Pathologist: Drew Peterson's 3rd Wife Died Accidentally

(Feb. 18) -- A pathologist testified that the death of former Illinois cop Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, was accidental and not a homicide.

Testifying on behalf of the defense at Peterson's pretrial hearing Wednesday, Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen, director of autopsy and forensic services at the University of Michigan Medical School, said he believes Savio may have slipped or fainted in the bathtub.

"I believe all the injuries she sustained could have been sustained with a simple fall," Jentzen said.

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 the defendant killed a witness to prevent testimony.

According to police, Peterson and Savio were divorced on Oct. 10, 2003, just eight days before Peterson remarried. A bitter alimony and custody battle over the couple's two children ensued, but 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, Ill.,. home. A coroner's jury found her death to be accidental, and charges were never filed.

Jentzen said he formed his opinion about Savio's death after reviewing police files, autopsy reports and crime scene photographs. Jentzen also said no defensive wounds were found on Savio -- injuries that would typically be found on a murder victim.

"She suffered a blunt force injury, and that could have rendered her unconscious," Jentzen said.

In addition to the Savio case, police have named Peterson an "official suspect" in the disappearance of his fourth wife, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson.

In October 2007, Stacy was reported missing when she failed to show up for a scheduled appointment. When questioned by police, Drew Peterson said that his wife had left him and that he did not know her whereabouts. Several searches were conducted, but she was never found. Nevertheless, authorities still labeled Peterson a suspect in the case.

Following Stacy's disappearance, authorities decided to take another look at Savio's death. Her remains were exhumed, and former New York Chief Medical Examiner Michael Baden was assigned the second autopsy. During Baden's 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.

Prosecutors are expected to call Baden to testify on Friday. Later, both sides will make closing arguments.

At the hearing's conclusion, a judge will determine whether a jury can hear the statements at Peterson's eventual murder trial.

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