Peterson's Friends Allegedly Wore Wire

2008_07_23_dpete.jpgAnother week, another chapter in the ongoing saga of Bolingbrook's most notorious ex-husband. Peterson's "friends" Len Wawczak and Paula Stark, those of the "secret gun claim," now say they wore wires in cooperation with State Police during meetings with Peterson after the disappearance of wife number 4, the still-missing Stacy. Among the nuggets the couple claims Peterson dropped that the tapes didn't catch: Stark alleges Peterson asked her to model Stacy's bikinis and also run off with him; when discussing Kathleen Savio, wife number 3, Peterson said, "She was in a dry bathtub, what a bunch of f------ idiots.” (in reference to the police claim Savio drowned); and “I should have had that bitch cremated. It would have cost me less and I wouldn’t be going through this trouble." (in reference to Savio's body being exhumed following Stacy's disappearance).

For his part, Peterson dismisses the claim: "They're wrong." He also says the couple are motivated by money (“They stormed off mad one day when I wouldn’t lend them money...They wanted some big money from me.”), a claim backed by his attorney, the always entertaining Joel Brodsky.

"No way this happened," attorney Joel Brodsky said in an interview with WGN-Ch. 9, referring to the reported wires worn by Len Wawczak and Paula Stark, who have been friends of Peterson's for years.

In addition, there is "no way" that Illinois State Police and prosecutors would allow undercover witnesses to talk to the news media, Brodsky said, adding that if indeed there are tapes, he might have a legal basis for having them excluded from any future trial because their existence had not been disclosed to Peterson.

Peterson claims the tapes will actually prove his innocence: "I’m almost glad. Good."

Email This Entry


Comments (12) [rss]

Congratulations, Chicagoist. I saw this on the news this morning and didn't pay attention because I said to myself, eh, Chicagoist will have it up at 4 o'clock. You beat my estimate by almost five hours!

Wait...Drew Peterson has friends?

a young( barely 21) ChicagoistPoster named Spav1 was a good friend and defender of Petersons. But now she has disappeared! Of course Chicagoist Editor M.Lyons might have had something to do with this!

Prove him innocent of what? Being a creppy bastard? Doubtful....

creepy! especially the allegded request to model missing/presumed dead wife's swimwear...what about drew do women find so attractive? the bad-boy image, his red face?

this is playing out like season 1 of "desperate housewives".

Shouldn't she be wearing a Hawaiian Tropic bikini in that photo? That would make a lot more sense than a photo suggesting she actually wants to be there.

If none of these statements were on tape, then it is hearsay and not admissable.

If this guy is smart enough to kill several wives and get away with it, he is not going to shoot off at the mouth to even his friends.

well, they wore a wire ...? wouldn't that mean they got it on tape? when i saw this on the front page of the S-T today (another hit for me and the S-T? bad ass Obama and now this? the world really IS coming to the end!), i was thrilled. maybe they really will catch him.

i thought that them 'wearing a wire' meant that the police set him up and they were listening in, making this official evidence. god, i hope so.

smussy:

Apparently the friends are saying that Drew said certain things that were not recorded.

Unless they can get it in under a hearsay exception (there are tons), then it is inadmissable.

Hearsay exceptions include things like excited utterances and dying declarations.

If it isn't on tape, and he didn't actually confess to any crimes, then it is hearsay.

Didn't he lose his pension?

What is he doing for those essentials....like lawyer fees?

Ingrid:

Probably insurance money on wives 1 and 2.

Oh Spook. Don't worry, she's here, you just haven't picked up on the signs. ;)

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

About Chicagoist

Chicagoist is a website about Chicago. More

Editor: Marcus Gilmer
Publisher: Gothamist

Contribute

Latest Tip:

where is the chicagoist facebook fan page?
[more]

Latest Photo:

Recent Comments

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Chicagoist.

All Our RSS