Drew Peterson story

Drew Peterson

Dateline did a pretty solid and in-depth piece on Drew Peterson and his trial last week.  You can check out the full video of the episode online.  It seems to be the most complete discussion of the trial I have yet seen in one place, and is presently clearly and concisely.  If you have followed the case, it’s a must see.

They ran parts of the statements from the jurors that agreed to speak to the press.  I found it particularly insightful that the jurors (according to the foreman Eduardo Saldana) relied heavily on the hearsay evidence: including the controversial evidence that was admitted only thanks to a new law passed in Illinois that changed hundreds of years of courtroom procedure.  He specifically referenced statements Stacy Peterson made to her divorce attorney about admissions Drew Peterson had made about Kathleen Savio’s death.

The defense team had seemed cocky earlier in the case.  I wonder if they were banking on the jury disregarding the hearsay due to its reliability concerns.  Having heard the prejudicial statements that were introduced, I’d say they were just too damaging, and they didn’t just come from one source.  Collectively, the prosecutors were able to use the hearsay evidence to put on a relatively strong case against Peterson.  Dateline’s Lester Holt categorized the verdict as “shocking.”  I wouldn’t go that far, in spite of the lack of physical evidence, the testimonial evidence was devastating.