Drew Peterson's Trial *SECOND WEEK*

Status
Not open for further replies.
In Session Brodsky: “There was a divorce. There was going to be a property settlement. The jury doesn’t need to know more than that . . . to allow the State to admit evidence is nothing more than attempt to muddy up Mr. Peterson, to infer that he’s guilty of murder.” Prosecutor Koch responds: “That goes to his state of mind, what this defendant went through at the time: that by committing the murder, he would financially gain from that . . . he believed by committing this crime there would be a financial benefit.”



In Session Judge: “How does Harry Smith’s testimony make any of those statements more believable?” Koch: “What’s important to know is what the value of the marital state was.” Judge: “There’s a big difference between A motive and THE motive.”
 
In Session Brodsky: “I can tell you there are legions of appellate court decision that determine what weight is given to what factor . . . to give that list to the jury is nothing but to confuse them and mislead them. To have Mr. Smith up and there and testifying makes it no less confusing, because he’s putting his twist on it. I don’t see any relevance in giving that laundry list of factors to the jury . . . it’s just there to confuse the jury, to throw smoke and mirrors.”

Well, he and his cohorts could certainly be considered experts in the smoke and mirrors area.

Isn't it logical to believe that DP wasn't worrying about anything about any of their divorce settlement issues because he had already decided she wouldn't make it to the final ruling? As it happens, we all know exactly how that turned out.
 
In Session Koch: “We’re saying that Harry Smith should be allowed to testify about the factors at the time of the divorce . . . we think that’s relative . . . he was paying temporary support, which was obviously cut off with the death of Ms. Savio . . . I think that’s also relevant as a motive for this offense . . . in addition, Harry Smith is going to testify about the timeline and the documents as they were laid out in the divorce court.. We think it’s relevant to have Harry Smith testimony.” Greenberg: “I think that the appellate court said it would not be proper to have an attorney get up there and explain what the law was. That’s up to the court . . . it’s only proper if it’s a malpractice case . . .I don’t know if we’re going to get into a little mini-trial if it’s cheaper to pay support, or to have teenage boys at home, eating you out of house and home . . . they want to collaterally attack the proceedings, and it’s just not relevant.”
 
Shouldn't all these issues have been resolved prior to trial? Good grief. 1 - 2 witnesses a day, this trial will last for months.
 
I don't get why he can't ask her if she recalls learning of her passing, but he can ask about the investigation into her death? This is confusing me.

I think the prosecution want to get it on record that this witness (and others) had doubts about Kathleen's death being accidental and were calling the ISP at the time of Kathleen's death to offer what they knew - in this case Kathleen telling Mary Parks about DPs abuse and threats.

In many cases, these witnesses weren't contacted until after Stacy disappeared in Oct. 2007, long after Kathleen's death.
 
I can see where the Defense is trying to plant the seeds that KS was nutty and paranoid. And if she wasn't paranoid, then she was just exaggerating to get sympathy and attention.

But clearly, the red bruises around her neck show otherwise.

And I am kind of glad that the DT and the judge are being snarky and condescending towards the witnesses. Because I am going to have some faith in the jury and hope they can see what is going on there. They can see WHY none of them were taken seriously when they first tried to ask for help for KS.

The jury has 7 men and only 5 women. So I really hope there are 5 strong, articulate women who can show the men the light. :rose:

Do we know the ages of the jurors?
 
In Session Judge: “When we last visited this issue, it was in advance of the trial, and the testimony of Anna Doman . . we now have evidence before this jury that, if believed, demonstrates all the motive the defendant would have to have to kill Kathleen Savio . . . now, once that testimony came in before the jury, I don’t see how anything on the issue of motive that the attorney could add would assist this jury at arriving at a verdict in this case, other than speculating what might have happened in the course of a divorce trial. The law in Illinois is crystal clear: once they were divorced, the pension became a marital asset . . . we could be talking about something as little as a third of a quarter of ten years’ worth of a pension of a defendant with three other wives . . . if the defendant has a malignant heart, what is the condition for the jury to decide? At what level the malignancy in his heart occurs? We cannot have a trial within a trial. The court found in the pension case that it was possible that she might be eligible for any of the pension . .. but the State wants to insist that Harry Smith will be able to clarify to the jury that that was his motivation. You have to contrast that again with the testimony of Anna Doman, when she says the defendant says, ‘You’re not going to get a penny of my pension.’ Anything Harry Smith would testify to now is completely speculative, and again would cause a trial within a trial . . . I think allowing Harry Smith to come in and testify to what issues were before the divorce court, what Miss Savio expected as a financial resolution in this case, is a complete distraction and does not aid in any way if she was murdered, and if she was murdered did the defendant do it. I know Harry Smith has some other issues, and I’m not ruling about that . . . but he will not be able to testify about the substance of the pre-divorce negotiations, or what Ms. Savio expected to get as a result of the divorce. But Harry Smith, for the other issues he may testify about, the State is allowed to call him.”
 
