Drew Peterson case on Dateline: The shocking true story behind the infamous case

Season 30 Episode 10 of Dateline NBC titled Infamous explores the shocking case of Drew Peterson, a former cop convicted of murdering his wife and suspected in another wife’s disappearance. Former Bolingbrook, Illinois, police sergeant Drew was married four times, and Kathleen Savio was his third wife, following Stacy Peterson, his fourth wife.

The official synopsis of the Dateline episode reads,

"Convicted murderer Drew Peterson speaks out about the murder of his third wife. Kathleen Savio, and the disappearance of his fourth wife Stacy Peterson, in his first network TV interview in more than a decade; insiders close to the case speak out, including Stacy Peterson's sister;"

Read on to know the true story behind the infamous case, as shown on Dateline.

Drew Peterson's case on Dateline: The shocking true story behind the murder case explored

In 2004, Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen, was found dead in the bathtub inside the house. When the investigation started, it seemed like an accidental drowning. Later in 2007, Drew's fourth wife, Stacy, disappeared, and it was Drew who saw her last.

This ignited some suspicion over Drew, who was the only common point between the two cases. The previous 2004 case was also reopened, and the authorities found some bruising marks; the accidental drowning case was then ruled a homicide, and Drew was named the prime suspect.

In May 2009, the jury charged Peterson with two counts of first-degree murder in Kathleen's death. The bail bond was set at a staggering amount of $ 20 million, keeping in mind the seriousness of the crime. The authorities found several pieces of evidence against him like the autopsy findings, such as bruises, scalp lacerations, inconsistent with accidental drowning.

Along with this, the strongest evidence was the testimony of multiple witnesses who stated that Kathleen had revealed to them several times that Drew had threatened her life. He also said that he could kill her and stage it as an accident. The couple was going through a tumultuous divorce at the time of the murder.

On the other hand, Stacy, who vanished at the age of 23, remains missing to date, with Drew being the prime suspect but not charged. For the murder case, however, Drew Peterson was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 38 years in prison. While in prison, Drew tried to hire a hitman to kill James Glasgow, the prosecutor who convicted him and was therefore sentenced to another 40 years in jail.

Current status of the Drew Peterson case explored as shown in Dateline

Drew Peterson is serving a combined 78-year sentence and continues to deny involvement in both cases. In 2021, Dateline featured the “Infamous” episode with Drew getting interviewed on both the scandals he is named for. He still doesn't accept his crimes and continues to believe he is being framed.

Stacy’s disappearance remains unsolved, leaving a disturbing open thread even after his convictions.

When his first wife was murdered, he didn't grieve; in fact, he seemed to relish all the spotlight and media fame.

Trending

"I am obnoxious, and I laugh at stupid things. People want to believe I killed my wife simply because it's juicy." He said to WGN news.

An Indiana prison is now Drew's home, and he explains that life there is monotonous, according to WGN news.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback