She wasn't a huge fan of Drew. She wasn't a huge fan of Drew, but she and Stacey became really close from 2004 to 2007. Stacey looked up to her as a mentor and a confidant. Stacey told her about the affair and how she would spend nights with him in the basement. She told Sharon about her rough childhood and how her half-sister Tina had been a mother figure

to her growing up. It was still in the early years of her and Drew's marriage, so she didn't complain about him much. She was still very happy. He took her and the kids on trips to Disney World, Mexico, and California, and he provided for them. Drew also spent money on himself, buying all sorts of guns, motorcycles, campers, and ultralight aircrafts. These were his toys, and he had the financial freedom to splurge since Kathleen was out

of the picture. Stacey also had expensive cosmetic surgeries, including breast implants, LASic eye surgery, liposuction, and a tummy tuck, to which Drew had no problem paying for if it meant his wife would look prettier and younger. The Peterson's were living life how they wanted to, but things would not stay that way forever. According to Sharon and close friends of the family, the main issues in their marriage were Stacy's spending habits. And the fact that Drew was a jealous man. She was youthful, attractive, vibrant, and definitely out of Drew's league. Drew was in his 50s, and he was well aware that his wife was a catch.

He also thought that Stacy was a big flirt, which bothered him. If he ever caught Stacey even looking at a man, he would become enraged and accuse her of cheating on him. Even though he was the admitted womanizer who cheated on nearly every woman he ever dated. Isn't it crazy how that works? Drew's insecurity only seemed to grow stronger as their relationship went on. And eventually he was obsessing over her every move. Drew would constantly call her throughout the day, demanding to know where she was. He was controlling and manipulative, and Stacey was getting tired of it.

The first big stressful event that would rock the Peterson marriage was in September of 2006 when Stacey's half-sister Tina passed away from cancer. Like we mentioned, Tina was like a mother to Stacey, and they had been extremely close throughout her life. So Stacey took her death very hard. After Tina's funeral, she stayed behind with Tina's husband at her casket to say one final goodbye. But seeing this, Drew got angry and accused Stacey of having sex with her brother-in-law. She was so angry that Drew would even say something like that during her time of morning. After the funeral, Stacey's Aunt Candice came to stay with her. And that night, she asked her aunt if she could lay in bed with her to comfort her while she grieved.

But while the two lay there crying over the death of their family member, Drew kept coming into the room, upset that Stacey wasn't sleeping with him. And these two things seemed to really open Stacey's eyes to the fact that her husband was a toxic man. And soon enough, she started confiding in people that she was thinking of divorce. But before Stacey was dead set on leaving Drew, she did try to make it work. The two even signed up for couples counseling through a local church, but it didn't seem to help very much. Drew was stubborn in his ways, and she could tell that he was never going to change.

Stacey spoke to her aunt, Candice, sometime in the later months of 2007, and she seemed stressed. She said that Drew was constantly accusing her of things. He wouldn't let her go to places on her own, and she felt trapped. So, by 2007, she was making plans to leave. She even talked about moving to California or Arizona, and she was going to take the children with her, including his two kids with Kathleen, Christopher and Thomas. But Stacey also knew Drew reacted when it came to divorce. She saw it firsthand with his previous wife, Kathleen.

And look how that ended. But despite what she was up against, Stacey knew that their marriage was meeting its end, and she was fearing for the worst. According to her neighbor, Sharon, Stacey had told her on multiple occasions, If I'm missing, it's not by accident. He killed me. In the months leading up to October of 2007, Stacey started telling more of her close friends about her plans to leave Drew.

She even reached out to a divorce attorney named Harry Smith, who happened to be the same attorney Kathleen Savio used for her divorce to Drew Peterson. It's also around this time where it seemed that Stacey had a guilty conscience. something she needed to get off her chest. So she met up with her marriage counselor and the pastor of their church, Neil Shory. Neil had absolutely no idea what Stacey had to say, and there was nothing that could have prepared him for it. But once they sat down, Stacey took a deep breath and said,

He did it. Neil was confused and asked her to elaborate, to which Stacey says, he killed Kathleen. Over the next few minutes, Stacey talks to her minister about how on the night of Kathleen's death, she woke up to find that Drew wasn't in bed, and it wasn't until later when he returned home and confessed that he had killed her. Stacey said that she lied to the police about his whereabouts that night because she

was scared of what he might do to her if she said something. Here is Neil describing that conversation. Yeah, so after meeting with Stacey five or six times over about 18 months, the very last meeting that I had with her at a Starbucks, just right outside in a cafe, she told me that Drew had killed Kathleen and made it look like an accident and then gave me a lot of details that really confirmed to me, like absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt that what she was saying was true.

So that was a pretty big turning point in my life, but also to hold that information that she asked me to hold for her. And then for her to disappear two months later, it really, it was a really huge, just a monumental size shift. Pastor Neil Shory had no idea what to do with this information. And I don't know the laws about confessions with ministers and whether or not they have to go to the authorities with this kind of stuff, but Neil Shory didn't tell anyone about this until much later, until it was far too late. But in the meantime, after Stacey got home and told Drew that she had met with their counselor, he was pissed. He thought that the two were having an affair. Drew would later say in the book Fatal Vows. All I know for sure is, Stacey had a big crush on him. Every time she went to

see him, she was all dolled up, all sexied up. Drew also said that Stacey would ride past the church on her motorcycle wearing a bikini to catch the minister's attention. But the relationship between Stacey and Neil was only speculation on Drew's part. It didn't have any merit. However, it was discovered later on that Stacey was involved with another man named Scott Rosetto, who was from Stacy's past. We don't know if they had dated before, but they did know each other before her relationship with Drew Peterson. Scott would later say that Stacey had reached out to him around this time wanting to catch up. She had talked with him about her marital problems and how she wanted to divorce. Investigators would later find flirty text messages between the two, and there's speculation

that it went even further than texting. But those messages were never released to the public, so we don't know. What we do know is that Stacey and Scott eventually met up at Adennes, and Drew followed her there while he was on duty, and he actually sat down at their table for a good 15 minutes, menacingly staring at his wife the entire time. And according to Scott, he didn't say much as he sat with them at the table, but at one point he asked him, how would you feel if your wife went off with another guy? Scott would later admit to investigators that during this time, he and Stacey did send some sexual texts back and forth,

but he wasn't trying to get in the middle of their relationship. Drew and Stacey Peterson's marriage was coming down quickly. His wife had been distant. She even started talking to other men, and Drew sensed that she was slipping through his fingers. A divorce was on the heart. horizon, his fourth divorce, might I add. And he wasn't going to let that happen, because before Stacey could leave him, she vanished, never to be seen again. In the early morning hours

of October 28, 2007, Drew Peterson said he got off duty at around 4 a.m. and went straight home. By his account, Stacey woke up when he arrived and told him she was. leaving in a few hours to go help her sister's friend named Bruce, Payna's house. Then at 9 a.m. he watched Stacey leave the home and he went back to sleep. But according to Bruce, the friend she was going to help, that's not at all what happened. Bruce said that Stacey called him at about 10 a.m. saying she was still in bed but that she was going to get up soon, meet her sister, and then head over to his place to paint. But after a few hours, Bruce could not get in contact with Stacy. He called her over and over again, but there was no answer. So Drew Peterson is

saying that Stacy had left their home by 9 a.m. that morning, but we know that isn't true because Stacy's neighbor and friend Sharon said that she left her home that morning at around 9.30, and Stacey and Drew's cars were still in the driveway, meaning Stacey couldn't have left at 9. Now, 30 minutes is not a huge discrepancy, and right off the bat, it's not that suspicious, but what is interesting is that their neighbor, Sharon, called the Peterson residence after this to talk to Stacey.

But Drew answered the phone and said she was visiting her grandfather at a nursing home. A few hours later, Drew asked Sharon if she could watch the kids while he ran some errands, and of course, she agreed. What Drew was doing during this time is a mystery. because just 15 minutes later, at 1.30 p.m., he pulls his car back into the driveway and brings his kids back home. Sharon called Stacey again at 2 p.m., but her phone went straight to voicemail, which was very out of character. She would later say, when she's gone, she never turned her cell off, ever. Here at Murder in America, we believe home should be where you and your family feel the safest,

especially during the holiday season. So, this season, give yourself and your family the gift of peace and protection with the number one-rated home security system, SimplySafe. And right now, SimplySafe is offering murder in America listeners 40% off a new security system. But don't put this off. Here's why Courtney and I love it. SimplySafe is awesome. They have so many different features that come with their technology, like the ability to detect when movement is being caused by an animal or a home intruder. It's awesome how advanced the technology is. And Simplicef was named the best home security system of 2022 by US News and World Report for a third year in a row.

In an emergency, 24-7 professional monitoring agents used fast protect technology exclusively from SimpliSafe to capture critical evidence and verify if the threat is real, so you can expect a priority police response. SimplySafe is whole home security, with advanced sensors for every room window and door, H.C. Security cameras for inside and out, and like I said before, smarter ways to detect motion that alert you only when a threat is real. Simpliceaf even uses technology like hazard sensors that can detect fires, flow, and other threats to your home. Their 24-7 professional monitoring service costs under a dollar a day, which is less than half the price of ADT's traditional professionally installed system. And you can install SimplySafe on your own. There's no professional setup required.

And with the top-rated Simpli-Safe app, stay in complete control of your system anytime, anywhere. Arm or disarm, unlock for a guest, access your cameras, or adjust system settings from anywhere on the planet. So don't miss your chance for massive savings on our favorite security system, SimplySafe. Get 40% off any new system at simplysafe.com slash state today. That's S-I-M-P-L-I-S-A-F-E.com slash state.

There's no safe like SimplySafe. And now let's get back to today's story. Her sister Cassandra tried to contact her that day too. But Stacey never answered. She said at around 2 p.m. It was just going straight to voicemail. Then a few hours later, her phone was turned on, but it just rang and rang with no answer.

So that night, Cassandra decides to drive to her sister's house, where she sees that both Stacey and Drew's cars are not in the driveway. She ends up talking to Christopher Drew's son, who says that the two got into a fight, left the house, and haven't returned since. And it was there where Cassandra immediately knew something horrible had happened to Stacey. So she called Drew to confront him, but he gave her the same story. She had left after their fight and he didn't know where she was. He also told Cassandra that he was currently at his house,

but she knew this was a lie because she had just been there and he was gone. After their phone call, Cassandra knew she had to file a missing person's report, but she had a feeling that the Bowlingbrook PD wouldn't take her seriously. So instead, she decided to call the Downers Grove Police Department, which was a neighboring county. But due to the jurisdiction of where Stacey was located, they sent the call back to Bolingbrook, and Cassandra's gut instinct had been right. The Bolingbrook police weren't concerned about Stacey Peterson. The officer told Cassandra to go back to Stacey's house and check and see if her car was still in the driveway.

Cassandra reiterated that she had just left the home and it wasn't there. But still, they tell Cassandra to go back to the home and check on the car. She felt really odd about the interaction, but she wasn't completely shocked by their lack of compassion. Feeling hopeless, Cassandra decided to drive back to Stacey's home anyways and, what do you know? Her sister's car was there, parked in the driveway. But there was still no sign of Stacey. How did the police know that her car would be there? Cassandra didn't know what her next steps were going to be

as she sat outside of her sister's house in the early hours of October 29, 2007. But she decided to pick up her phone and call Drew once again. This time, Drew told her that Stacey wasn't coming home and that she had left him for another man. But Cassandra was not buying this story. Stacey had never talked about another man. And seeing that her car was sitting in the driveway,

she knew Drew wasn't telling the truth, knowing that the Bolingbrook Police Department was never going to be on her side. Cassandra calls the Illinois State Police instead, and it was here, where the investigation of Stacey Peterson's disappearance began. The next day, October 29th at around 8.30 p.m., the Peterson's neighbor, Sharon, heard their doorbell ring. She expected the visitor to be Stacey because when Stacey came over, she would

ring the doorbell and just walk into the house. But it wasn't Stacey. It was her husband, Drew, and he was frantic. He grabbed Sharon by the arm, leading her over to his house, and he said he needed to speak to her right away. Sharon kept asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell her. Sharon noticed on her way over that both Drew and Stacey's cars were in the driveway, and once they were standing in the Peterson household, Drew tells Sharon that Stacy had left him. At first, Sharon wasn't that surprised. Stacey had been talking about leaving Drew for a while now, but then she thought about the children. When Drew said that they were upstairs, Sharon immediately knew something wasn't right. Yeah, Stacey wanted to leave. But she always, always,

talked about bringing the kids with her. She would never have left without them. Drew went on to tell Sharon that before Stacey left, she took $25,000 from their safe and went on a shopping spree. But Sharon knew about the $25,000 because Stacey had told her that she used the money to pay off a home equity line of credit. So when it was time for a divorce, they would only have to divide up assets, not liabilities. Sharon didn't share that. She already knew that information. As Sharon walked back home that morning, she couldn't help but think. that Drew had something to do with Stacy's disappearance. After all, Stacey had been telling her that if anything were to happen to her, Drew was responsible. She had a gut feeling

that something wasn't right. Stacey was so devoted to her children, and there was just no way she would have left without them. Later in the day, her sister Cassandra arrived at Sharon's doorstep to ask her if she had heard what was going on. on with Stacy. Cassandra was an emotional wreck, and she kept repeating, he killed her, he killed her. Soon enough, the entire town of Bolingbrook got word of Stacy's disappearance. And almost immediately, everyone knew who was responsible. The first wife's death was suspicious enough, but now this, And when the media heard of the mother of two who vanished and how her husband's previous wife died a suspicious death, it didn't take long for Stacey's story to become a national headline.

Soon enough, the once calm middle-class neighborhood of Bollingbrook was now swarmed with reporters. And this made Drew Peterson nervous. In the early days of the investigation of his wife's disappearance, he mostly stayed in door. occasionally peeking an eye through the blinds. It was becoming clear that he wasn't going to get away with it this time. And while the media was going crazy, Stacey's family was worried sick. That Halloween, her children spent the holiday worried about their mother. And by November 1st, when they still hadn't heard from her,

everyone knew she was probably never going to come home. That day, the Illinois State Police had taken Drew Peterson in for questioning, and they served a search warrant on his home. Drew even started making plans for where his kids would go in the event he was arrested. When detectives questioned him, he said that Stacey called him on the night of her disappearance and told him she was leaving him for another man. And he even said that she gave him the location of where he could find her car. And that's how her vehicle ended up back at his house later that night. And this didn't make a lot of sense because if Stacey was running away with another man, you would think she would at least want her car with her.

Now, Drew would eventually take a polygraph, and even though he had knowledge on how to pass one, his results still showed deception on three separate questions. When was the last time you saw Stacey? Where is Stacey located? And what happened on the phone call where she told you she was leaving? But a deceptive polygraph isn't enough to arrest someone. So there wasn't much they could do.

And usually in these types of investigations, the police will hold people up to 72 hours. But not Drew. After they had seized his cars and other possessions, from his home, he was released back after a couple hours to be with his children. And Drew stuck to his story that Stacey ran off to be with another man. He even flat out said that she followed in her mother's footsteps and abandoned her family. But Stacey's family knew that this just wasn't true. Stacey worked hard to be a present hands-on mother and to make sure her children had a stable upbringing, something she never had as a child. It was her life's mission to give

her kids a better life because she knew firsthand how difficult it was to grow up without a mother. Drew was trying to create this image of Stacy being a selfish woman who didn't appreciate her life and that she ran off in pursuit of something better. But that just wasn't the case. and everyone knew it. But in the meantime, all they could do was try and find her. Last October, residents of Bowling Brook, Illinois searched in vain for 23-year-old Stacey Peterson. The wife of police sergeant Drew Peterson when the mother of two vanished. Some in the community voiced their suspicions that Peterson was involved.

She did say to many of us, not just me in confidence, but many of us, that if anything happened to her, it was not an accident. He killed her. Drew Peterson steadfastly maintained that Stacey, his fourth wife, ran off, but police doubted his story. By Friday, November 2, 2007, the media coverage of Stacey's case was growing by the day. And seeing all the cameras and reporters outside was stressful for his kids who were already trying to deal with their mother being gone. This can only be designed for, to send me some sort of a message. It's not for the rest of the world. I don't think it's designed to help find Stacey.

I think it's designed to. just to harass me. And their neighbor, Sharon, even started putting Stacey's missing persons flyers in the windows facing Peterson's home. They're intended for every one of the walkers who read my meter. They're intended for anybody who's in my backyard. I have one in the backside that faces the next street over. I have one in the front that faces the front.

I have them all over my house. And a lot of people, one way or another, blame you for what has happened. And they might say, well, it's a small price to pay when you compare it to what has happened to his wife. How do you respond to that? Well, if you believe that, fine, and I'm okay with that, but don't involve my children in this. So Drew decides to send his children off with his son, Stephen, from his first marriage, to protect them from the media. And now that his children were gone, Drew started poking fun at the reporters outside of his home.

He was getting bold, and he ventured outside to talk to cameramen, reporters, and photographers. At one point, he even invited them inside of his home for an interview. The people that knew Drew weren't really surprised that he was acting like this. He had a big personality. He was funny and charming, and he loved to be the center of attention. Strangely enough, it almost seemed like he was enjoying the fact that everyone knew who he was. I've talked to you before, so I've got kids in the car, you know. We're not shooting the kids, too.

I'll talk to you enough. Please go home. Thanksgiving is the next couple days. Please go home. Please leave me alone. Please don't get involved in my little world. I hope this is the holiday season. I know at least five families that are losing their homes that are in this area.

You probably should put maybe a little bit of effort into saving these people and their families or reaching out to your fellow man. If someone needs a shoulder to cry on or they need a meal for their families, you guys should be maybe putting a little more effort into doing that rather than harassing my family. Folks have everything. I walk into everywhere I go and there's this little hum that goes through the establishment. There's Drew Peterson.

There's New Peterson. Peterson. One of the people who did an interview with Drew inside of his home was an investigative journalist and TV personality, Geraldo Rivera. He and Drew would speak on and off camera and after their interview, Geraldo told the media. There was a tightening noose around the neck of Peterson. He also went on to compare Drew to Scott Peterson, a man who had earlier been convicted of murdering his young wife, Lacey, an unborn child, Connor.

