The pastor of Drew Peterson wife Stacy testifies that Peterson coached her to lie about his whereabouts on the night of ex-wife Kathleen Savio's death. WMAQ's Kim Vatis reports.
By BJ Lutz, NBCChicago.com
Closing arguments are under way in the first-degree murder trial against Drew Peterson.
In the more than an hour the prosecution commanded the floor, attorney Chris Koch several times implored jurors to use their everyday experiences and keep their common sense in mind.
"It is clear that this man murdered Kathleen Savio,"?Koch told the jurors before reminding jurors of the significant points they've heard throughout the last five weeks of testimony.
Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, is charged in the 2004 drowning death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Prosecutors allege Peterson killed his wife and staged it to look like an accident.
Also at NBCChicago.com:?Strike looms as students return to school
Koch told jurors that Peterson had the intent and motive to kill Savio.
"You are not going to make it to the divorce settlement. You're not going to get the pensions, you're not going to get the kids,"?he told jurors of a statement Peterson allegedly made.
Pathology experts, Koch said, showed that the injuries Savio sustained -- 14 separate wounds -- could not have happened in a single fall in a bathtub that measures just 40 inches from the back to the drain.
"It's not possible," he said.
Jurors were reminded that Savio told several people that she feared her husband would kill her, and they were reminded of testimony from a police officer who said Peterson tried to hire him to find a hit man.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
"Taking all of that information together and drawing reasonable inferences from them ... we have proved to you" that Peterson killed Savio. "We are asking you to find him guilty."
Attorney Joe Lopez will speak on behalf of the defense.
Defense attorney Joel Brodsky told reporters Tuesday morning that he heard portions of Lopez's remarks over the weekend and called them "one for the books."
"Joe is going to be informative, entertaining and it's going to be compelling -- all three,"?he said before heading into the Will County Courthouse for a day that's garnered increased attention.
Members of the public, an official said, began showing up outside the courthouse at about 1 p.m. Monday in hopes of getting one of the few available spectator seats.
Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com
Prosecutors have no physical evidence tying Peterson to the death and have waged a case based on hearsay testimony and circumstantial evidence. Peterson's attorneys say there's no proof Savio's death was a homicide, let alone that Peterson had anything to do with it.
"It's like the game of Clue, where they say, 'Colonel Mustard did it with the candlestick in the dining room.' Have you heard that? No," defense attorney Steve Greenberg said last week.
Prosecutors entered the courthouse Tuesday morning without addressing the media.
Each team has been given one hour and 45 minutes to state their case before the seven man, five woman jury that's already sat through five weeks of testimony.
NBC?Chicago has reporters in the Will County Courthouse for the trial. During proceedings, follow along with our Drew Peterson Trial Live Blog or follow @bjlutz on Twitter
More content from NBCNews.com:
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
?
trina rob dyrdek oberon donald driver donald driver robin thicke mariana trench
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.