Drew Peterson Charged With Hiring Hitman To Kill Prosecutor


Drew Peterson is charged with trying to hire a hitman to kill the prosecutor who was instrumental in convicting him in 2012 for the murder of his ex-wife.

ABC News reports that state and local prosecutors confirm Peterson is suspected in one count of solicitation of murder for hire and one count of solicitation for murder when it was discovered he allegedly wanted someone to kill Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow.

Peterson, 61, is serving a 38-year prison sentence at Menard Correctional Center for the drowning death of Kathleen Savio in March 2004 during their divorce. Her death was considered accidental at first, but a 2007 autopsy ruled Savio’s death a homicide.

Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007. He hasn’t been charged in the case, but authorities believe she’s dead.

A report by CBS Local in Chicago reveals that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the convicted killer made an initial court appearance on Monday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 3 in Randolph County. Drew Peterson was informed of the charges.

“The charges allege that, between September 2013 and December 2014, the defendant solicited an individual to carry out a murder for hire plot against Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow,” Madigan said.

Madigan’s office is involved in the case at the request of Randolph County prosecutors; Will County prosecutors have reportedly had “an obvious conflict of interest in the case.”

Former defense attorney Joel Brodsky says that if Peterson did try hiring a hitman to kill the prosecutor, it’s as “a result of his frustration at not being well represented by Attorney Steve Greenberg.”

Greenberg hasn’t returned the news source’s request for comment, but Brodsky voiced his opinion on why Peterson would do something like this if the accusations are true.

“If Mr. Peterson believed in his appeal, he wouldn’t commit such an act, if he did what he is alleged to have done. When I represented Drew, we may have done things that were controversial, but we always discussed everything and there was a reason for everything we did. If the current allegations against Mr. Peterson are true, in my opinion, the actions are a result of Attorney Steve Greenberg’s failure to control his client, and his failure to keep his client informed and focused on his legal options, his appeal, and other post-conviction remedies.”

ABC 7 News writes that if convicted for solicitation of murder for hire, Drew Peterson is looking at a mandatory prison sentence of 20 to 40 years and solicitation of murder has a mandatory sentence of 15 to 30 years.

[Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune]

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