Shivangi Sinha
In 2007, when Stacy Ann Cales Peterson went missing from Bolingbrook, Illinois, her sudden disappearance raised immediate concerns. It seemed unlikely to many that she would abandon her life and two children without a trace. Suspicion quickly centered on her husband, Drew Peterson, who insisted she had voluntarily left him for another man. However, as investigators dug deeper, more alarming information surfaced, particularly about the suspicious 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. The Hulu documentary ‘Drew Peterson: An American Murder Mystery’ explores the case in depth, highlighting the evidence that eventually tied Drew to Kathleen’s murder and the broader investigation into his past.
Drew Peterson Had Been Married Three Times Before Tying the Knot With Stacy Peterson
Drew Peterson was born on January 5, 1954, in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He graduated from Willowbrook High School in 1972, and after high school, he enlisted in the US Army and later began training as a military police officer. In 1974, he briefly attended the College of Dupage before relocating to Falls Church, Virginia, for military police training. Drew joined the Bolingbrook Police Department in 1977, beginning what would be a 30-year law enforcement career. The following year, he was assigned to the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad. In 1974, he married his high school sweetheart, Carol Brown. The couple had two sons, Stephen and Eric, but divorced in 1980 after Carol allegedly discovered Drew had been unfaithful.
In 1982, Drew married Victoria “Vicki” Connolly, with whom he operated a bar in Romeoville. Their marriage lasted ten years and was allegedly marred by instances of domestic abuse, according to her. After learning of another affair, this time with Kathleen Savio, she ended the marriage in 1992. Drew married Kathleen on May 3, 1992. They had two sons, Thomas and Kristopher, and lived together in Bolingbrook. Over the course of their marriage, police were reportedly called to their home numerous times for domestic disputes. Their divorce was finalized in October 2003. Just days later, Drew married 19-year-old Stacy Ann Cales on October 18, 2003. Less than five months after his wedding to Stacy, on March 1, 2004, Kathleen was found dead in her bathtub. Her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning.
Drew Peterson Was Suspected to be Involved in the Deaths of Two of His Wives
On October 28, 2007, Stacy Peterson was reported missing by her sister. Drew Peterson, her husband, quickly alleged she had left him for another man and taken $25,000 from their home. He also said she had abandoned their two young children, Anthony and Lacy. Her family, however, found this hard to believe and stated that Stacy would never leave her kids behind. Soon after, suspicions mounted against Drew, particularly when his stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, told investigators he had helped Drew move a large blue plastic container from the bedroom to his vehicle on the night his wife went missing.
Despite multiple leads, authorities were unable to locate Stacy or her remains. This led investigators to re-examine the 2004 death of Drew’s third wife, Kathleen Savio. Her body was exhumed in November 2007 and sent for another autopsy. In February 2008, the new findings determined that her death had been a homicide staged to appear as an accident. During this time, Drew retired from the police force and continued to make frequent media appearances, insisting on his innocence. He briefly announced an engagement to a younger woman, Christina Raines, in December 2008, but she moved out by January 2009. After gathering testimonies from his ex-wives and acquaintances, Drew was formally charged and arrested for Kathleen’s murder in May 2009.
Drew Peterson Was Convicted on Other Charges While Serving a Sentence For Murder
In October 2009, Drew Peterson filed a lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase, alleging that the bank had wrongly revoked a home equity line of credit he intended to use to cover his legal expenses. He claimed his income was insufficient without access to that credit. At first, certain hearsay statements related to the disappearances of Stacy Peterson and the circumstances of Kathleen Savio’s death were ruled inadmissible in court. However, in April 2012, an appellate court overturned that decision, allowing select witness testimonies and statements into evidence. During the trial, multiple individuals who had known Stacy and Kathleen testified. Based on circumstantial evidence and findings from the second autopsy, Drew was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Kathleen and was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Following his conviction, Drew was initially held at Menard Correctional Center in Illinois but was later transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana. Not long after his arrival, he was assaulted by another inmate. His legal team pursued multiple appeals, but in September 2017, the original verdict was upheld. By December 2019, he had been moved from federal custody to a state-run prison outside Illinois. In February 2015, he was charged with plotting to have Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow killed. The case came to light after a fellow inmate, who wore a recording device, provided evidence of the plan. In 2016, Drew was found guilty of solicitation to commit murder and murder-for-hire, receiving an additional 40-year sentence.
Drew Peterson is Serving His Sentence at an Unknown Location Today
In October 2021, while incarcerated at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Drew Peterson submitted a handwritten petition seeking post-conviction relief, which was ultimately denied by the court. Then, in May 2022, his former attorney, Joel Brodsky, stated publicly that he was considering disclosing sensitive information allegedly related to both of Drew’s former wives. However, Brodsky remains under a court-imposed gag order, preventing him from speaking further. In 2024, Drew filed a motion requesting a new trial, asserting that he had received ineffective legal representation and claiming that Brodsky prevented him from testifying during his 2012 trial. He continues to serve his sentence, though his exact location is undisclosed for security reasons. He is currently 71 years old.
Read More: Drew Peterson’s Kids: What Happened to Them?
