Drew Peterson: Netizens React After Ex-Cop Gets Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison For Plotting To Kill Prosecutor


Twitter users have expressed their opinion after Drew Peterson, a convicted former Chicago cop, received an additional 40-year imprisonment sentence on Friday after he was found guilty of plotting to kill a state prosecutor.

Peterson, 62, was found guilty in May of attempting to hire someone to kill Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Glasgow played a role in Peterson’s trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson was sentenced to 38 years in prison in 2012 for killing Savio.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow leaves a courthouse in Joliet, Ill. [Photo by M. Spencer Green/AP Photo]
While at the Menard Correctional Center, Peterson talked to a fellow inmate, who is a gang member, about hiring someone to kill Glasgow. The inmate, identified as Antonio “Beast” Smith, revealed the plot to the authorities and secretly recorded some of his conversations with Peterson, according to CBS News. Peterson apparently believed that Glasgow would hinder his chances of securing an appeal.

Peterson addressed a Randolph County court on Friday for up to 20 minutes. He denied that he had tried to have Glasgow murdered, describing the plot as being “staged,” according to ABC 7. He told the judge that he had been suicidal in prison and was carrying out the scheme to somehow get a reduced sentence. Peterson further accused his lawyer of failing to call up other inmates who could testify to support the veracity of his claims.

Following the news of Peterson’s latest sentence, some Twitter users expressed their opinion about the case.

The death of Savio, who was found drowned in a dry bathtub in 2004, was initially ruled as an accident, according to Patch. However, her body was exhumed, and another autopsy was performed on it after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, mysteriously disappeared in October 2007.

Although Peterson is suspected of killing Stacy, he has never been officially charged with any crime. Before he was found guilty of killing Savio, Peterson maintained that Stacy was alive and must have run away with her lover, The Guardian reported. However, a recorded conversation between Peterson and Smith shows that the ex-Bolingbrook police officer is concerned that Glasgow may charge him with Stacy’s disappearance.

Before he was sentenced, Peterson maintained that he was innocent of killing Savio. After he was convicted in 2012, he screamed in court, denying the crime. He accused Glasgow of having him imprisoned on false charges and destroying his life, according to the Chicago Tribune. During his rant, he also told Glasgow to remember his face and what had transpired in court on that day. However, on Friday, Peterson told Glasgow in court that he had “never” attempted to kill him.

Drew Peterson has gained some sort of celebrity status since his legal troubles began about nine years ago. Before and during his trial for the murder of Savio, he conducted many interviews, including one on Larry King Live. Since his arrest, Peterson’s fame has continued to grow. In 2008, a book about the case titled Drew Peterson Exposed was published by Derek Armstrong. In January, a movie about Peterson’s life, titled Drew Peterson: Untouchable, was released. The movie features Rob Lowe and Kaley Cuoco. Peterson had unsuccessfully attempted to stop the release of the movie, according to Reuters.

Peterson has five children (Stephen, 37; Thomas, 23; Kris, 21; Anthony, 13; and Lacy, 11), according to HLN. Before Peterson was imprisoned, he had been in a relationship with Christina Raines. Christina separated from Peterson in 2009 after receiving an ultimatum from her father to choose between him and the ex-cop, according to Fox News. Raines told Fox News that he was concerned about the safety of his daughter, and he did not like the way that Peterson was controlling her.

Based on his previous sentence, Peterson’s earliest parole date would have been in 2047 when he is 93 years old. Now that he has received an additional 40-year sentence, he is likely to die in prison.

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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