|
 Lawyers for the officer, Drew Peterson, 61, had argued in their
appeal that several errors in the admission of evidence during his
trial had a cumulative effect, leading to Peterson being wrongly
convicted.
The three-judge panel of the Third District Appellate Court decided
unanimously that prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt in
2013 that the former Bolingbrook, Illinois policeman killed his wife
Kathleen Savio.
The court wrote in an 87-page opinion that prosecutors successfully
used circumstantial evidence to prove that Peterson murdered Savio,
whose body was found in an empty bathtub in their home.
The judges wrote that they did not find any errors committed during
the trial.
Savio's death was at first ruled accidental. Suspicions were raised
when Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007.
"We are very happy. It's been a long journey," said Will County
State's Attorney James Glasgow in a phone interview. "Everything
came together and justice was done."
During the sentencing hearing for the Savio murder, Glasgow said to
Peterson: "You're a cold-blooded murderer and I'll stare you down
until I die."
Peterson, who is serving a 38-year sentence, was charged in February
with trying to hire a hit man to kill Glasgow. The trial is set for
early 2016.
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An attorney for Peterson was not immediately available for comment.
The Peterson case was the inspiration for a Lifetime television
network movie, "Untouchable," starring Rob Lowe as Peterson.
The Illinois state legislature passed a law, dubbed "Drew's Law," in
response to the case, loosening requirements for circumstantial
evidence.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; editing by Mary
Wisniewski and Grant McCool)
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