Drew Peterson's Ex-Wife Testifies From the Grave

(Jan. 19) – Testimony regarding the mysterious death of 40-year-old Kathleen Savio – the third wife of brash former Illinois cop and tabloid headline-grabber Drew Peterson – is finally being heard in court.

Peterson, 56, was arrested in May 2009 after a special grand jury found there was sufficient evidence to charge him with Savio's murder. Those charges stem from a controversial new law passed by Illinois legislators that allows a judge to admit hearsay evidence into court for first-degree murder cases, as long as the prosecution could prove that the defendant killed a witness to prevent testimony. The bill's sponsors never publicly linked the law to Peterson, but speculation about it led many experts to label it "Drew's Law." Peterson's attorneys have also suggested it was passed with the intent of putting their client behind bars.

As a result of the new hearsay law, about 60 witnesses will begin offering testimony today regarding roughly 15 hearsay statements. Comments allegedly made by Savio, such as, "Drew Peterson has told me he's going to kill me and make it look like an accident," will be presented as evidence.

Prosecutors are also expected to enter into evidence a 2002 order of protection Savio obtained, in which she alleged a pattern of abuse and threats.

"He wants me dead, and if he has to, he will burn the house down just to shut me up," she wrote in the request for the protection order.

The witness list has been sealed, but Savio's niece, Melissa Doman, told The Associated Press that her mother, Anna Doman, is one of the key witnesses in the case.

"[Her testimony] would be about things my Aunt Kitty (Savio) told my mom about how she was afraid for her life, she said she was afraid of Drew," Doman said.

Peterson's defense attorneys have offered little comment on the hearing. They are unlikely to call their own witnesses and are expected to focus their attention on attacking the credibility of those called forth by the prosecution.

According to police, Peterson and Savio were divorced on Oct. 10, 2003, just eight days before Peterson remarried. A bitter alimony and custody battle for the couple's two children ensued; however, a trial to resolve those issues never took place. Less than five months later Savio was found dead inside an empty, dry bathtub in her Bolingbrook home.

Savio's autopsy revealed eight injuries that could be considered consistent with a struggle, but a coroner's jury found her death to be accidental and charges were never filed.

Nearly four years after Savio's death, Peterson found himself at the center of another suspicious case when his fourth wife, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson, vanished. It was in October 2007, that Stacy's sister reported her missing when she failed to show up for a scheduled appointment. When questioned by police, Drew Peterson said his wife had left him and that he did not know her whereabouts.

From the start of Stacy's case, investigators suspected there was more to Peterson's story. Several searches were conducted, but no sign of her was ever found. Nevertheless, authorities still labeled Peterson an official suspect in his wife's disappearance. To this end, they also decided to take another look at Savio's death and had her remains exhumed. Former New York Chief Medical Examiner Michael Baden was tasked with conducting the second autopsy on Savio. During his examination, he observed several indications of blunt-force trauma, suggesting Savio's death was not accidental.

"It's my opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that [Savio's death was] a homicide," Baden said in a 2007 interview with Fox News.

Whether Baden's opinions will hold any weight is yet to be seen. For now, prosecutors will continue to attempt to sway the court with their hearsay testimony. The hearing is expected to last about three weeks. At the conclusion, a judge will determine whether a jury can hear the statements at Peterson's eventual murder trial.

Meanwhile, Drew Peterson remains incarcerated in the Will County jail on a $20 million bond. He maintains his innocence in Savio's death and also Stacy Peterson's disappearance, for which he has not yet been charged.