Drew Peterson's Trial *FIRST WEEK*

~n/t~ said:

In Session JUDGE DENIES MISTRIAL: “The defense says there should be a mistrial…there’s no question that the State asked that purposely, and the witness’ answer was not a surprise; it was the specific answer the State sought to elicit. However, the sanction of striking the testimony in its entirely is too severe, and might hurt the defendant more than the State…I find the State did not ask the question with the intent of causing a mistrial…so the motion for the mistrial is denied. I have drafted a cautionary instruction I intend to give the jury.”


:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

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ABC news must be psychic - just saying.

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https://www.facebook.com/InSession

In Session

Here are some observations from inside the courtroom during the Drew Peterson murder trial:

Monday

Jean Casarez, In Session Correspondent:

Drew Peterson "turned white as a ghost" when Tom Pontarelli mentioned the bullet in the driveway. The entire defense team looked stunned. Steven Greenberg immediately jumped to his feet to object and request a mistrial. Judge Burmila was VERY angry at this development. He was yelling at prosecutor Patton in a loud voice.

Christine Cornell/Sketch Artist:

Drew Peterson motioned to Christine to turn her sketch around so he could see it. After viewing it he rubbed his hand along his jawline, which she took to mean he wanted her to sketch him looking thinner. Christine made eye contact with Drew after the mistrial request. He made a gesture which she took to mean "anything could happen." Christine saw Tom Pontarelli in the hallway after his testimony and he looked "miserable."

Tuesday

Christi Paul/In Session Anchor

The prosecution made a good point with at least one juror when a photo of the deadbolt on savio's bedroom door was displayed in court. one of the male jurors visibly startled at the strangeness of seeing that type of lock on an interior door, the implication being this was clearly a woman who was fearful.

Jim Broyles/In Session Senior Producer

The defense table was very crowded. From left to right: Ralph Meczyk / Darryl Goldberg / Steve Greenberg / Joel Brodsky / Drew Peterson / Lisa Lopez / Joe Lopez. All the jurors were very attentive during Mary Pontarelli's testimony and the display of the body in the tub photo.

Megan Haberling/In Session Associate Producer

Drew appeared to crave human contact and appeared to enjoy engaging various members of the gallery. He was very attentive during the arguments, his head going back and forth between attorneys.

Like · · Share · 732 · 6 minutes ago ·

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Just for the record, I didn't copy this off the Insession Facebook but off my own Facebook since I checked them off with the "Like" button, then the news feed showed up on my own Facebook.

ACR

Thank You to all whom have given us info to read today.

ACandyRose, thank you for those assorted tweets. A couple of them make me feel a lil bit better.

All I can hope is that this jury is attentive, and notices those little details, like a deadbolt on a bedroom door. Who does that?

The same thing with the bullet. Of course there is no PROOF that Drew left it there. But who else would have done that?

Maybe the jurors will notice the arrogance and neediness of the defendant, and the weird details that are leaked out about the night the victim was found. She took a bath without a towel or bathmat handy. But then they appeared mysteriously.

Drew called an old friend of 30 yrs to come do the welfare check, and he made it seem like a routine case, as if Drew was on regular duty. Then he allowed the 2 non-police to enter the home, even though the circumstances were unknown, And when he heard a scream , he ran in blind, with no weapon drawn.

Hopefully the jurors are picking up on these tiny details, in spite of what the judge is allowing to come before them.

katydid23 said:

Thank You to all whom have given us info to read today.

ACandyRose, thank you for those assorted tweets. A couple of them make me feel a lil bit better.

All I can hope is that this jury is attentive, and notices those little details, like a deadbolt on a bedroom door. Who does that?

The same thing with the bullet. Of course there is no PROOF that Drew left it there. But who else would have done that?

Maybe the jurors will notice the arrogance and neediness of the defendant, and the weird details that are leaked out about the night the victim was found. She took a bath without a towel or bathmat handy. But then they appeared mysteriously.

Drew called an old friend of 30 yrs to come do the welfare check, and he made it seem like a routine case, as if Drew was on regular duty. Then he allowed the 2 non-police to enter the home, even though the circumstances were unknown, And when he heard a scream , he ran in blind, with no weapon drawn.

Hopefully the jurors are picking up on these tiny details, in spite of what the judge is allowing to come before them.

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Hopefully, also, the Pros. will use these very good points in their closing.:seeya:

ohiogirl said:

In Session Newton: “We drove the engine and ambulance to the scene, with emergency lights and sirens in use…we exited the vehicles, and went into the residence in an orderly fashion.” Prosecution: “Did you see anyone on the stairs when you went up?” N...ewton: “Yes, I did …two.” Prosecution: “Did you know those individuals?” Newton: “No.” Prosecution: “They weren’t police, and they weren’t fire?” Newton: “No…we made a right turn into the master bedroom.” He identifies “Mr. Peterson” in the courtroom, and says that he encountered him when he entered the master bedroom. Persecution: “Was there anyone else in that bedroom area when you entered?” Newton: “Not that I recall.” Persecution: “What did the defendant say?” Newton: “He said something to the regards of ‘This is my ex-wife…treat the scene with respect’…I don’t recall if that was his exact term. In the master bedroom, I noticed a picture frame face down on the floor.” Prosecution: “Did you ever take a blue towel and place it in the bathroom?” Newton: “No.” Prosecution: “Did you observe any other individuals take a towel and place it in the bathroom?” Newton: “No.”

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I have a question about the part bolded.. .. I havnt followed this really close.. but.. anyone know what the picture was that was face down????

CarolinaMoon said:

Thank you for the link. Looking above the judge's head, there is a rough sketch of Kathleen in the bathtub. If it is close to fact, it would seem unlikely she got into that position in a fall. She's all tucked in very neatly.

If she fell in the tub, or getting into the tub, I would assume she would have hit her head on the faucet to cause a bloody injury. Even with a gash on her head, she could have moved so as not to drown in a millisecond unless she passed out from the injury.

That's the crux of murder vs. fall. Prosecution, get into the science of this and stop messing around.

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Thanks for calling attention to that sketch behind the judge. That position just doesn't seem consistent with a fall. I would expect someone who has a head wound on the back of their head, to have fallen backwards. Yet that sketch has Kathleen in a fetal position with her head mostly down.

auntiejoe said:

Thanks n/t Your the best...


Justice for Kathleen

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Please disregard the above post...I don't know why it posted to my new post on this thread.

Anyway, a couple of things:

1. I caught some of IS on TV yesterday and today...does anyone else think that sketch artist is a bit to enthralled with Peterson? It just seems to me that she seems to be a little bit too excited to tell of her interaction with Drew in the courtroom.

2. Watching IS this afternoon...Jean C. mentioned that when the "hit man" testified at a former hearing, that only Brodski was in attendance (with the other former lawyers)...that Greenberg, and Lopez weren't part of the defense team then. Is it possible that the reason the prosecution is presenting a motion to get the hit man evidence into trial, is that it was because White ok'd it, but Brodski forgot to tell Greenberg and Lopez about it, and maybe they haven't read all the prior hearings, etc. (they are too lazy and Brodski is to dumb to remember to tell them about it?)

Leila said:

Thanks for calling attention to that sketch behind the judge. That position just doesn't seem consistent with a fall. I would expect someone who has a head wound on the back of their head, to have fallen backwards. Yet that sketch has Kathleen in a fetal position with her head mostly down.

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And isn't it also true that there was no water in the tub? Where the hell did it go if she drowned?

~n/t~ said:

I don't know what's going on with IS and their updates but here are some tweets from others in the court room:

The Herald-News ‏@Joliet_HN
#DrewPeterson defense has also brought up other items in Savio bathroom medic didn't notice - glasses, open contact case.

1m The Herald-News ‏@Joliet_HN
Medic noticed no bathmat because if he doesn't use one, "I make the whole floor wet. My wife's socks get wet. She gets mad."

grimm34 ‏@agrimm34
#DrewPeterson medic on state re-cross: "It didn't appear (Kathy Savio) had anything in preparation to take a bath."

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I'm way behind and trying to catch up, but wanted to make the point that almost no one takes a shower or bath without some preparation - placing a bath mat, getting a towel, laying out clothing to put on, etc. And where was the clothing Kathleen removed before getting into the tub? It should have been in the bedroom or bathroom.

~n/t~ said:

In Session Akin is being questioned by prosecutor Chris Koch. Akin says he is a “certified, institutional, and automotive locksmith.” He currently works for Larry’s Locksmith in Bolingbrook (of which he’s been the sole owner since 1978). Currently, he has one official employee, and his son helps him out as well. “I do regular work for the Bolingbrook Police Department, for their maintenance…and then on occasion we will have a have a call for a wellness check…when friends, family, or neighbors might be concerned…once the house is opened, officers usually go in and make sure everything is OK.”

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[ame="http://websleuths.com/forums/member.php?u=74442"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame] I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your updates! They are fantastic! I missed all of today's trial due to appointments, so being able to read what happened in chronological order is like reading a book or script. Thank you!
:tyou:

Mama-cita said:

And isn't it also true that there was no water in the tub? Where the hell did it go if she drowned?

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But the neighbors testified that her hair was still damp and matted. There may have been water in the tub at one time. He probably put water in there when he staged the scene. My tub slowly drains if I try and leave something soaking in the tub.

katydid23 said:

But the neighbors testified that her hair was still damp and matted. There may have been water in the tub at one time. He probably put water in there when he staged the scene. My tub slowly drains if I try and leave something soaking in the tub.

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My tub doesn't do that. I don't doubt he drowned her but maybe in the struggle
he tripped the drain mechanism. Did anyone investigate any of this???

~n/t~ said:

In Session Akin: “I went to the door knob; the door knob was locked…it was the front door; there were two locks, the deadbolt and the door knob.” Prosecution: “Is there a reason you always start with the front door?” Akin: “II always go to the front door, because that’s usually the one that’s used the most. It’s a little bit easier…I always start on the locked ones, because you’d hate to unlock something and find it was already unlocked.” Prosecution: “Was the front door locked?” Akin: “It was locked…the first thing I noticed was the [knob] lock was upside down…and then, after a few minutes, I went to the deadbolt. After I picked the lock, there was absolutely no resistance when I turned it. And I said, ‘Wow, this is unlocked.’” Akin then explains how he was able to tell that the deadlock was “clearly unlocked…I went, ‘Wow, this is great!’…one less lock to worry about.”

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Normally, when people are home inside the house they lock the deadbolt. In this case, it sounds like the door was not locked from someone inside. Someone leaving the house would set the lock on the "lock" position and close the door. It would then be locked, but the dead bolt not locked as the person would have to be on the inside to lock the dead bolt.

legalmania said:

I'm wondering who would you call first, if someone isn't answering the door after 24 hrs, the neighbors or the police?

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We had a similar situation in our neighborhood two years ago. The wife had gone to Chicago to visit her relatives. The husband was home alone. He had a routine - newspaper on the driveway picked up before 8:00am, then he took a morning walk, and came home to read the paper. When a neighbor noticed the newspaper on the driveway all day long, he went over and knocked on the front door, then around to a back door, and even peeked in the windows. He didn't see anyone or any signs someone was there.

The next day, there was a second newspaper on the driveway, and he asked another neighbor if he should call the police. While talking about this situation, a car pulled up and a man got out and used a key to let himself into the house. Within just a few minutes, there were police, fire dept. and ambulance there. The husband had died sometime during the night on the first day the newspaper wasn't picked up. His wife had called home and couldn't get an answer after repeated tries. She called her daughter and son-in-law, who live in the area and it was the son-in-law who came and unlocked the house to check on the husband.

~n/t~ said:

What's with the towel? Anybody know? :waitasec:

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It would seem to me that the towel may have been placed there at a later time, no?

This is now 3 witnesses who claim to have not seen the towel. How did it get there? And when were these crime scene photo's taken and by whom?

IMO, it is possible a whoops moment came later and a towel was placed after the discovery of Kathleen's body in the tub but before crime scene photo's were taken.

that's what I am seeing here.

Mama-cita said:

I want to add my accolades of praise to ~n/t~ for the updates. EMT was a good witness IMO. He noticed it didn't appear as if there was bath prep and was emphatic about it. Guess when Drew killed her he forgot about that detail!

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No kidding, whoops, I forgot the towel! And yes, ~n/t~ has been fantastic! Poster of the year! I'm local and am not even bothering with the papers, as I know ~n/t~ has it covered right here! :rocker:

Leila said:

Normally, when people are home inside the house they lock the deadbolt. In this case, it sounds like the door was not locked from someone inside. Someone leaving the house would set the lock on the "lock" position and close the door. It would then be locked, but the dead bolt not locked as the person would have to be on the inside to lock the dead bolt.

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GOOD CATCH. And can you imagine that KS would NOT have deadbolted her front door that night when she went to bed?

I think it is little things like this that might make the jury think twice about his 'innocence' here. Is KS going to have a deadbolt put inside her bedroom door and then not use the deadbolt on her front door when she went upstairs to bathe and go to bed?

Mama-cita said:

My tub doesn't do that. I don't doubt he drowned her but maybe in the struggle
he tripped the drain mechanism. Did anyone investigate any of this???

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Or maybe he drowned her in the toilet and then posed her in the tub.

Madeleine74 said:

The state should have emphasized that DP stood outside chit-chatting with the locksmith while supposedly "worried" about his ex-wife. I mean he was worried enough to call a locksmith, but once the door was open, he delayed going inside.

The state, through a series of additional questions, could have emphasized and highlighted this point through the witness. :banghead:

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A good prosecuting attorney could raise these questions during closing arguments. Just based on these first few witnesses, he or she could state these unanswered questions............"why was there no bath mat or towels set out by Kathleen if she was intending to take a bath?" "Where were the clothes she removed to take a bath?" "Why was the dead bolt not locked from the inside?" "If he was concerned about his ex-wife, why did DP casually chit-chat with the locksmith after the door was opened?" When he responded to Mary Pontarelli's screaming, why didn't he think there was danger and draw his pistol?"

These can all be brought up in summarizing the state's case during closing arguments.

seattlechiquita said:

Oh please... as if anyone who would fall in the shower/tub would not move their arms to grab on to something.

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From the sketches, it doesn't appear this is a shower/tub, but rather a seperate soaking tub with no shower. Those soaking tubs are a big feature in newer homes. Most of Bolingbrook is newer homes....