In Session The judge now wants to move on to “the lock pick issue.” He takes a moment to read the State’s written response to the defense’s original motion. Prosecutor Marie Czech argues that the lock pick found at the defendant’s home at the time of his arrest in 2009 is relevant. Judge: “Is there any evidence to show he had that in 2004?’ “We have evidence that the defendant had a lock pick in 2003 . . . that shows he had the ability to enter the home, and to commit the murder. The second issue is whether locksmith Chris Wolzen, the partner of Robert Akin, should be called. We believe that he should be called . . . it would be relevant to call Chris Wolzen to testify . . . our position is that the defendant’s behavior that night was highly unusual . . . we think that bypassing the normal procedures for getting a locksmith shows that the defendant was doing something to try to cover up his actions that night.”
 
In Session Attorney Greenberg responds. “Unless Robert Akin was somehow conspiring with Mr. Peterson . . .he said he was asked for, he got in locksmith mode, focused on the lock, opened the lock, and when he heard the screams decided to hightail it out of there. It’s just needlessly putting more things in, to say that Mr. Peterson asked for Akin for some reason . .. why the evidence becomes irrelevant about the lock pick set is because the State has no evidence that the lock had been picked beforehand, or that the deadbolt had been picked. So there’s absolutely not connection about the lock pick set that’s found five years later, and the entry into the house . .. the State is saying for the first time that Mr. Peterson did not have a key to the house . . . now they want to speculate about how he got in. Because he has a lock pick set in 2009 suddenly he got in in 2004? What is the circumstantial evidence that a lock was picked? Where is it? They have no evidence at all that the lock was picked.” Judge: “As to the testimony of the other locksmith, I guess the State could allege there was something nefarious between the defendant and the locksmith who already testified . . . I don’t know why that would be odd, but if the State feels that testimony would be relevant, they can call that individual if they choose to. As to the issue of the lock pick, the State is not going to be able to speculate to this jury that, ‘We have a lock pick set, and we bet that’s how entry was gained.’ Unless the State can place the defendant at the scene and present entry by a lock pick in some fashion, they’re not going to be able to present evidence of the lock pick set.”
 
In Session Prosecutor Czech notes that the State is not arguing that Peterson did not have a key to Savio’s house. When the judge points out that it’s in their pleading, the prosecution asks that that argument be stricken, which the judge grants.
 
Do we know the ages of the jurors?

Posted by ~n/t~

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8191386&postcount=59"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Drew Peterson heads to trial. Jury selection begins Monday July 23[/ame]



Meet the jury that will hear Drew Peterson's case

The jurors:

The men and women chosen as the 12 main jurors for the Peterson trial include:

A woman in her 50s who took college classes in business and child care. She is married to an auto body technician, and is one of eight children. She likes to read The National Enquirer, but says she doesn’t really believe the stories it prints.

A 22-year-old man who was born in Puerto Rico, but moved to Bolingbrook, Illinois, in 2001 with his family. He is attending Columbia College in Chicago, and hopes to become a sports broadcaster.

A man in his 50s who has lived in Joliet his entire life. He has worked at the same job for 30 years, and previously worked for Texaco. His wife is a retired school nurse.

A woman in her 50s who was born in Poland and moved to Chicago when she was five. She is a high school graduate, who now watches her six-year-old granddaughter for her own daughter, a single mother.

A man in his 40s or 50s who is a senior research technician. His first marriage ended in divorce, but there were no children and no property to settle. Now remarried, his hobby is photography.

A man in his 60s who is married and works as a plant manager. He said that he hasn’t paid any attention to the Peterson case, because three years ago, the original trial judge, Stephen White, told prospective jurors not to follow the case. He uses the Internet primarily to purchase parts for his motorcycle.

A woman in her 60s who works for a telecommunications company. Her husband is retired. She has two sons and five grandchildren.

A man in his 40s who grew up in Hawaii and then lived in Virginia before moving to Bolingbrook. A former member of the Hawaiian Army National Guard, he works for the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier.

A man in his 50s who has lived in Will County his entire life. He works as a homebuilder, developer and consultant, and he used to own his own construction company. He is married and has a cousin who’s a retired Joliet police officer. He’s also taking flying lessons to become a pilot.

A woman in her 50s who lived in New Jersey and California before moving to Illinois 14 years ago. An inventory manger, she has a brother in California who’s an attorney. The mother of two grown children, a son and a daughter, she occasionally spends “a little time” on the Internet, “to see what my kids are doing on Facebook.”

A woman in her 60s who writes poetry, likes to read biographies and books about old movies, and watches nonfiction television. She works as an administrative assistant and said she likes to hear both sides of a story. The two-time divorcee offered the opinion that “all divorces are unpleasant.”

A man in his 20s or 30s who is single and lives with his parents. He was laid off a few months ago from a job as a cashier and bagger. He spends five to 10 hours a week on the Internet, reads science fiction novels and works out regularly. He said he doesn’t know anything about the Peterson case.


http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/07...ry?hpt=hln10_3
 
In Session Brodsky: “Witness after witness after witness has testified about a blue towel. Fine. The EMTs testified that the towel wasn’t there...” Greenberg interrupts: “Judge, I just want to bring him up to speed on something.” Brodsky: “The inference is that somehow Drew Peterson would have moved the towel to cover up the crime scene. Nobody can put Drew Peterson in the bathroom after the EMTs arrived, and didn’t see the blue towel . . . so why does the State now want to call witnesses to say they were in the house and didn’t see the blue towel? Of what relevance is this? It’s of absolutely no relevance. They’re going to be asking the jury to speculate. There has to be evidence putting him with that towel, or giving him the opportunity to move it. It’s another attempt to make something insignificant significant. There’s absolutely nothing to connect Drew Peterson with that towel. I ask you to bar the witnesses, and, in fact, anything to do with that towel.”
 
In Session Glasgow responds: “It’s the intent of the State to call every witness who could have placed that towel there.” Judge: “You absolutely cannot do that . .. that’s a direct comment on the defendant’s right to remain silent. You cannot do that. You CANNOT do that. That’s a direct reflection on his right to remain silent. I’m sorry, but you cannot do that.” Glasgow: “He had opportunity, knowledge of the towel, and the motive to place it.” Judge: “I tell you right now, if the aim of the State is to ask every single person who could have moved that towel, I cannot allow that . .. you will not be able to call a series of witness, have them all say they did not do it, and then point a finger at the defendant and say he must have done it because we didn’t hear from him. It’s absolutely impermissible.”

In Session That ends the arguments for today. Judge Burmila leaves the bench, and the trial is in recess until 10:00 ET Friday morning.
 
In Session

Glasgow responds: “It’s the intent of the State to call every witness who could have placed that towel there.”

Judge: “You absolutely cannot do that . .. that’s a direct comment on the defendant’s right to remain silent. You cannot do that. You CANNOT do that. That’s a direct reflection on his right to remain silent. I’m sorry, but you cannot do that.”

Glasgow: “He had opportunity, knowledge of the towel, and the motive to place it.”

Judge: “I tell you right now, if the aim of the State is to ask every single person who could have moved that towel, I cannot allow that . .. you will not be able to call a series of witness, have them all say they did not do it, and then point a finger at the defendant and say he must have done it because we didn’t hear from him. It’s absolutely impermissible.”


BBM: This judge is just NOT fair ... I know ... the burden of proof is on the state and DP does not have to take the stand.

But this judge and his affection for the defense AND defendant is :sick:

It's a "no brainer" who put the towel there ... and I hope this jury gets it !

:moo:
 
I hate to say this, but those pesky defense attorneys' are earning every penny of their salary. By now, the jury must be beyond confused. And we now the State does not have much more. This is not going good for the pros.
 
impression during the cross examination of Mary (Ponterelli (sp?)neighbor Mary) that the defense was trying to stir up negative stereotypes about Italians and Italian Americans in trying to formulate a character portrait of Kathleen--Kathleen being hot headed, a hell cat, and talking about how their families went way back to the "old country" when they in fact met here in the USA at work. When Mary said that she was "full blood Italian" Lopez said so that is something that you two "had in common". What bearing did that have on anything? Nada
How ironic that it is Joe "the shark" Lopez himself had actually represented mobsters.....no wonder he has that distorted opinion.
Now we have Greenberg doing the same thing.....
This ridiculous reference to My Cousin Vinny only confirms that in my mind.
It is absurd and actually quite offensive.
Once he said "I hate to ask you this......" why didn't the judge say something?
What is the foundation for this kind of questioning?

I'm still not caught up with todays events, but this comment about positraction has me steamed. What the he77 is this judge allowing in his courtroom?

back to catching up.
 
Rofl! Sheesh there are some seriously screwed up people out there.

At least that one is locked up!!
icon10.gif
 
What bothers me are the bruises on her knees, both knees. If she fell backwards and hit her head she would not have bruises on her knees. They are in court because someone with the power to do so decided, after exhuming her body, that someone did, indeed, kill Kathy. jmo


Link? I honestly do not recall mention of bruises on her knees. I recall reading she had bruises on her buttocks and wrists, but your post is the first I recall about knees.

tia (back to catching up)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
83
Guests online
2,606
Total visitors
2,689

Forum statistics

Threads
590,013
Messages
17,928,989
Members
228,038
Latest member
shmoozie
Back
Top