Haraldo continued by saying, he's by all accounts a manically jealous person over a much younger wife. The media was out to get blood and Drew was livid at the way he was being portrayed. And to make matters worse, the media eventually got into contact with Kathleen Savio's family. And boy, do they have a lot to say about Drew Peterson. Anna Marie, Kathleen's sister, told the reporters about his infidelity. The anonymous letter someone sent her about his affair and the abuse she faced at the hands of her husband. When the reporters asked about her mysterious death, Anna Marie said, how does a healthy 40-year-old woman with no drugs in her system, no alcohol, pass out in the bathtub, which is a little oval corner bathtub,

a whirlpool tub. The bottom's not even big enough to stretch your legs out. Anna actually brought a copy of her sister's death certificate to the interview and told the media that her sister's death was not an accident. Yes, she drowned, but someone helped her drown that night. Between the months of November and December of 2007, the Peterson case had been featured on all types of media. It was on On the Record. Nancy Grace had covered it on her show on CNN. Larry King, The Today Show with Matt Lauer, Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, and Dan Abrams show on MSNBC. And not only were the news media outlets dedicating large segments to the Peterson case, but print media was also covering the story as well. Drew Peterson's once simmons.

quiet life had been turned upside down. And after a while, it seemed like he didn't really mind the publicity and his new rise to fame, even if he was being considered the main suspect in his wife's disappearance. In his interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, he blamed Stacey's menstrual cycle on their marriage issues. He told Matt Lauer, quote, I'm not trying to be funny here, but Stacey would ask me for a divorce after her sister died on a regular basis. I'm not trying to be funny. And it was all based on her menstrual cycle. End quote.

He was also adamant that Stacey ran off with another man. Drew Peterson steadfastly maintained that Stacey, his fourth wife, ran off. But police doubted his story. I would say that right now, Drew Peterson has gone from a person of interest to clearly being a suspect. Now, usually in high-profile cases, the main suspect steers clear of the media, but not Drew. He was an attorney's worst nightmare. He even had to fire two of his attorneys early on, most likely because they didn't approve of his media appearances.

While he was on the Today Show, Drew asked America to help him find a new attorney who would take his case. And it worked. soon after Peterson received a call from a Chicago attorney named Joel Brozky, who, like Peterson, loved attention. Together, the two showed their face on many media outlets, joking about the tragedies of his last two wives, and just being flat out disrespectful.

Stacey loves male attention. She could be... Ran off with a guy. Ran off with a guy, and she could be dancing somewhere. I don't know. Stacey was spoiled. I pampered her. and it's a lot of that's my fault.

Stacey wanted it, she got it. I mean, she wanted a boob job. I got her a boob job. She wanted a tummy talk, she got that. She wanted braces, LASIC surgery, hair removal, anything. Stacey loved male attention. And she loved being anywhere and having people pay attention to her. Drew Peterson did everything in his power to make Stacey look like a selfish woman

who only cared about money and looks, and that she was the type of person to run off. and abandoned her family, when that just wasn't the case. When asked how it was possible that Stacey had time for an affair while taking care of four children, Brodsky replied, there's always room for Jello. Peterson's personality around the media was starting to become bizarre. When police issued a fourth search warrant at his home within six weeks of Stacey vanishing, Peterson was at it again with reporters. He joked with them that he wasn't going to pose as the centerfold for Playgirl magazine and asked why they hadn't found any of his young love interests. And if the attention ever drifted off from him,

he was quick to shine the light back on himself. Some called this damage control, but Brodsky claimed this wasn't the case. Is this damage control? I wouldn't call it damage control. It's getting both sides of the story out there. When asked why he was always trying to get in the spotlight, Drew Peterson said this.

I'm really being portrayed as a monster here, and nobody's defending me. Nobody's stepping up and say, no, he's a decent guy. He helps people. He does this, he does that. So somebody's got to say something. On January 23, 2008, Peterson and Brodsky called a Chicago radio personality, Steve Dahl, to get on his show. During the months of the Peterson coverage, Dahl had been making jokes about the case and impersonating Peterson's voice while he read the local news.

So Peterson and his attorney decided to join him one day. In the interview, Dahl started asking questions about Peterson's love life, specifically an incident where a young blonde woman left a note in his mailbox. Dole joked that the women were starting to resurface in his life again. Drew responded, Ladies are coming back around. Doll said he wanted to host a show called Win a Date with Drew contest. I'll do a date again with you.

Drew? Up to you, man. I don't know. That's the lawyer. Yeah, why not? And the next night, three women called in to win a date with the now famous Drew Peterson. And Drew even joked that a chaperone

would need to be on the date to, be on the safe side. Peterson and Brozky prepared for the comedy sketch and prepared questions like, do you need a boob job? Do you get PMS? And of course, making reference to Kathleen Savio's death, they asked, do you take baths or showers? Which is just disgusting. But the station decided that they didn't want the negative attention, so the sketch didn't make air time. Peterson said he understood, but it was obvious he was disappointed. During this time, Peterson traveled to New York and Los Angeles for media interviews. He even invited People Magazine to his house for a photo shoot. And if it ever seemed like the media attention was starting to subside, his attorney would tell the

press about new Stacey's sightings or a new lover Peterson discovered from her cell phone records. But while Drew was playing with the media and enjoying his newfound fame, Stacey Peterson was still missing. Her family never stopped looking for her, but their searches always came up empty. Search teams looked for her all winter and into the spring months. They even organized fundraisers and worked with the Illinois State Police to help in the search. Peterson's attorney Brodsky, in an interview with the Herald. news said of the search, quote, God bless them. This is America.

I can't stop them from wasting their time. They can search every bush pond and river in the state of Illinois if that makes them happy. End quote. They were trying to push the point that Stacey wasn't dead, but rather off somewhere with a new man. He even made pleas to her on air for her to come home, even though he knew deep down, that she never would. The third wife, okay? What happened?

Don't know. What would you say to Stacey, your fourth wife? Come home. I don't believe she's missing. I believe she's where she wants to be. The one and only positive thing to come out of this situation with Stacey's disappearance was that finally, the police decided to reopen the case of Drew's third wife, Kathleen Savio.

But like always, Drew continued to deny any involvement in her death, and he stuck with his same old story. Here's Drew talking about Kathleen on Larry King. Drew, you're a bright guy. You begin to think that the public might say that if it looks like a duck and it acts like a duck, it might be a duck. Right, but they're not getting all the ducks information. So when they get all the information, then maybe we can reexamine it. All right, let's straighten it out.

The third wife. Okay. What happened? Don't know. I don't know. We got information that she drowned in the bathtub. I was working. I was a watch commander at the police department. And the previous night, I believe it was, she failed to respond at the door to allow me to bring the children home.

The children were with me for the weekend. That was unusual for her. So I started calling her on the phone, and I started questioning with the neighbors, and they were also alerted because it was unusual for her. I had neighbors go into the house, and they found her dead in the bathtub. Were you ever physical with her? Never. Never.

So those stories are totally untrue. Correct. I'm a police officer. And I don't work for the phone company or the power company. And as a police officer, we don't have the same ability to do things as the common person. If I get involved in a domestic situation where I'm physical with a wife, I'll lose my job. And I would never even care to even come close to risking that. And I kind of challenge anybody out there to find anybody that has ever even seen.

seem to me mad. But despite his denial, investigators were finally reopened in Kathleen's case. All these years later, they ultimately decided it was worth looking into now that his fourth wife was missing. So on November 13, 2007, Kathleen's body was exhumed for another autopsy. There are tests that need to be done that weren't done during the first autopsy. This autopsy was conducted by forensic pathologist Larry Bloom and Dr. Michael Bidane, who was known to work in high-profile cases.

And a few months after her exhumation, Kathleen's family would finally get the confirmation that they had been right all along. Her death was not an accident. Kathleen was murdered and the forensic pathologist changed her cause of death to homicide. In an interview with Greta van Susteren, Dr. Badan explained the new findings from his autopsy. For one, he found it strange that Kathleen was found wearing all of her jewelry. If she had been taking a bath, wouldn't she have taken it all off? Kathleen's family said that this was strange because Kathleen always took her jewelry off before bathing. In addition, Dr. Badan was shocked that in the first autopsy report, the medical examiner

completely dismissed the bruises that were all over her body. In his findings, he claimed that the bruising was inflicted at the time of her death. In conclusion, the forensic pathologist theorized that someone came into Kathleen's home and attacked her causing the bruises. They then administered a hard blow to her skull and pushed her head down into the water. until they were sure she was dead. Here were Drew's thoughts on the exhumation. Very much surprised for sure.

Because for many years, you know, my children and I, we've been, you know, believing that, you know, she died in a household accident. I would imagine that the first autopsy, the fresh one would be the most accurate, but the powers to be are coming up with some new decisions on it. And we won't really know for sure until, you know, we have a chance to go ahead and review that decision.

With these new autopsy findings, investigators were just around the corner for making arrest in Kathleen's murder. You don't ride an elevator for the music or pick an airline for the movies, so when it comes to audio entertainment, it makes sense to choose Audible. It's the home for stories told by the biggest stars like Ethan Hott, Carrie Washington, and Kevin Hart. Audible is home to epic adventures, chilling mysteries, and can't miss comedies. Audible is the home of storytelling, let your imagination soar with audiobooks, podcasts, and

originals. What I love about Audible is that no matter where I am, what I'm doing, my imagination can run wild. I usually pick horror stories and Stephen King novels to listen to when I'm on Audible, but it can be any time a day when I'm on the treadmill, when I'm walking through a park or sometimes because I'm macabre walking through a cemetery. You can listen to anything from any genre, and like I said, obviously I prefer horror. Audible is the home of storytelling with all your audio entertainment in one app. You can find the best of what you love, like me, or something new to discover. Audible has an incredible selection of audiobooks across every genre, from bestsellers and new releases to mysteries, thrillers, true crime, motivation, business, and more.

And as an Audible member, you can choose one title a month to keep from their entire catalog, including the latest bestsellers, and new releases. Members also get full access to a growing selection of included audiobooks, Audible, originals, and podcasts. You can download or stream or included titles all you want. And now, you can even listen to Murder in America on Audible. How cool is that? All of your favorite content on one app.

So let Audible help you discover new ways to laugh, be inspired, or be entertained. New members can try it free for 30 days. Visit Audible.com slash state or text state to 500500. That's Audible.com slash state or text state to 500-50-to-try-0-50 to try Audible free for 30 days. Audible.com slash state. We love Audible, amazing stories, amazing content on there. Go try it free for 30 days. and I'm sure y'all are going to love it.

But anyways, let's get back to today's story. On this same time, another story was hitting the media, and it had to do with a blue barrel. As it turns out, someone close to Drew Peterson had a confession. It was from his stepbrother, Tom Morphy. According to Tom, on the evening of October 28, 2007, the same day Stacey Peterson went missing, Drew called him and asked him to meet him at a local donut shop.

Tom didn't know why his stepbrother wanted to meet, but he went there anyway. When Drew pulled up to the shop, he handed Tom his cell phone and told him, quote, wait here for me. If anyone calls my phone, don't answer. Tom thought this was strange, but he did what he was told and just sat there with Drew's phone. A few minutes later, he hears it ring. The caller ID said that the phone call was from Stacey. At this point, Tom had no idea that Stacey was missing, and as Drew instructed, he didn't answer it. When Tom told the police this story, it was very obvious to them that Drew was trying to establish an alibi.

As it turns out, the call from Stacey's phone pinged off a phone tower near the airport. So Drew was trying to make it look like Stacy was running off. Now keep in mind, Drew was a cop, so he knew how to cover his tracks. The only issue is that this plan only works if his stepbrother kept his secret, and he didn't. But if you thought this was incriminating, that's not all his brother had to say. According to Tom, a little after this phone incident, Drew asked him for another favor. He needed help moving a large blue barrel from his bedroom into his SUV. And again, Tom didn't know what was in the barrel, so he agreed.

Once back at Drew's house, they entered his bedroom and carried the barrel down to Drew's Denali. Tom would later say that the barrel was about 120 pounds, in that it was, quote, warm to the touch. In an interview with Good Morning America in 2009, Tom talked about the night in question, saying, he said, how much do you love me? I said, I do. And he said enough to kill for me.

And at that point, I was in shock. I said, that's not something I can live with. And he said, well, can you live with knowing about it? Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, said that Tom Morphy's account is inaccurate and that he has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness, so he couldn't be trusted. But Tom was adamant that it was all true. He felt so guilty about the entire situation that he even attempted suicide afterwards because he couldn't handle the emotional impact of being an accessory to murder. Drew Peterson denied the story told by his stepbrother, and when the interview aired, Peterson was still a free man with no charges filed against him. But by now, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he murdered his third and fourth wife.

