Crime & Safety
Drew Peterson Tired of Waiting On Appellate Judges and Wants Out of Jail
Drew Peterson's attorneys plan to file papers Monday morning to have their client sprung from jail while the appellate court figures out what it's doing.
Drew Peterson was all set to stand trial on charges he murdered his third wife when State's Attorney James Glasgow filed a last minute appeal of what hearsay evidence could be used against the disgraced former Bolingbrook cop.
That was almost a year ago. The judges from the Third District Appellate Court still haven't made up their minds about the appeal and Peterson was been locked up all the while. And now he wants out.
Peterson's legal team plans to file papers with the appellate court in Ottawa asking for the accused wife-killer to be freed while three judges mull over what to do with the prosecution appeal.
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"They're FedExing it to Ottawa is what I understand," said Charles B. Pelkie, the spokesman for the Will County State's Attorney's Office.
"Our understanding is (Peterson's lawyers) contacted the media to inform them that they plan to file this motion directly with the appellate court," Pelkie said.
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Steven Greenberg, the attorney who against the prosecution appeal during an appellate court hearing in February, said he only saw the motion requesting Peterson's release on Friday afternoon. Greenberg said the motion was crafted by Joel Brodsky, who has insisted he is Peterson's "lead attorney" despite his increasingly diminished role in the case.
Greenberg found no fault with the appellate court, but maintained that Peterson should be free during the appeal process.
"I don't think the appeal is taking an inordinate amount of time (but) he should be out," Greenberg said.
Greenberg also did not put much faith in Brodsky's motion, as Greenberg himself already appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court.
"They denied it," Greenberg said.
Peterson has been since May 2009 on charges he murdered third wife Kathleen Savio. The state police also suspect Peterson may have killed his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who vanished in October 2007 and remains missing.
Peterson is being held on a $20 million bond. His attorneys have appealed without success to have the bond lowered.
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