Drew Peterson Trial Jury Attracts Attention For Cooordinated Wardrobe
By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 28, 2012 6:20PM
Of all the personalities in the Drew Peterson trial, no one would have thought it would be the jury making headlines. But that’s exactly what they’re doing with their acts of wardrobe coordination.
"It has become a morning ritual for the members of the news media covering the trial to ask people in the know what the jury is wearing each day before they file into the jury box.”
The jurors in the Peterson trial began color-coordinating their outfits early in the trial, including showing up one day wearing alternating black and white shirts in the jury box. On Monday they showed up wearing sports jerseys to the trial, which led Will County Judge (and noted White Sox fan) Edward Burmila to commend them for not wearing Cubs jerseys.
Lawyers have said the actions by the jury are strange but not a distraction. Peterson attorney Joe Lopez told the Tribune he’s never seen anything like it before. Noted malpractice attorney Kathleen Zellner told the Tribune it’s particularly odd behavior given that this jury is to determine whether Peterson is guilty of murdering his third wife Kathleen Savio.
Zellner’s statement is the closest anyone has come to saying the jury’s behavior is disrespectful and even she stressed that she didn’t personally feel that way. Yet coordinating their wardrobe is, at the very least, “look at me” move for when the trial is over and the inevitable media scrum to interview the jury begins. It’s easier to remember the juror with the Packers jersey than “Juror Number Eight.”
To some, this also calls into questions of whether the jury can put equal effort to pay attention to the trial as they do determining what color shirts to wear to court every day. This is no better than Peterson’s beeline to every nearby TV camera after his fourth wife Stacy Peterson went missing. We’re certainly wondering if Savio’s family thinks it’s disrespectful.
If they want to be seen as a unit, then do the job Burmila, prosecutors and defense attorneys expected when they chose the jury. There will be plenty of time after the trial for them to have their 15 minutes of fame.