Drew Walter Peterson (born January 5, 1954) is an American convicted murderer and former Bolingbrook, Illinois, police sergeant who was found guilty in 2012 of the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, a few months after their 2003 divorce. Peterson first received national publicity in 2007 when his fourth wife, Stacy Ann (Cales) Peterson, disappeared. Although the police and Stacy Ann's family suspect foul play, she has never been found.
Suspicions in Stacy Ann's case were fueled in part by the death of Savio, whose bruised body was found in a dry bathtub in her home in 2004 with a large gash to her scalp. Initially, Savio's official cause of death was found to be accidental drowning. In 2009, in light of Stacy Ann's disappearance, Peterson was indicted for Savio's murder after a second autopsy showed evidence of a struggle. Upon conviction, he was sentenced to thirty-eight years in prison on February 21, 2013.
On February 9, 2015, Peterson was charged with two additional felonies—solicitation of murder and solicitation of murder for hire—for attempting to have James Glasgow, the state's attorney handling his prosecution, killed. Peterson was convicted on May 31, 2016, and sentenced to an additional forty years on July 29, 2016. On February 21, 2017, he was transferred from Illinois Department of Corrections custody to the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. In December 2019, Peterson was transferred to an undisclosed out-of-state facility.
Personal life Drew Peterson was born in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on January 5, 1954. He graduated in 1972 from Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois, where he ran cross country. He joined the United States Army after graduation and briefly attended the College of DuPage in 1974 before moving to Falls Church, Virginia, to train as a military police officer. Peterson began his thirty-year career with the local Bolingbrook police force in 1977. In 1978, he was assigned to the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad, and in 1979 he received a "Police Officer of the Year" award from the department. Peterson retired in November 2007 at age 53 with the rank of sergeant and was given a (tax-free) $79,000-a-year pension. His pension was terminated following his second conviction in May 2016.
Marriages Carol Brown Peterson met Carol Brown in high school and they attended his senior prom together. They married in 1974, but divorced six years later after Brown learned about Peterson's infidelity. Together they had sons Stephen Paul Peterson (1980) and Eric Drew Peterson.http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/07/11/talking-drew-petersons-son Eric has been estranged from their father for years, but apparently that has not affected the brothers' relationship with each other. Stephen said he and Eric get along just fine.
Vicki Connolly Peterson married his second wife, Victoria "Vicki" Connolly, in 1982. They operated a bar together in Romeoville. Connolly alleged enduring domestic violence during their decade-long marriage, including threats that Peterson "knew how to kill her and make it look like an accident."Slife, Erika. EXCLUSIVE: Peterson's second wife tells her story. Chicago Tribune. November 16, 2007. Her daughter, Lisa Ward, who lived with them from ages 8 to 18, reported physical and psychological abuse from Peterson. The marriage ended in 1992 after Connolly discovered Peterson was having an affair with Kathleen Savio, whom he later married. Their divorce was finalized on February 18, 1992.
Kathleen Savio Peterson married Kathleen Savio (born June 13, 1963, in Glendale Heights, Illinois), an accountant, on May 3, 1992, just a few months after his divorce from Connolly. Together they had two sons, Thomas (January 5, 1993)Chicago Tribune After everything, Drew Peterson's son is valedictorian.http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/29/13549299-older-son-of-drew-peterson-kathleen-savio-says-he-believes-dad-is-innocent 19y Old Thomas Peterson Testifies. and Kristopher (August 8, 1994). During their marriage, the couple lived at 392 Pheasant Chase Drive in Bolingbrook. Their divorce was finalized on October 10, 2003. It was reported that between 2002 and 2004, police were called to the Peterson house eighteen times on domestic disturbance calls, including calls for returning children late after visitation.
On March 1, 2004, Savio's nude body was found in a dry bathtub in the primary suite of the home. Less than a month later, Peterson put the house up for sale. He did not mention Savio's death to the new owners, claiming he was only selling the house because his children enjoyed swimming in the pool at his secondary residence down the street.
Savio's death was initially ruled an accidental drowning by a coroner's jury that included a police officer who personally knew Peterson and assured other jurors that he was a good man who would never hurt his wife.Kathleen Savio's Family Sues Drew Peterson . WGN Radio. April 21, 2009. However, following Stacy Peterson's later disappearance, Savio's body was exhumed and underwent forensic examination on November 16, 2007.Walberg, Matthew and Jo Napolitano. Expert: 3rd wife was slain. Chicago Tribune. November 17, 2007. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner who conducted the examination at the request of Savio's relatives and Fox News, concluded that she died of drowning following a struggle when her body was placed in the bathtub. Postmortem photos showed extensive bruising and scraping to her back, torso, and face, as well as a large, unexplained gash in her scalp. The results of the official autopsy ordered by the county have not been released to the public.Tarm, Michael. Relatives Try to Confront Ill. Officer. ABC News.com. November 17, 2007. Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow told the press that, after examining evidence in the case, he believed that the death was a "homicide staged to look like an accident". On February 21, 2008, Glasgow announced that a pathologist had determined that Savio's death was a homicide,Death of former cop's third wife ruled a homicide. CNN. February 21, 2008. adding that the death had been investigated as such since reopening the case following the exhumation.
Reverend Neil Schori, a pastor at Stacy Peterson's church, reported that Stacy had told him that Drew had killed Savio and had made it look like an accident, and that she was afraid of her husband.Peterson's Family Demands Drew Take Lie Detector Test . NBC5.com. Chicago. November 27, 2007. Stacy had provided Drew's alibi for his whereabouts on the evening of Savio's death. Peterson's trial, proceeding in July 2012, was jeopardized when prosecutors attempted to introduce evidence that was not allowed. The Chicago Tribune reported that the judge would rule on a mistrial on August 2, 2012. On August 15, Peterson told a judge that he wanted to withdraw a request for a mistrial. His lawyers said that he wanted the current jury to decide if he killed his third wife. On September 6, Peterson was convicted of killing Savio. On February 21, 2013, he was denied a mistrial and sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Stacy Ann Peterson
At age 49, Peterson married 19-year-old hotel receptionist Stacy Ann Cales (born January 20, 1984, in Downers Grove, Illinois) on October 18, 2003, and she subsequently changed her last name to Peterson. Stacy's mother Christie had previously been reported missing in 1998 (although the two cases are not believed to be linked). Described as a troubled teenager, Cales began dating Peterson at age 17 with her father's permission, while Peterson was still married to Kathleen Savio. The couple lived at 6 Pheasant Chase Court in Bolingbrook, Illinois, less than a mile from the home he formerly shared with Savio. Together they had two children, Anthony (born 2003) and Lacy (born 2005). Stacy legally adopted Savio's children, and treated them like they were her own. She was close to completing her nursing degree from Joliet Junior College at the time of her disappearance on Sunday, October 28, 2007. Stacy was officially reported missing in the early hours of Monday, October 29, after her sister, Cassandra Cales, failed to hear from her when expected. Peterson claims that Stacy called him at 9 p.m. on Sunday to tell him that she had left him for another man and that she had left her 2002 Pontiac Grand Am at Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport. Stacy is still considered a missing person. Her family has launched a website to help find her. While talking with Marcia Clark during Marcia Clark Investigates The First 48, defense attorney Joel Brodsky claimed to know what happened to Stacy and that he believes that after Drew passes away, Stacy will be found. However, he refused to elaborate further.
Legal trouble and murder trial Several leads were followed in the investigation by Illinois State Police with FBI involvement. Four search warrants were issued and carried out on Peterson's property following Stacy's disappearance, including the seizure of his firearms and both his and Stacy's vehicles. Peterson announced his plans to retire as a Bolingbrook police sergeant effective December 2007. On November 15, the Bolingbrook Police Pension Board voted to allow Peterson to collect his pension of $6,067.71 per month,WBBM. Drew Peterson Tells Newsradio: My Retirement Sucks. wbbm780.com. December 6, 2007. stating current law gave them no option, as he had not been convicted of a crime.
Rick Mims, Peterson's long-time friend, admitted that he and Peterson bought three blue plastic containers from a cable company where they both worked part-time in 2003, and provided photos of these containers to police. Mims also sold his story to tabloid newspapers for an undisclosed sum of money. Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, who has a history of drug and alcohol addiction, attempted suicide two days after allegedly helping Peterson carry a plastic container from Peterson's Bolingbrook home to his SUV, fearing he may have helped dispose of Stacy's body. Neighbors reported seeing Peterson and another man hauling a 55-gallon barrel, large enough to hold a person, out of the house shortly after the disappearance.
Cassandra Cales, Stacy's sister, said she wanted Peterson to take a lie detector test about his knowledge of a blue container that she saw in his garage two days before Stacy disappeared. Joel Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, denied that any container was missing from Peterson's home. There were also reports of truckers referring to the containers, but their stories were treated as not credible after it was discovered that they had not been in the Bolingbrook area at the times they claimed.Missing Mom Stacy Peterson's Family Wants Husband, Drew, to Take Lie Detector Test Fox News. November 30, 2007.Police say claim of Peterson sighting by trucker unfounded . Northwest Herald. December 7, 2007.Peterson case: Trucker lied . UPI.com. December 7, 2007.Relative linked to Stacy Peterson case . UPI.com. November 28, 2007.Peterson's Missing Blue Containers December 13, 2007.
2008 media appearances On January 23, 2008, Peterson and his attorney, Joel Brodsky, called in to the show of Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl, who had been lampooning Peterson since the case began. Brodsky suggested that Dahl host an on-air "dating game" with Peterson the following day, but WJMK managers and Dahl decided not to go through with it. Peterson appeared on CNN's Larry King Live on April 11, 2008, with Brodsky again present to advise which questions Peterson should answer. The interview reran on May 9, 2009, two days after Peterson's arrest. Peterson subsequently made guest appearances (including one from county jail) on radio station WLS-AM with Mancow Muller. After that radio appearance, Will County Judge Stephen White severely limited Peterson's access to the media.
2008 engagement to Christina Raines