Peterson's Friends Allegedly Wore Wire

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 23, 2008 4:00PM

Another 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."