Drew Peterson denies reports that a relative helped him move a container that held his missing wife's body. Julian cruises in Bolingbroke with the latest details. Julian? Robin's startling new revelations about this mysterious container, a container that has clearly become the focus of this sensational missing person's case. All this as suspect, Drew Peterson continues his sometimes bizarre, long-running, dialogue with the media. What's going on today? What's going on today? Yes.

We went to McDonald's. We had happy meals and McGrub sandwiches. How's that? That's what's going on today. What I want to talk about is I'm going to come camp myself in front of your house and see if you like it. If he feels pressure from all the scrutiny, it's hard to tell. At times, joking, smiling, even laughing with reporters, you almost get the feeling that Drew Peterson is somehow enjoying the attention. Officially, however, he is considered a suspect in the sudden disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacey Peterson.

A former Bolingbrook police sergeant came out of his house yesterday with a home video camera walking around the small army of TV news trucks and personnel virtually camped out in front of his Bolingbrook home. This bizarre spectacle amid reports that one of his relatives tried to commit suicide just days after, allegedly helping Drew remove a large blue container from Drew's bedroom the day after Stacey Peterson disappeared. The Chicago Tribune reports that their relatives said the mysterious container was warmed to the touch. But late last night, our own Julie Unru confronted Peterson about the container and the allegation that the container may have had the body of Stacey Peterson. Relative of you saying he helped carry a rectangular container out of your home on October 28th. I have no idea what anybody's talking about like that.

Warm to the touch. No. He says he believes that he helped you dispose of your life's body. Can you at least respond to that? No, not at all. No response. Talk to my lawyer. I got nothing to say about it.

No truth to it whatsoever. None. Nobody helped me with anything. On October 28th, where were you on October 28th? This gentleman says he helped you carry a container out of your home. You got to have to talk to my attorney. Okay. Have a good day.

Peterson's denial comes as law enforcement intensifies the search for the missing container. Volunteers searching for Stacey Peterson say they've been told by state police to look for this possibly blue container, especially in local waterways. Drew Peterson denies any involvement in his wife's disappearance. He has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing. And his lawyer says that his client has become the victim of both a media and law enforcement. witch hunt. All of this, as the grand jury reportedly reconvenes later today, the investigation into the disappearance of Stacey Peterson, moving ahead, full speed. Here's Drew himself denying the

accusations made by his stepbrother. Everything is invented. None of that's true. Here's the audio from Drew's appearance on Fox News after this information came out. You seem so upbeat. How do you managed to stay so upbeat, given the fact that your wife's been missing for three months? Oh, it's just, you know, you do what you can. You know, I'm not going to go hide in the corner and cry about it. You know, it's just like I personally grieve over it. But I do that all my own. So, how has this affected your children? Oh, they're pretty upset, but I guess that's not what we were going to talk about today. We're going to talk about this. No, no, I meant the dating part of it all. How is this idea of

daddy dating affected them. It's my understanding from you that they believe their mom is on a ski vacation. Is that right? No, the younger ones believe she's on a vacation, but the older two boys, they know she's missing and she ran off. I wonder, as the investigation is going forward, how difficult has it been for your family? Pretty hard. The kids are, you know, the little ones are missing their mom, that type of thing. We went through her birthday and the holidays, and that was kind of rough for everybody. And the fact that you're a suspect in her disappearance, how difficult has that been and how have you handled that with your family? Oh, every day it's a new day. You know, you wake up. It's like kind of antiquated to like having cancer, being told you've got cancer. You go to bed and with it on your mind. You wake up with your mind and you're just looking for that miracle cure to make it all go away.

The neighbors said that they saw you carrying out a big blue barrel that would be big enough. Again, I get, Shepard, that's not we agree to talk about. I didn't agree to any restrictions on conversation. I would never do that. I just wonder what... Okay, well, then I guess I got to walk away. Have a good day, Mr. Shepard. It was a nice talk, in the...

Well, he'll talk about the dating game. But he won't talk about the fact that the neighbors... That the neighbors say they saw him with a large 55-gallon blue barrel, carrying it out with someone else, and shortly after his wife went missing. Have a good day, guys. His fourth wife went missing. His third wife died in a dry bathtub, and now authorities have exhumed her body,

and it is now widely believed that his third wife may also have been murdered. Drew Peterson, a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, who was in fun, as he put it, considering a dating game, though he's still married to the mother of his children. the former Bowlingbrook police sergeant now suspected in the disappearance of his wife and going back to the friendly confines of his home as neighbors and friends of Stacey Peterson wonder where in the world she is.

And despite Drew being a suspect in these cases against his wives, somehow he was still getting women. In 2008 while drinking at a bar, he saw a woman named Christina Raines. But this wasn't the first time he had met. her. He actually knew Christina from when she was in high school and got in trouble for skipping class. And she was only 15 years old when they first met. Then, in 2008, when they saw each other at the bar, the two started dating. By the end of that year, Christina had moved

into the home that he used to share with Stacy. Now eventually Christina's family had talked some sense into her and they broke up after a brief engagement. Engagement. Years later, she would go on to tell the public what she knew about Stacey Peterson. In an article for the Cinemaholic in 2021, it states, quote, Christina says that he got rid of Stacey by strangling her to death. She also alleged that Drew placed Stacey's remains in a blue barrel, which he then hid two and a half hours away from where he lived. Drew's fourth ex-wife provided him with a solid hour of in his third ex-wife's homicide investigation, which is what finally doomed her, as per Christina.

End quote. Christina went on to explain that Peterson also showed her how to snap a person's neck in seconds. And shortly after Christina made these claims, Peterson's attorneys were quick to deny them, saying that she only wanted her 15 minutes of fame. By 2009, it had been over five years. years since the death of Kathleen, but soon enough she would get the justice she deserved. On May 7th of that year, at around 5.30 p.m., Drew Peterson was finally arrested during a traffic stop near his home, and he was officially charged with Kathleen's murder.

Former Rolling Brook Police Officer Drew Peterson, now under arrest. Peterson was arrested in a traffic stop near his Bowlingbrook home at 5. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, Peterson's attorney, Andrew Aboud, said, Drew has steadfastly maintained his innocence regarding the rumor and innuendo that has circulated regarding the unfortunate death of Kathleen. Although he is disappointed with the decision of the state, he looks forward to the opportunity to once and for all prove his innocence in a court of law. And his attorneys were pretty confident that Drew had a good case.

