Drew Peterson Sentenced to 38 Years For Wife's Murder
By: Michael C. Fehn
Updated: February 22, 2013
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Drew Peterson showed nearly no emotion during his murder trial. Yet the once famously jocular ex-Illinois police officer screamed out his innocence before he was sentenced to 38 years in prison for his third wife's death.
The outburst Thursday suggested reality may be settling in for Peterson, who for years casually dismissed suggestions he killed Kathleen Savio in 2004, or that he was behind the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.
Savio's death was initially ruled an accident. But after Stacy Peterson disappeared, authorities took another look and reclassified Savio's death as a homicide.
But the sentencing isn't the end. Prosecutors say they could charge Peterson in the disappearance of his fourth wife. And defense attorneys believe the conviction could get tossed because prosecutors heavily relied on hearsay.
The outburst Thursday suggested reality may be settling in for Peterson, who for years casually dismissed suggestions he killed Kathleen Savio in 2004, or that he was behind the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.
Savio's death was initially ruled an accident. But after Stacy Peterson disappeared, authorities took another look and reclassified Savio's death as a homicide.
But the sentencing isn't the end. Prosecutors say they could charge Peterson in the disappearance of his fourth wife. And defense attorneys believe the conviction could get tossed because prosecutors heavily relied on hearsay.
