Drew Peterson

Drew Walter Peterson was a former police sergeant in Bolingbrook, Illinois, who became the subject of national media attention after his fourth wife, Stacy Ann Peterson, disappeared on October 28, 2007, and was never found. The investigation into Stacy's disappearance led authorities to reexamine the 2004 death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, which had originally been ruled an accidental drowning. [Peterson was ultimately convicted of Savio's murder in 2012.](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/09/06/drew-peterson-convicted-of-murdering-third-wife-kathleen-savio/)

Peterson served as a police sergeant with the Bolingbrook Police Department for 29 years, retiring in 2007. He had been married four times. His third marriage, to Kathleen Savio, lasted from 1992 to 2003 and ended in a contentious divorce during which Savio filed multiple protective orders against Peterson, alleging physical and emotional abuse.

Kathleen Savio was found dead in her dry, clean bathtub on March 1, 2004, with a laceration on the back of her head. Despite the unusual circumstances — including the fact that the bathtub was dry and the wound was inconsistent with a simple fall — the Will County Coroner's office ruled her death an accidental drowning. No autopsy was ordered. Peterson, who had a key to Savio's home and was the beneficiary of her estate, was not investigated as a suspect at the time.

Peterson married his fourth wife, Stacy Ann Cales, in October 2003 — while his divorce from Savio was still being finalized. Stacy was 19 when they married; Peterson was 49. On October 28, 2007, Stacy disappeared. Peterson told police she had called him to say she was leaving him for another man. Friends and family disputed this account, noting that Stacy had told relatives she feared Peterson and was planning to divorce him. [She was never seen again and her body has never been found.](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/09/06/stacy-peterson-still-missing/)

The investigation into Stacy's disappearance prompted the Illinois State Police to reopen the investigation into Kathleen Savio's death. On November 13, 2007, Savio's body was exhumed. A second autopsy, conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Larry Blum, changed the manner of death from accidental drowning to homicide, finding that the head laceration and other injuries were inconsistent with an accidental fall.

Peterson's case attracted intense media coverage, with Peterson himself contributing to the attention by giving numerous interviews and television appearances in which he was often perceived as dismissive and flippant about both women's fates.

The Peterson case raised serious questions about how law enforcement agencies investigate the deaths of women at the hands of current or former intimate partners, particularly when the suspect is a fellow law enforcement officer.

Drew Peterson was arrested on May 7, 2009, and charged with the first-degree murder of Kathleen Savio. His trial began on July 31, 2012, in Will County Circuit Court before Judge Edward Burmila.

The prosecution's case was largely circumstantial. A significant legal issue was the admissibility of hearsay testimony from both Savio and Stacy Peterson, who had made statements to friends and family about Peterson's threatening behavior. [Illinois passed a law — dubbed "Drew's Law" — in 2008 that allowed hearsay evidence to be admitted if the defendant was responsible for the witness's unavailability.](https://www.npr.org/2012/08/02/157792547/drews-law-at-center-of-drew-peterson-trial) The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of this provision.

On September 6, 2012, the jury found Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Kathleen Savio. [On February 21, 2013, Judge Burmila sentenced Peterson to 38 years in prison.](https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/justice/illinois-drew-peterson-sentencing/index.html)

[In 2014, Peterson was additionally charged with solicitation of murder after he allegedly attempted to hire someone to kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow from prison. In 2016, he was convicted and sentenced to an additional 40 years](https://apnews.com/article/drew-peterson-murder-for-hire-illinois-sentence), to be served consecutively with his murder sentence, effectively ensuring he would die in prison.

Peterson has never been charged in connection with Stacy Peterson's disappearance. The case remains open. He is incarcerated at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois.