Thanks, Sunstar.

It would be worth a watch just to refresh my memory.. but I saw it all unfold in real time.

As I have said... I would say on balance Drew killed both wives... but if I was on a jury I could not say "Beyond Reasonable doubt" that he did, and so sentence him to Life... (and certainly not DP if that was on the table)

o/t as comparison
If I was on the Casey Anthony jury I would have voted GUILTY (of first degree murder) AND voted for DP

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I do think it's interesting there seems to be only one option for the jury if they believe he's guilty, although they will have two ways to arrive at a guilty verdict. It would have been so much better to be able to actually see this trial instead of relying on written updates from the courtroom. As it is, it seems there's a lot that didn't come in that could point more toward his guilt. So despite the jury being unified in color-coordinating their wardrobe, it wouldn't surprise me if it's a hung jury, unless they're considering Stacy into the equation too (which they shouldn't be).

Yes... I would LOVE to hear the closing arguments at least.

I guess we wont, and they wont even be recorded to hear later.. even that would be OK... once the jury is locked away deliberating

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TRIAL DAY 22 (9-04-12)

STATE OF IL. VS. DREW PETERSON


Trial Day Starts in Joliet Il. - Tuesday, September 4, 2012 9:00 AM CT

Days will be ....Tuesday through Friday, every week until it goes to jury!!!

There will be no camera's in courtroom unfortunately so we will have to rely on twitter for information as to what is going on in courtroom & also Updates from several outlets.

TRIAL UPDATES: Chicago Tribune Breaking News
(Link to Daily Update Story)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... g&lpos=Sub

LIVESTREAMING FOR TRU TV
http://superusvox.com/index.php/specialty/trutv
or
http://livetvcafe.net/video/7Y78YR9H9DKB/Tru-TV

WGN TV - Drew Peterson trial (links to daily blogs)
http://www.wgntv.com/news/drewpeterson/

5 nbcchicago - Peterson Trial Live Blog
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/dr ... 60506.html

InSession on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/InSession




TWITTER LINKS:

IN SESSIONS.
http://twitter.com/InSession

Joseph Hosey (reporter)
Joseph Hosey@ShorewdILPatch
http://twitter.com/ShorewdILPatch

Tweets for Drew Peterson case
https://twitter.com/#!/search/drew%20...+peterson+case

Jon Seidel
Jon Seidel@SeidelContent
https://twitter.com/seidelcontent

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Drew Peterson trial updates: Closing arguments today

6:45 a.m. Closing arguments today

Jurors in the Drew Peterson murder trial will hear closing arguments Tuesday morning after listening to five weeks of evidence in the unusual circumstantial case.

...more at link
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 3423.story

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Drew Peterson trial blog: Closing arguments in Peterson trial

September 4, 9:36 a.m. Closing arguments in the trial of Drew Peterson should begin shortly. Defense attorney Joe Lopez is stuck in traffic. Nearly 60 people, including family of Kathleen Savio, are in the courtroom and media overflow room. According to the Will County Sheriff's office, some members of the public came to the courthouse as early as 1 p.m. Monday afternoon and camped out to make sure they would get a ticket.

September 4, 9:28 a.m. Each side has been given one hour and 45 minutes for closing arguments. The state will be splitting their time between Will County States Attorney James Glasgow and Assistant States Attorney Chris Koch.

Updates at link
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-drew-pe ... .htmlstory

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In Session The order of the jury instruction is now being finalized. The defense asks the judge to order the spectators in the gallery to show no displays of approval or disapproval during the closing arguments. The prosecution takes no position on this matter. Judge: "One can only assume the people in the gallery understanding they're in a courtroom… I don't think I need to make any further admonitions than that."
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Prosecutor Chris Koch begins the prosecution's closing statement:

"'I'm going to kill you' . . . that is the statement the defendant told Kathleen Savio just weeks before her death. And on Feb. 29, 2004, that became a reality, as she lay dead in that bathtub at the hands of Drew Peterson . . . you bring with you your common sense, and your life experiences . . . I ask you to keep in mind common sense, common sense. Because it is clear that this man murdered Kathleen Savio."

'I'm going to kill you' . . . that is the statement the defendant told Kathleen Savio just weeks before her death. And on Feb. 29, 2004, that became a reality, as she lay dead in that bathtub at the hands of Drew Peterson . . . you bring with you your common sense, and your life experiences . . . I ask you to keep in mind common sense, common sense. Because it is clear that this man murdered Kathleen Savio."

