Should Peterson trial be moved out of Will County?

A judge may rule today whether Drew Peterson's high-profile murder trial should be moved out of Will County.

His defense team argues the former Bolingbrook police sergeant cannot get a fair trial there due to all the media exposure and his 30-year local law enforcement career.

A trial date has not been set, but Will Circuit Judge Stephen White made the usual move Aug. 13 of admonishing about 240 potential jurors to avoid all Peterson media coverage.

White may choose to allow the case to remain in Will County until the potential jurors are individually questioned. If the majority cannot be impartial, prosecutors are expected to agree with the defense that the trial should be held elsewhere.

Peterson, 55, is charged with murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, 40, who mysteriously drowned in her bathtub in March 2004. He has remained in the Will County jail on a $20 million bond since his May 7 arrest. His lawyers said the trial could come in the next several months because Peterson is eager to win his freedom.

They characterize the media attention as "inflammatory," but prosecutors countered that its Peterson who has turned the criminal case into a media circus. For example, a jailed Peterson called a radio show over the summer and cracked jokes about jail showers and a "Win a Conjugal Visit with Drew" contest.

Prosecutors said Peterson killed 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 state witness $25,000 to kill Savio months before her mysterious death.

The media fervor grew after Stacy vanished in October 2007 amid their marital troubles. Stacy has never been found. Peterson has not been charged with her disappearance, which sparked

authorities to reinvestigate Savio's death.

Also today, lawyers will debate whether Illinois' hearsay law is constitutional. His lawyers want to prevent prosecutors from using statements Savio made before her death. They argue the law is unconstitutional because it would allow in unreliable evidence and also because it was passed after the crime was committed.