Drew Peterson Witness List Includes Stacy Peterson

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 20, 2012 3:00PM

After years of delays Drew Peterson is expected to go on trial next week for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. When the trial begins one name will stand out on the witness list.

Peterson’s defense attorneys included his long-missing-and-presumed-dead fourth wife Stacy on the witness list. It isn’t just a stunt by defense attorneys. The case presented against Peterson by the Will County State’s Attorney will hinge largely on statements—some made by Savio—that Peterson presented a danger to her and was capable of murder. Since Peterson has never been charged with Stacy Peterson’s murder his attorneys hope to use her place on the witness list to present reasonable doubt, although they can't mention Stacy Peterson directly. Drew Peterson has long contended that Stacy simply ran away from their marriage.

That isn’t the only concern as the trial is set to begin. Attorneys will have to select the jurors from the trial from a pool of over 200 Will County residents who have been under a judge’s order not to follow developments in the Peterson case since August 2009. Legal experts told the Sun-Times this could open a window of possibility for a verdict reversal on appeal. Peterson’s lead attorney Joel Brodsky asked Judge Edward Burmila for a new pool of jurors. Brodsky argued that it would be unlikely the jury pool could keep their collective heads in the sand for nearly three years.

We’re mesmerized by the possibility that there are 200 people who may not have watched Drew Peterson: Untouchable as the result of a judge’s ruling.