Drew Peterson sentenced to 38 years in death of third wife

Peterson had faced as much as 60 years, but Judge Edward Burmila said he gave Peterson some consideration for his years as a police officer and his service in the military.

The sentence was handed down after Peterson, who did not testify at this trial, made an emotional appeal to the judge, at times appearing to choke up.

Peterson began by telling the judge, “Good day, my name is Drew Peterson. I hope I don’t aggravate the situation here, but I have a lot of things to be said.” Then he screamed, “I did not kill Kathleen!”

“Yes, you did,” a woman said.

“Ma’am, I’d like you to leave the courtroom,” Burmila said. “And Mr. Peterson, don’t make any outbursts that are designed to aggravate people.”

“I’m sorry, your honor. I must have been woozy,” Peterson said.

Peterson said he was the victim of an unjust and invasive police investigation that ignored or lost evidence that could have shown his innocence. He accused the state police of falsifying police reports.

“What they did uncover was rumors, gossip, outrageous lies and, most importantly, unreliable hearsay. Hearsay that pierced three privileges that have stood for centuries,” Peterson said.

Peterson bitterly complained that the Rev. Neil Schori betrayed his promise never to repeat anything that was said by Peterson or his missing fourth wife, Stacy. Schori had testified at the trial.

Savio’s divorce attorney Harry Smith, who testified about a conversation with Stacy before she disappeared, “gave up privileged information from both Kathy and Stacy, like it was yesterday’s garbage,” he said. “Ultimately, it led to my conviction.

“Hearsay is a scary thing. There’s no proof. Anything can be said and nobody’s accountable for the truth,” Peterson said.

Susan Doman described her sister as a “rock” and told the court she looked up to Savio, even though Savio was younger. She also expressed her anger toward Peterson.

“He showed no remorse,” she said. “For years I watched Peterson parade on TV, radio, photo shoots, and (that) radio promotion to win a date with him. That was a big joke to him. And he loved all the attention.