Judge puts off decision on Peterson trial site
JOLIET — On Oct. 2, Drew Peterson will find out if his murder trial will be held somewhere else.
His lawyers want the proceedings to be moved out of Will County. Peterson can't get a fair trial here, they argue.
(Liz Wilkinson Allen / Staff Photographer)
(File photo)
Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow thinks it's too early to make that decision. After all, the jury has yet to be picked.
Will County Judge Stephen White heard arguments from both sides Friday. At the end of a brief afternoon hearing, he decided to take the matter under advisement.
Although he was willing to announce his decision early next week, Peterson's lawyers instead asked for the October court date.
Peterson, a retired Bolingbrook police officer, was arrested in May and charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He is being held at the Will County jail.
In March 2004, the 43-year-old mother of two was found dead in a dry bathtub at her Bolingbrook home. Savio and Peterson were in the middle of an acrimonious divorce.
Her death initially was ruled accidental. When Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, 23, disappeared in late 2007, authorities took another look at the case and decided Savio's death was actually a homicide.
Jurors brought in
On Friday, Reem Odeh, one of Peterson's lawyers, argued the case should be moved. There's been too much publicity about the case and too many rumors, she said. And when Peterson was a police officer, he wrote tickets and made arrests, so some people already don't like him.
Glasgow disagreed.
"It has been a concentrated effort on their parts throughout this case to keep the case in the public eye," he said.
Glasgow urged the judge to interview prospective jurors before he made a decision.
And that's exactly what White did Friday. He called 240 potential jurors to the courthouse and began interviewing them in groups of 60. From now on, they should ignore any mention or news of the case because they might be picked to serve on the jury, White said. He also asked them to fill out a 13-page questionnaire that sought information about their children, spouses, schooling and employment, among other things.
When the case returns to court Oct. 2, the judge will also hear arguments on the constitutionality of the case.
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