Two years, no answers
A year ago, Drew Peterson went to New York City to appear on the "Today" show and plead with his missing wife to "Show yourself. Put an end to this nightmare."
The wife, Stacy, who is Peterson's fourth, has not shown herself. And Peterson's living nightmare has gotten worse, as he has been sleeping in the county jail for the past five months while he awaits his trial for allegedly killing his third wife.
(Herald-News file photos)
Today, the second anniversary of Stacy's disappearance, Peterson will not be appearing on any TV shows. He cannot even phone out from the jail for interviews because Judge Stephen White has restricted the disgraced former Bolingbrook cop's collect-calling privileges.
Peterson will be on trial for allegedly drowning third wife Kathleen Savio, who turned up dead in a dry bathtub in March 2004. The state police insisted Savio's death was an accident for more than three years, but changed their tune after Peterson's next wife, Stacy, vanished two years ago today.
Within days of Stacy's disappearance, the state police decided she was the victim of a "potential homicide" and named Peterson their sole suspect. He is still the only suspect in Stacy's possible death but has not been charged with doing anything to her.
Brodsky failed to return calls for comment on why he wants Savio's prescription information, but it is possible Savio had been taking medication.
During an inquest into Savio's death convened in May 2004, state police Special Agent Herbert Hardy testified that "there was indications that she took some type of antidepressant." At the same inquest, Savio's boyfriend, Steve Maniaci, testified that, "Yeah, she also took a little anti-anxiety, Xanax, a generic form of Xanax also."
But an autopsy performed March 1, 2004 -- the day Savio was found dead -- found no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system.
"He's going to try everything he can, especially with everything that happened in (their last) court appearance," Doman said.
During that Oct. 2 hearing, Brodsky struck out in bids to have Peterson's trial moved out of Will County and to have a law allowing hearsay evidence declared unconstitutional.
"That's what you get for defending a murderer," Doman said.
Peterson was allegedly approved for the line of credit in 2005, but it was 'arbitrarily suspended' after Peterson's arrest, the lawsuit alleges.
Attorney Walter Maksym is representing Peterson in the federal lawsuit. Maksym said he took the case in part out of his opposition to the hearsay law prosecutors plan to use against Peterson in the murder trial.
"I think it's a terrible law that, regardless of Mr. Peterson, affects us all," Maksym said.
"It's very hard to fight a ghost," he said, adding, "The legislature was way out of bounds doing that."
In a statement released through Peterson's publicist, Glenn Selig, Maksym said, "Everyone is entitled to use their property in order to maintain a defense against the might of the state, that we are taxed to sustain."
"Mr. Peterson should be able to use his own money so that already overburdened and struggling taxpayers do not have to also pay for the enormous defense costs," he said. "We will hold Chase, the bank that is sitting on billions of our hard earned 'bailout' tax money, (responsible) for refusing to honor and reneging on their commitment for the benefit of us all."
