Guilty! Former Cop Drew Peterson Convicted Of Murdering Third Wife
Sept. 6 2012, Published 4:00 a.m. ET
By Alexis Tereszcuk - RadarOnline.com Entertainment Editor
Drew Peterson has been found guilty for the 2004 murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio, RadarOnline.com is reporting.
The jury deliberated for 13 hours and 52 minutes before returning the guilty verdict on Thursday afternoon in Joliet, Illinois.
Prosecutor Chris Koch reminded the jury of why they should find the former cop guilty in his closing argument, saying: "He held her underwater, and he pushed her down. Because of that, we are asking that you find him guilty, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Thank you.”
Savio’s body was found in a dry bathtub in her home with her hair soaked in blood but investigators initially ruled her death an accident. They reopened the case in 2007 when Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy, went missing.
Kathleen’s body was exhumed and re-examined and investigators determined her death was a homicide.
Drew Peterson remains a suspect in the disappearance of Stacy but has not been charged, her whereabouts are still unknown.
Known for his jovial attitude at the most inappropriate times, which has included laughing as he walked into the courtroom on the first day of his trial and calling into a radio show to joke about his life behind bars, the former Chicago cop seemed unfazed by the verdict.
Since his arrest, his son Stephen Peterson has been living in the house that Drew shared with Stacy with his four younger step-siblings, the youngest two are Stacy's.
Despite the severe family trauma, the children seem to be flourishing and Thomas Peterson, the oldest son by murdered Kathleen Savio, was valedictorian of his class at Bolingbrook High School in 2011.
Peterson was arrested on May 7, 2009 and has been in jail since then. He will be sentenced in November, and he faces between 20 and 60 years in jail but will not be eligible for the death penalty as it was abolished in Illinois in 2011.
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