There are two things the State has to prove, and that we have proved beyond a reasonable doubt for you to find the defendant guilty: that he performed the acts that killed Kathleen Savio, and that when he did so he knew that his acts would cause death or great bodily harm to Kathleen Savio. The evidence in this case shows we did prove it, that he did commit this act, and that he did cause the death of Kathleen Savio. What was the cause of the death of Kathleen Savio? That's not really in dispute . . . the cause was drowning; everyone has agreed that the cause was drowning . . . so the issue becomes did she drown at the hands of the defendant? The answer to that is yes."

Dr. Larry Blum came in here . . . one of the first things he wanted to rule out were the three D's: drugs, drink, and disease . . . he ruled out the three D's, and moved on to the next analysis; he looked at the positioning of the body in the tub. He talked about the toes, that they are so much bent at a 90 degree angle . . . he said that was something he looked at in helping him to determine that this was not an accidental fall. He also talked about this falling backward, the basic principles. In order for her to get this laceration on the back of her head she's got to fall back to get there. There is not one single thing that's out of place in that tub; are you kidding me? There's gong to be stuff knocked over. Reality, common sense . . . every day experiences."

He [Dr. Blum] described that tub . . . it's a smooth contour, another thing he looked at to determine that this laceration could not have happened in this tub. IN his expert opinion, this laceration required a concentrated edge: a weapon, an object, a concentrated surface. Not one of those things is in that tub area . . . not one thing. Another thing he looked at is the injury pattern . . . we have left front injuries, left side injuries, left back injuries, right injuries, right and left injuries. So it's not just one side of her body; it's multiple sides, four sides. How can you get that in one fall? You can't. You can't do it. It's not possible."

The bruising was deep bruising . . . you can look at the pictures . . . this abrasion to the buttocks, you could not get one in that tub. Now Dr. DiMaio, who says it's not an abrasion . . . but if it is, it didn't happen in that tub, that's his testimony. That abrasion was not caused by that tub. The bottom line is as she falls backward she's hitting her backside, as well as her head . . . he looked on the back of the arms, found nothing, no bruising. The last thing he talked about was the pattern of dried blood, that there was this really defined drying blood pattern around the eye and nose. If this is a tub full of water, the blood just goes in with the water; that's not that what happened here. That's another thing that told him [Dr. Blum] as a pathologist that it's just not there, it isn't possible. And he said, 'In my expert opinion, this was a homicide.'"

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Prosecutor Koch now moves to prosecution expert Dr. Mary Case.
"She got on the stand, and she talked about the same kind of injuries that Dr. Blum saw . . . she looked at the diaphragm; she found a hemorrhage there, that would require significant force. She spent a lot of time talking about the different layers of this head injury . . . then she also talked about diffused brain injuries, your concussions. She said when you look at the situation, there was just not enough velocity when falling in a bathtub to render you unconscious, to take it to the level of a shaken baby or being in a severe car injury. That's the kind of force they want to opine happened in this case; that's NOT what happened in this case."

"Dr. Case told you she would not lose consciousness from that kind of injury . . . her opinion stands for the truth in this case. That force was not sufficient enough to render her unconscious. The clavicle, that was the result of blunt force trauma . . . like a motor vehicle accident, the force was so great on that injury . . . Dr. Blum aged the abrasions to within an hour of her death, and the bruising to within 24 hours of her death. Both Drs. Blum and Case had the opinion that this was a homicide. And Dr. Baden said these injuries were consistent with a struggle, and not with a single fall."

"Dr. Baden said that the diaphragm, he was it with his own eyes. He's had particular interest in the diaphragm over the years . . . he said that injury could be caused by a blow or a very strong bear hug, squeezing the body around the rib cage . . . everybody wanted to say what a great job Dr. Mitchell did; Dr. Mitchell said it was an abrasion. The reason why the defense theory fails is because they just want to dismiss it . . .they just kind of move it out of the way so that it fits their theory."

With the State's experts, we've shown you that she died at the hands of another person. And that person is the defendant. That's who did this . . . less than one in a million people will drown in a bathtub."

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Prosecutor Koch moves to the testimony of defense expert Dr. Vincent DiMaio
"Where in that tub would you get three separate points of contact?" "You can't do it . . . when he got down to it, he said, 'I don't know, maybe she was stunned . . . it was one of those things.' His methodology, his scientific theory on these injuries fails. I ask you not to give any credibility to Dr. DiMaio's testimony."

"Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen . . . the testimony from Dr. Blum about the size of the tub, Dr. Jentzen says you slip up and you go airborne. In his theory, she's up in the air, twisting, to get to this position to strike this pelvic bone. At the same time, he said the skin was folding over and protecting itself. So I guess in midair the skin decides to fold over, and she then hits the back of her head. His theory fails . . . how are you going to get airborne in a tub that's only 40 inches? But that gives her the velocity that he says she has to have. DiMaio says sliding into position; Jentzen says bouncing. Use your common sense, ladies and gentlemen . . . if you use common sense and your every day experiences, their theories are just not sound. There were 14 different injuries on that body."

How can you get all of those (injuries) in a single fall? You cannot

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Prosecutor Koch now moves to the subject of circumstantial evidence.
"You take this evidence as a whole . . . but look at all the separate pieces of evidence. If you start to put it all together, you can see that we've proven beyond a reasonable doubt that this man killed Kathleen Savio. Steve Maniaci . . . you heard from him . . . they had sexual intercourse, no abrasions, no bruising . . . they had sex and went to bed . . . and the Pontarellis saw her on Saturday; she was going to stay home and study. On Sunday, they try to reach her; they're unsuccessful . . . it's not until Monday night that the defendant goes to Mary Pontarelli and that decision is made to go into the house . . . if it was a holiday weekend and you were supposed to have the kids, why try to take them back on Sunday? And he doesn't call anyone . . . he doesn't try to call Steve Maniaci, he doesn't go speak to Mary Pontarelli. He does nothing . . . he says he drives by a couple of times that night and that was the end of it."

He's the watch commander, the one on duty . . . (but) he doesn't call a single officer to come over there to assist with this wellness check . . . the only one there is the defendant. (Locksmith) Bob Akin talked about the fact that only the front door was locked . . . you know Kathy always liked to keep her doors locked. And when the door is unlocked, the defendant lets (others) go into the house, not knowing what they're going to find. But he knows, Drew knows . . . they flip the light on, and they see her dead. And Mary screams. The defendant goes upstairs, and when he gets upstairs he doesn't have his gun drawn, isn't on his radio, doesn't have his flashlight on. If this is a scream, why doesn't he have his gun out? You know why? Because he killed her; he knows what they're going to find up there in that tub."

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"Tom Pontarelli heard the defendant say, 'I just found my ex-wife dead in the bathtub. And they're going to think I did it' . . . what do they think he did? When the paramedics arrived, the defendant said, 'I'd like a little professional courtesy . . . the same thing he said when they came to talk to Stacy Peterson . . . ladies and gentlemen, he's trying to control the scene, just like he controlled that interview with Stacy Peterson. And the next day, when the Domans are over at the house, 'Let me in! Let me in!' He's all over that house . . . and my God, what is he doing? He's cleaning the bathtub! He's cleaning the bathtub on the same day that Kathleen Savio is taken out of that house! Are you kidding me? . . . you know, murderers sometimes go back to the scene, to make sure they got it right."

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Sgt. [Patrick] Collins had never investigated a homicide before . . . they decided they were going to interview the defendant . . . they go to the Bolingbrook Police Department, in the lunch room . . . they asked him about any financial gain that would exist, and he said he guessed he would get the full value of the house, which was $300,000…it just doesn't add up, ladies and gentlemen. But then we get to the interview of Stacy the following afternoon. Drew's looking for professional courtesy, wants to sit in on the interview . . . Stacy was real shaken and nervous about the event . . . they're sitting right next to each other; he's got his hand on her knee, his arm around her, consoling her. At one time he helps her with a breakfast question. Too bad they didn’t know he had spent hours and hours with Stacy, telling her what to say. That's what you heard from Neil Schori."

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In Session The judge is going to instruct you regarding some conduct, other conduct on the part of the defendant . . . conduct other than that charged in the indictment . . . that may be considered for you only for limited purposes . . . Teresa Kernc and Mary Parks were motive and intent, and Jeffrey Pachter for intent. We know Kathleen Savio called the police in July, 2002, she told Teresa Kernc how the defendant entered the house, pulled her down the stairs, and pulled out a knife . . . a couple of months later, in November, 2002, she also drafts a letter to the Will County State's Attorney's office saying the defendant, Drew, was very upset that the judge had ordered him to pay child support, and that he didn’t want to pay her anything. She also told Sue Doman and Kristin Anderson what had happed on that day. I submit that her repeated telling of this incident lends itself the credibility that you need to know this happened. Use it to decide his intent and motive. The motive is clear: 'I'm tired of paying child support, I don't want to pay you anything.' The intent is clear; a knife up to her throat. Use it to determine motive and intent when you consider this offense."

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Prosecutor Koch now moves to the testimony of witness Mary Parks.
"Now we have him in November of 2003, telling her [Savio] 'why don't you just die?' And Jeffrey Pachter . . . this testimony was offered to show that the defendant intended to kill his ex-wife . . . it's during this ride-along that he's looking to see if Mr. Pachter can find someone to take care of his ex-wife; he's going to pay $25,000. First of all, you have to decide whether that actually happened . . . I'd ask you to recall the testimony of the witnesses. The defendant told Mr. Pachter that she worked at Red Lobster. You heard the witnesses who took the stand: she worked at Red Lobster. That corroborates the fact that Mr. Pachter was telling the truth. Then you can look at that conduct as it relates to his desire to kill Kathleen Savio."

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
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'My life would be easier if she was just dead, or died.' That was the statement the defendant made to Lt. Coughlin of the Bolingbrook Police Department in February of 2004. He was in that courthouse . . . there was this comment made . . . 'They're getting all my money.' Again, it's money . . . he doesn't want to pay Kathleen Savio anything. Again, it's for you to decide the credibility and weight to give these witnesses. But Lt. Coughlin got up here and testified as to that statement . . . the bottom line is the statement was made . . . 'my life would be easier if she was just dead, or died.' Mary Parks walked her to her cal in the fall of 2003, and during these walks Kathy said to her that the defendant said, 'I could kill you and make you disappear.' That's what Mary Parks told you the defendant told Kathleen Savio. She told you how after Kathleen died she called the State's Attorney's office, to see if an investigation was taking place. I submit to you that she was credible on that stand; that statement was made, and it was made by the defendant"

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"Kristin Anderson . . . Kathy confided in her that the defendant said he could kill her and make it look like an accident. He could kill her and make it look like an accident. That's a statement Kathy told Kristin Anderson that the defendant made directly to Kathleen Savio . . . after finding out that Kathleen had died, she called the Illinois State Police on three occasions to tell them this particular information. Anna Doman testified that six weeks before Kathleen's death Kathleen showed up, scared, saying that Drew was going to kill her . . . and make it look like an accident. Sue Doman, the other sister of Kathleen Savio, testified that Kathleen Savio told her, 'I'm going to kill you and make it look like an accident.' Take all of those things together . . . this is multiple people . . . they are believable, and those statements were made."
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"Drew told Joseph Steadman that her death was drug related . . . we know that no drugs were involved. He told Mr. Steadman, 'If she was murdered, I would be one of the suspects' . . . she's in a bathtub, why is he going to be a suspect? If this is just a slip and fall in a bathtub, why would he be a suspect in a murder? Of course, why is he cleaning out the bathtub the next day, too?"

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He told Jennifer Schoon that there were anti-depressants on the counter, and that she may have fallen and hit her head . . .why is he telling different people different things? And he told Susan McCauley there was a wine glass by the tub . . . all these statements he's making, it's deflection, deflection, deflection! . . . all those things lead right to the point of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he went into the house and forcibly held her down so she could inhale fluid, so she could drown. Remember Dr. Baden? He said the injuries to the clavicle would be consistent with someone pushing her down on a hard surface. That's where she got those hemorrhages. He said those injuries were consistent with t a struggle. He went into that house that night, and pushed her down, held her down, until she inhaled that fluid."

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Koch now moves to the testimony of Neil Schori.
"He said she told him that sometime in the early morning hours he's there, standing by the washer and dryer, dressed in black, putting clothes from a bag in the washer, his clothes in the washer, and then walking away. She told Neil Schori there were women's clothes, and they weren't hers. Soon after that, she had a conversation with him, and the defendant told her soon the police would be wanting to interview her. And he told her what to say to the police . . . it took hours. She said she lied. She lied to the police. So not only do you have all that other evidence, you have his wife who tells Neil Schori about the night he came home with these items of clothes in this bag."

"A couple of months later, she [Stacy] called Harry Smith . . . she wanted to know if the fact that he killed Kathy could be used against him in the divorce . . . 'I have information about how he killed Kathy' . . . that conversation transpired in October of 2007. Common sense, everyday experiences."

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light