Police Officer: Peterson Said 'Life Would be Easier if (Savio) was Just Dead'
It's the fifth day of testimony in the Drew Peterson murder trial.
Keep up with all Drew Peterson coverage on our Storify.
Updated 5:30 p.m.
Brodsky couldn't find the letter.
Deel went on to testify that he still thinks Savio's death was an accident.
The last witness of the day was Bolingbrool Police James Coughlin. Coughlin recalled running into Drew Peterson in a courthouse hallway weeks before Savio died.
He said Peterson was "irritated" that thee divorce lawyers "were getting all his money" and went on to say his "life would be easier if (Savio) was just dead or died."
Updated 3 p.m.
Defense attorney Joel Brodsky claimed the state's attorney's office sent a letter of complaint to Robert Deel's superiors after Stacy Peterson's disappearance.
The complaint prompted an inquiry into Deel's handling of the Kathleen Savio death investigation. Judge Edward Burmila called a halt to the proceedings and told Brodsky to produce the letter.
State's Attorney James Glasgow said he did not write the letter and has no knowledge of it.
"You made a serious allegation under cross examination and I want to see the letter," Burmila told Brodsky.
Brodsky's looking for the letter.
Updated 2:15 p.m.
The state of the bath tub where Kathleen Savio was found dead raised suspicion, Deputy Coroner Michael Vanover testified, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Both how clean the tub was and the rows of bath products arranged around the tub seemed suspicious, Vanover said.
"There was no obvious signs of struggle or foul play in the bathtub. I don't know how else she could have drowned," the Trib reported. "If a person would have fallen in that bathtub, I'm of the opinion that those bottles around the edge of that bathtub would have gone flying."
Updated at 12:35 p.m.
Illinois State Police Sgt. Robert Deel was called to testify about how he handled the investigation of Kathleen Savio's death.
A state police evidence technician, Deel said he walked around the outside of Savio's house looking for any sign someone broke in, such as a ladder leaning
against a wall, for example.
Deel said he then performed a cursory examination of Savio's bedroom and
the bathroom where she was found drowned in her dry bathtub. Deel said he
was looking for items that were out of place.
When asked by Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Patton how, in light of the fact he had never been in Savio's house before, he would know if anything was out of place, Deel conceded that he would not.
"None of us would," he said.
While on the witness stand, Deel reviewed dozens of photographs he took of the crime scene and confirmed they were his.
Deel admitted he did not process anything from Savio's home or collect any evidence. He said his failure to take or process evidence was not due to his having already decided Savio died accidentally.
While at the scene, Deel decided his "best course of action" would be "to go ahead and remove (her body) and then attend the autopsy to determine what happened to her."
When asked by Patton if he came to any conclusions about Savio's death while on the scene, Deel said, "That there was a dead person in the tub."
Updated 10:05 a.m.
Deputy Coroner Michael Vanover testified Illinois State Police Evidence Tech Robert Deel told him not to follow the mandated protocol for a homicide or a suspicious death when handling Kathleen Savio's body.
The protocol dictates that the paper bags be put on the deceased's hands, the body be placed in a white sheet, then in a white body bag, then in a colored body bag, and then this bag be sealed with a numbered tag. The chief deputy coroner must then be notified.
None of this was done except for the hand being bagged. Vanover said Deel told him he did this for "precautionary purposes."
"I asked (Deel) if they thought there was something wrong here and they
said, 'No,'" Vanover testified.
While Vanover was on the stand, Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Patton showed photos of the large, severe-looking red injuries on Savio's
buttocks.
The Chicago Tribune reported the defense complained about the media coverage of the trial.
"Unfortunately, people are used to judges who are pro-prosecution," Greenberg said in the Trib. "The judge is supposed to be the umpire, he's supposed to go down the middle."
The Trib also reported the defense filed a motion about possible testimony from Dr. Michael Baden, who performed Savio's second autopsy.
"He was on 'Judge Jeanine' and said how he and Baden decided this was a homicide before the exhumation and before they performed the autopsy," Greenberg said in the Trib.
Original story
Today's first witness will be Deputy Coroner Michael Vanover.
After Vanover, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Technician Robert Deel will testify, a court official said. Deel processed Kathleen Savio's death scene and declared there was sign of foul play. He also convinced the lead investigator in the case that Savio's death was an accident.