There was no physical evidence, you know, there was no sign of forced entry, there was no fingerprints, no DNA, no eyewitnesses. there was simply nothing to prove that it wasn't an accident. They haven't done anything to place Drew Peterson at the scene of Kathy's death. After the news of Peterson's arrest was spread throughout the community, more onlookers came to the neighborhood to observe his home. They also went by Kathleen's home, which was right down the street. The neighborhood had been filled with media, cameramen, reporters,

and curious bystanders ever since Stacey's disappearance in late 2007. But finally, Drew was where he belonged, in jail. Both Kathleen and Stacey's families rejoiced when they heard Drew had been arrested, but they knew there was still a long road ahead of them. For one, there wasn't any physical evidence linking Drew to the crime scene. It was all circumstantial. And secondly, both of his victims that would have testified against him couldn't. Kathleen was dead and Stacey was missing.

So all they really had against him was hearsay. So in 2008, an Illinois judge created a new law where they could allow hearsay to be used as evidence in a murder trial. and he called it Drew's Law. Criminal defense attorney Matthew Wilson in Washington, D.C., breaks down Drew's law as, It allows prosecutors to present statements in a trial made by an unavailable witness if it can be proven that the, one, defendant or adverse party murdered the witness, two, the statements are reliable, and three, the interests of justice are best served by admitting the statements. In essence, what you're basically allowing the victim of a violent crime to do is to testify from the grave.

Drew Peterson's defense team consisted of six attorneys who were very experienced and controversial, and the way they spoke to the media was appalling. They often stood in front of the cameras laughing and cracking jokes, much like their client. Hey, I need your sunglasses. Oh, there we go. How better. Stacy who? Stacey who?

She's on your witness. Oh, that's Stacy. And Drew Peterson definitely thought he was going to get away with this, especially since they didn't have physical evidence. But prosecutor James Gluckett. Glasgow had a few tricks up his sleeve. With 29 years of experience, there was no doubt in my mind it wasn't an accident. That was clear. During the trial, they brought forth Kathleen's sister, who said that Kathleen approached her

one day and said that Drew told her, I'm going to kill you and make it look like an accident, and no one will ever know. The prosecution also brought forward Neil Shorri, Drew and Stacy's marriage counselor, and he told the jury that Stacey admitted to him that on the night of Kathleen's murder, Drew came home and quickly threw his clothing into the wash machine. He then told her that he had murdered Kathleen, and not only did Stacey confess that Drew killed her, but she also told him that Drew asked her to lie

and tell the police that he was home all night when he wasn't, telling Stacey this will be the perfect crime. And by this point, it was already over for Drew. It was clear that he was not going to win the case. But the true nail in his coffin came from none other than his own defense team. For some reason, they decided to call Kathleen's divorce lawyer, lawyer to the stand, thinking that it would help their case. But when he was called forward, he told the jury that Stacey had contacted him just days before her disappearance saying

that she wanted to divorce Drew and that Drew was indeed responsible for Kathleen's murder. They now had two witnesses claiming that Stacey admitted that Drew had killed her. To try and recover from this major loss, the defense brought in the defense brought in the their final witness, Drew and Kathleen's son, Thomas. Thomas told the court that he did not believe his dad killed his mom. And honestly, you can't blame him for thinking this. For years, he had been living with his manipulative father, who fed him lies. But Thomas's testimony didn't end up helping his dad. And after two days of deliberation, the jury finally came to a verdict. Drew Peterson was guilty.

After the verdict was read, Drew stared blankly ahead in disbelief, and when an officer comes to take him away, he turns to him and says, I guess this is going to mess up the holidays. Outside of the courtroom, people were cheering in celebration of the verdict. Kathleen's brother, Henry, told reporters, I hope she's haunting him in his dreams. I hope she's watching his descent into hell. Finally, somebody heard Kathleen cry.

12 people did the right thing, oh thank God. I know that she got justice in the hands and a cold-blooded killer up there. At Drew's sentencing, he was given a chance to speak, and he told the court that his trial was the largest railroad job ever, and he continued to profess his innocence. He even yelled at the prosecutor, Hey, look me in the eyes and never forget what you've done here. What's funny is that Drew Peterson really thought he was invincible.

He thought that law didn't apply to him. And up until his verdict, he was cocky and laid back without a worry in the world. But now, the reality of it all was finally settling in. Here's what James Glasgow, the prosecutor in the case, had to say. It's an incredibly positive statement by our society that we will not tolerate this kind of bullying, tormenting of women and indiscriminate murder. He's basically a coward. He was a thug.

He would threaten people because he had a gun in a badge. And nobody ever took him on. We took him on now and he lost. He's deluded. a psychopath, a patronizing con man. He'll spend the rest of his life in prison, and that's exactly where he belongs. Drew Peterson would go on to be sentenced to 38 years in prison, and he isn't eligible for release until he's 93 years old. Peterson's defense attorneys threatened to appeal the verdict,

taking it all the way to the Supreme Court because they believed Drew's law was unconstitutional, but all of his appeals have been denied. In fact, in 2016, he got more jail time added to his sentence for trying to hire a hitman to kill James Glasgow, the prosecutor in his case. Drew allegedly told the inmate that if he could do this for him, it would be the best Christmas present ever. After the inmate told authorities about this, they wired him and recorded a conversation where the inmates said, I told him what you said, that it's the green light on, that basically go ahead and kill him. That's what you wanted, right? It ain't no turning back. To which Peterson responded, okay, all right, I'm in. From the first time we talked about it,

There was no turning back. If I get some booze in here, we'll celebrate that night. Peterson was found guilty of solicitation of murder, and an additional 40 years was added on to his sentence. Now, something very interesting about this case is that in May of 2022, Peterson's former defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, says that he's considering telling the police in news media

what he knows about Stacey Peterson. And the reason he's doing this is because his license to practice law was revoked after several instances of misconduct, and he figures since Drew is never getting out of prison, why not? In an interview with WGN investigates, Brodsky says, Drew told you what happened to Stacey? I know everything about both of his wife's, everything. He's never getting out of jail, so it's not going to hurt him. And wouldn't you never practice law again? Well, I don't think I'm ever practicing law again anyway, so what's the difference, right? Decisions, rulings, opinions, are made based upon not what the facts are or what the law is,

but are being done based upon who you are and who you know and what your financial connection to them are. And if that's, I don't want to get involved in that anymore. I would never do anything that would hurt a former client, but he's in prison. He's never getting out. So if he was a man, he would say, you know, say, okay, I'm done. Here's what happens so that people can have the matter resolved and have closure. But he told WGN. Investigates, before I pull the pin on a hand grenade, I need to give the matter a good deal of thought.

