HEARSAY OVERRULED IN DREW PETERSON CASE

SAVIO

"BIG WIN"

DREW Peterson's lawyers have won round the opening rounds of his murder trial, when judges barred certain witnesses from taking the stand.
The former cop, who stands accused of killing his third wife Kathleen Savio, who's drowning death was originally ruled accidental, but the case was reopened after his fourth wife Stacy Peterson vanished in 2007.
But the prosecutions case has been severely harmed after justices at the 3rd District Appellate Court,  ruled out a number of witnesses that may have helped their case.
They had hoped to call his second wife and eldest son, who alleged domestic violence, during there marriage, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Expert testimony predicting how a judge would have ruled in Peterson's divorce from Savio and how the couple's assets would have been split was also properly thrown out, the appeals court ruled.
The appellate decision prevents prosecutors from introducing several key statements, including testimony from Savio's divorce attorney, who says Savio told him that Peterson threatened to kill her and make it look like an accident.
Peterson's attorney Steve Greenberg called the decision "a big win" for his client.
He said: "It keeps out evidence that was unreliable. It reduces the chance of the trial being based on rumor and innuendo."
Peterson remains in jail in lieu of $20 million bond.

DREW PETERSON WANTS ROB LOWE MOVIE SCRATCHED

LOWE

PETERSON

ROB Lowe will not get to play accused wife killer Drew Peterson in a TV movie about his life if the former cop has anything to do with it.
'Ladykiller: The Drew Peterson Story,' was being filmed for Lifetime Television, about the strange disappearance of his fourth wife Stacey in 2007 and the death of his third wife Kathleen Savio who was found dead in the couple's bathtub in 2004. 
Her death was initially ruled accidental, but Drew was later charged with her murder - which he denies. Before her disappearance Stacy Peterson also reportedly told Rev. Neil Schori, a pastor at her church that Drew had confessed to the murders, something he denies.
"Ladykiller: The Drew Peterson Story," which Hollywood industry websites said last month was being filmed for Lifetime television, is based on what Peterson's attorney called an "extremely opinionated, blatantly biased, less than seriously researched and defamatory book."

The movie could also bias potential jurors against Peterson, a former suburban Chicago police officer who is awaiting trial in the death of his third wife, attorney Walter Maksym said.
And so has sent the company a "cease and desist" letter addressed to Lowe, Lifetime Entertainment and its parent companies, A&E Television Networks, Disney/ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation, and other entities.
Peterson’s defense attorney, Joel Brodsky added to the Chicago Sun Times: "First and foremost we want to make sure Drew gets an unbiased jury pool.
“But even after the trial, if these people are making money from the use of his name, why shouldn’t Drew get some of that money? It’s his story.”
Maksym said he sent the letter Wednesday evening and had not received any responses.