Judge admonishes potential Peterson jury pool to avoid news
A trial date has yet to be set, but a Will County judge on Friday admonished 240 potential jurors who may decide Drew Peterson's fate to avoid all media coverage in the high-profile murder case.
Circuit Judge Stephen White made the unusual move as the former Bolingbrook police sergeant's attorneys argued he cannot receive a fair trial in Will County due to the case's notoriety and his 30-year background in law enforcement here.
White will rule on the change-of-venue request Oct. 2 but, in the meantime, he brought in the large pool of potential panelists early to try to limit further media exposure. Potential jurors also filled out a lengthy questionnaire that included the names of 493 potential witnesses to ensure all are unknown to them.
Lawyers won't start questioning members of the pool, though, until the trial starts. A date hasn't been set, but the defense team said it may begin later this year. They said Peterson, who has been held since May 7 in the Will County jail on a $20 million bond, is eager to try to win his freedom.
Peterson, 55, is charged with murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, 40, who mysteriously drowned in her bathtub in March 2004.
Dressed in a charcoal suit, Peterson greeted the potential panelists with a brief, "Hi folks," and casual smile, as they were ushered into the packed courtroom.
Judge White warned the pool, brought into court in groups of 60, not to read newspapers, listen to the radio, search the Internet or watch television coverage about the Peterson case. A few potential panelists visibly grimaced and appeared shocked when the judge told them the name of the case.
"This is where the truth is determined," White said of the courtroom, "only within these four walls."
Outside of the pool's presence, lawyers debated whether the trial should be held in another county. A defense attorney, Reem Odeh, who called most of the media coverage "inflammatory," said a cursory Google search of Peterson's name came back with nearly 3 million hits, which is double that of indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
One issue that came up is all the media attention that both Peterson and his lead attorney, Joel Brodsky, have courted. Earlier this summer, White sought to control publicity after Will State's Attorney James Glasgow complained Peterson's legal team had turned the case into a media circus. The judge's order came after Peterson called a radio show from jail and cracked jokes about prison showers and a "Win a Conjugal Visit with Drew" contest.
White may choose to allow the case to continue in Will County until the potential jurors are individually questioned. If the majority cannot be impartial, Glasgow agreed he'd rather the trial be held elsewhere than for a higher court to reverse the outcome later, should Peterson get convicted and appeal.
Prosecutors said Peterson murdered Savio because he faced financial devastation from the couple's ongoing divorce as he tried to begin a new life with his fourth wife, Stacy - with whom he had an extramarital affair - and their baby. They said Peterson even offered a witness $25,000 to kill Savio months before her mysterious death.
The media fervor grew after Stacy vanished in October 2007 amid marital troubles. She has never been found. Peterson has not been charged with her disappearance, which sparked authorities to reinvestigate Savio's death.