I don't think that's unreasonable. As of today, Brodsky has yet to come forward with any information regarding what he knows about Stacey Peterson's disappearance. As of today, Brodsky has yet to come forward with any information regarding what he knows about Stacey Peterson's disappearance. And unfortunately, that's where our story ends. Although there was a small victory in the case, with Drew's conviction of Kathleen's murder, Stacey Peterson's body has still never been found. It's been over 15 years since her disappearance, and there haven't been any sightings of her, either, meaning Drew's claims that she ran off with another man are extremely unlikely, even though we already knew that.

Stacey's family has come to terms that they will never see her again. They know that she's gone, but there's still an emptiness in their hearts, knowing that her body is still out there somewhere. Her sister Cassandra strongly believes that her body is located in the Lockport Canal, most likely still in the blue barrel that Drew used to dispose of her. In May of 2021, her family used Sonar to try and search for her remains, but nothing was found. Regardless, her family has stated that they will devote the rest of their lives to finding her and giving Stacey a proper burial. And hopefully, the people who know where she is, like Drew and his former attorneys, will grow a conscience and help her.

bring her family closure. These kinds of cases are difficult, the ones that end with many questions. And although we may never get the answers we want, I do find comfort in the fact that police officers are never treated well in prison. And I hope that every day, Drew Peterson is getting what he deserves, one way or another. Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. Courtney and I are so happy to have you all here.

This story is definitely just shocking to me personally because a killer cop, someone who's supposed to uphold the law and enforce the law. And in the background, he's actually breaking almost every law you can possibly break. Not a good dude. But this week, I want to shout out all of our patrons that we missed the last couple of weeks, starting with Casey Knight, Kelly Geis, Melissa Rhines, Richard Wineski, Jr., Terry Page, the Wright, Sarah Peterson, Crystal Sanchez, Ashley Daggett, Maya Kostinov, Desai, Talia Diaz, Christine Dungau, Evan Broils, Eric Ross,

Kristen Patton, Kobe Bishop, Jessica Teco, Toby Ward, Alyssa, Listen Shoemaker, Jose Ramos, and Norstein Riley. I hope I didn't slaughter anybody's name too badly, but thank you all for being patrons. If you're wondering what Patreon is, you can just head to patreon.com and search Murder in America. We post the ad-free versions of every single episode on Patreon as soon as the show goes live on all streaming platforms. And we noticed that a lot of people listen to our John Wayne Gacy Part 4 episode, the conspiracy episode. That actually just recently became our highest played episode of all time.

So if you're new here, hi from both Courtney and I. Courtney's currently working away at next week's episode, which is let me tell you one of the most gruesome, horrific true crime stories you will ever hear. Good hair days do more than we give them credit for. When your hair feels healthy, you show up differently.

You feel more confident, more relaxed, and you're not constantly checking the mirror. Nutraful supports hair health from within and delivers results over time, so your hair becomes something you enjoy, not something you stress about. Nutriful is the number one dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand, and it's the number one hair growth supplement brand personally used by dermatologists. And Nutriful's hair growth supplements are peer-reviewed, NSF certified for sport, and clinically tested. It's obviously not a one-size-fits-all approach, and Nutraful offers multiple formulas,

for men and women tailored to different life stages like postpartum or menopause and lifestyle factors such as a plant-based diet so you get support for your hair that's actually right for you. And adding neuterful to your daily routine is easy. You can order online with no prescription needed with automated deliveries and free shipping to keep you on track. Plus with a Nutraful subscription, you can save up to 20% and get added perks like a free Headspace membership to support your hair health journey. I know Courtney and I both have been using Nutraful, shampoo and conditioner for years now, and we've been using their supplements for months. We figured at one point why not try their supplements because we love their shampoo and conditioner

so much, and yeah, it's one of those never looking back situations. But you can let your hair become one less thing, taking up space in your head and see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Nutraful. For a limited time, Nutraful is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you visit Nutraful.com enter promo code M-I-A. That's NutraFold.com, spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L dot com promo code M-I-A. Growing up, my mom was always the best at handling sticky, stressful situations.

I mean, we have so many crazy family memories, so many things that stick out to me, so many trips that we took and just funny moments. I mean, I remember specifically one just crazy time when we had jet skis and we took them out, We had rented them for the day and we took them out on this lake and somehow something got in the engine of the jet ski. Mine stalled. My dad stalled and my mom and sister had to come rescue us because we floated to shore on the other side of the lake. We've got some hilarious pictures from that day. But it's just one of those memories that I don't want to let die. And aura frames can help keep those moments alive. So basically an aura frame is like a virtual frame that can display photos and videos from anywhere. You can upload to the frame. You can upload to the frame. You can share in new photos, you can constantly change the library, and it's really a perfect gift for a family member because you can personalize it at any time.

And the aura frame is the perfect Mother's Day gift to capture the chaos that you might have put your own mom through, and the memories that came with it. With free unlimited storage, you can add as many photos and videos to your aura frame as you want. And something that I love is that you can actually preload the aura frame with photos before it ships. And you can keep adding to it from anywhere at any time. Each ORA Frame also comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag, so it's great if you're giving it as a gift.

And actually, ORAFraM's run off a top-rated app. In fact, the app reached number one on the App Store on Christmas Day, 2025. So make Mother's Day special with ORAFrames. Named number one by Wirecutter, you can save on the gift's mom's love by visitingoraFrames.com. For a limited time, listeners can get $25 off their best-selling Carver Matt Frame with code MIA. That's A-U-R-A-Frames.com promo code M-I-A. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout, terms, and conditions apply. It's one of Courtney's personal favorite cases because it's just so bizarre.

You never know what turn the story is going to take. But you can follow us on Instagram at Murder in America, see photos from every case we cover. And as always, we'll see you all next week. Hope you have a great weekend.