Drew Peterson Tried To Hire Hitman To Kill Prosecutor, Authorities Say

Drew Peterson, the onetime suburban Chicago police sergeant who is currently serving a nearly 40-year sentence in prison for the murder of his third wife after escaping charges in the mysterious disappearance of his fourth wife, faced new allegations Monday that he tried to hire a hit man to kill the prosecutor who helped convict him, according to reports. Peterson, who was convicted in 2012 for drowning Kathleen Savio in a bathtub, was scheduled to appear in Randolph County Court in Chester, Illinois. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan confirmed the court date, WBBM, Chicago, reported.

Details surrounding the new claims are scarce, and the hit man Peterson allegedly hired has yet to be identified, but Peterson’s former defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, told WGN, Chicago, he wasn’t surprised by the charges. "When I was representing Drew, we did a lot of things that were controversial, but apparently his new lawyers don’t have control over their client, and that’s unfortunate,” Brodsky said. Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, who successfully prosecuted Peterson nearly three years ago, did not comment on the developing case, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Peterson, 61, who previously served in the Bolingbrook police department, was charged with Savio’s death in 2009 after a posthumous autopsy determined her death was a homicide -- about five years after her lifeless body was discovered. Her death was originally ruled accidental, but her family pressed for further investigation. His fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished in 2007. Peterson said she left him for another man. While Peterson remains a suspect in that investigation, he has never been criminally charged for it. Peterson divorced his first two wives, who are still alive. He is currently serving out his prison term at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester in southwestern Illinois.