Drew Peterson Trial: Closing arguments complete, jury to get case Wednesday

There is a possibility that the jury could render a verdict as early as Wednesday.

With just over a month since Jury selection began, the defense and prosecution wrapped up their closing arguments today in a Joliet courthouse – and the question that we’re all waiting to hear answered; did Drew Peterson kill his third wife, Kathleen Savio?

Tuesday both sides reiterated their main points about the case; Joe Lopez, one of Drew Peterson’s defense attorneys reminded jurors that there is absolutely no physical evidence which puts his client at the scene of his wife’s death and no evidence which shows that he was in any way involved in his wife’s death. Kathleen Savio’s death was originally ruled an accident, she fell in the bathtub and this caused life-ending injuries. It wasn’t until Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, went missing that Savio’s accidental drowning was changed to a homicide.

James Glasgow and the prosecution simply asked the jury to use common sense. They had no physical evidence but they had hearsay. The majority of their case was built on statements that others were repeating that Kathleen Savio had told them; mostly that Drew Peterson was a violent person and more than once he threatened to kill her. One piece of hearsay testimony was from a friend of Stacy Peterson who claimed that Drew had asked his wife Stacy to help create an alibi during the time that Savio died.

Glasgow also told jurors that the odds of an adult drowning in a bathtub was “one in a million”.

The prosecution has had its share of challenges throughout the case – more than once Judge Edward Burmila has seriously considered a mistrial as prosecutors repeatedly tried to introduce evidence that was barred from the court.

The judge will charge the jury at 10am EST on Wednesday.

Crime Ticker will bring you the verdict the moment it is announced.

Drew Peterson Trial: Day 19 – The defense rests, closing arguments to start Tuesday

The last witness today before the defense rested its case was Drew Peterson’s 19-year-old son, Thomas Peterson.

Thomas Peterson testified today that, “I believe my dad is innocent.” The testimony of the younger Peterson is particularly poignant as he is the son of the defendant and his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, for whom he is on trial for murdering. Thomas Peterson is currently enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania and was only 11-years-old when his mother was found dead in her bathtub. At the time of her death he was staying with his father at his home with Stacy Peterson who disappeared in 2007.

Thomas also testified that there was nothing unusual about his father the day his mother died, he was his normal self, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. He also explained that when Drew told him about her death, he seemed genuinely distraught.

After his testimony, Drew Peterson was asked if he would like to testify in his own defense, he declined saying only, “I will not testify.”

Court will resume on Thursday at 10am EST.

Drew Peterson Trial – Day 17: The prosecution rests with a letter from Savio

Drew Peterson Trial: Day 16 – Judge warns of possible acquittal

As the prosecution in the Drew Peterson trial wrapped up the week’s testimony, Judge Edward Burmila warned James Glasgow and his team that they haven’t proven their case. He suggested that they have yet to prove that Peterson was in the bathroom the night of Kathleen Savio’s death or how he might have murdered her.

The prosecution explained to the Judge that they were going to introduce testimony that showed Peterson’s training in strangleholds would have been the method of choice for the former police officer. Burmila dismissed the idea immediately saying, ”You can’t be serious, you don’t even have any evidence linking him to the scene. Now you want to say this is what he did there?”

The prosecution do not expect to call any additional witnesses and will wrap up their case on Monday.

Peterson’s defense team expect a swift and decisive conclusion to their case which will start on Monday. By the end of the next week the Judge could hand off the case to the jury, if he doesn’t render a not-guilty verdict himself before it gets to that point. Often the defense will request the Judge to render a not-guilty verdict after the prosecution has rested, and while these types of motions are rarely granted, the Savio case is different from many cases, there is a real chance that such a request could be granted.

Even if the jury does get the case, the standard of proving Peterson guilty beyond a reasonable doubt could give the jury no choice but to acquit.

Drew Peterson Trial: Day 11 – Pathologist testifies that murder is the only plausible cause of death

Joel Brodsky, Drew Peterson defense attorney

Dr. Larry Blum testified Thursday in court that the only plausible cause of death of Kathleen Savio was murder. Blum argued that he did not believe a single fall could cause the gash and patterns of bruises on her body. He also pointed out that there were no edges around the bathtub that matched the wounds on her body, or that her position in the bath tub was not consistent with that of someone who had fallen.

Under cross examination however, Blum conceded that other experts in his field disagreed with his opinion and believed that her death was actually an accident. He also conceded that no DNA samples were collected from her fingernails, which may have been present had there been a struggle with another person.

Savio’s 2004 death was originally considered an accident, but an investigation into her death three years later, after the disappearance of Drew Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, reclassified it as a homicide.