During a 2010 pretrial hearing, Deel testified that he still believed Savio perished in a freak bathtub accident.
READ MORE ON BOLINGBROOK PATCH:
- Kathleen Savio's Sister Testifies Peterson Told Savio He Would Kill Her
- Patch Editor Appears on WGN to Discuss Drew Peterson Case
- Drew Peterson Murder Trial: Weekend Wrap-Up
- Death Scene, Drew Peterson's Behavior Described in Testimony
- Three More Bolingbrook Firefighters Take the Stand in Peterson Trial
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Keep up with Bolingbrook news:
Francis M. Regan
11:22 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sounds like the prosecution has to attack their own State witnesses and investigation. Can that cause reasonable doubt?
Francis M. Regan
1:05 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Hello! The Corners Office is the Chief law enforcement Officer in Will County and they should have over ruled the the investigator and followed proper homicide protocol if things appeared suspicious to him. No one can side step now to appease the prosecution.
Kelly
5:46 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Jim Coughlin has always been a class act - this just solidifies it.
Watchful Eye
6:33 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I am not sure where Brodsky thought he was going with trying to attack the credibility of Lt. Coughlin. He had two documents projected on the courtroom screen, proving to Lt. Coughlin that Peterson was not in court for his divorce matter on the day Lt. Coughlin said he saw him. I believe Lt. Coughlin said he assumed that is the reason he was in court. Again, that is "assumed."
What is laughable to those of us outside the jury, the dumb-cluck defense lawyer, again Brodsky, made an accusation against the SA's office by saying they wrote a letter to Deel's supervisor, criticizing his work on the KS case. The judge said that was a very serious accusation and said he wanted the defense to show him the letter. So, the judge gave the defense adequate time, sending out the jury and holding up court, to get him this letter. The bottom line: what letter? They made it up.
IMO, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO HEAR THE DEFENSE WHINE ABOUT THE PROSECUTION, WHEN THEY LOOKED LIKE THE BUFFOONS THAT THEY ARE IN COURT TODAY!!!!!
Kimberly
6:41 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
What time do you get in line to get a seat in the court room? I read there were people camping out to get a seat.
Watchful Eye
6:53 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I doubt the jury is going to think that Lt. Coughlin is a lying fool because he thought Peterson was in court for a reason other than the one he thought, and he has no credibility because of it. If that's what the defense meant to show, I think they're far from their goal. Geesh.
Now the defense wants his complete testimony stricken because there's a discrepancy in an FBI report he said he pointed out to the ASA over 2 years ago, but which, so says the defense, wasn't pointed out to them and is a violation of discovery rules. That would be a shame if that happens.
Deel is a pathetic joke. Wasn't his job to assess the scene and collect evidence? He was judge and jury, and didn't collect jack squat. Again, what a shame.
There is a LEO that was sickened by the way KS's death investigation was handled, and he made it clear. "Falat said he told the lead investigator in Savio's death about his concerns about the investigation." ""I was disgusted with it," Falat said when asked about how he viewed the investigation."
Won't his testimony be interesting?????
Francis M. Regan
7:10 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
On Channel 7 news earlier today they said the Will County SAO allegedly told the State Police they would never want Deel to ever handle another case in their County. Then they said Deel was put back on patrol duty. This was on the News even before Brosky said it in open court. There had to either be a letter or telephone communication between the SAO and the State Police somewhere .
Francis M. Regan
7:12 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Watchful eye why didn't the Deputy Corner over ride Deels ruling at the scene if he thought something was askew about the death.
Watchful Eye
7:27 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Ask your wife, Regan.
Francis M. Regan
7:30 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
See a serious question and you reply with a stupid retort. Grow up.
Robert
9:08 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Can we stick to the facts and drop the sarcasm. There are obviously some bias people leaving comments...family members or friends.
I am interested in the facts and hard evidence....not hearsay and bad feelings.
Martin
4:45 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"were getting all his money" and went on to say his "life would be easier if (Savio) was just dead or died."
I know plenty of guys (and gals) that have said this very same thing during a contensious divorce. Its not proof that a person killed someone...if it was, I know 5-6 guys that need locking up for Attempted Murder.