Suspicions in Stacy Ann's case were fueled in part by the death of Savio, whose bruised body was found in a dry bathtub in her home in 2004 with a large gash to her scalp.

[2] In 2009, in light of Stacy Ann's disappearance, Peterson was indicted for Savio's murder after a second autopsy showed evidence of a struggle.

[4] On February 21, 2017, he was transferred from Illinois Department of Corrections custody to the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

He joined the United States Army after graduation and briefly attended the College of DuPage in 1974 before moving to Falls Church, Virginia, to train as a military police officer.

[11] Connolly alleged a history of domestic violence during her ten-year marriage to Peterson,[14] as did her daughter, who lived in the household until she turned 17.

In the wake of Stacy Ann's disappearance, Connolly told police that during their marriage, Peterson threatened to kill her and make it look like an accident.

[7] Peterson married Kathleen Savio (born June 13, 1963, in Glendale Heights, Illinois),[16] an accountant, on May 3, 1992, just a few months after his divorce from Connolly.

[22] On March 1, 2004,[23] Savio's nude body was found in a dry bathtub in the master suite of the Pheasant Chase Drive residence.

He did not mention Savio's death to the new owners, claiming he was only selling the house due to the fact that his children enjoyed swimming in the pool at his secondary residence down the street.

[24] Savio's death was initially ruled an accidental drowning by a coroner's jury that included a police officer who personally knew Peterson and assured the other jurors that he was a good man who would never hurt his wife.

Postmortem photos showed extensive bruising and scraping to her back, torso, and face, as well as a large, unexplained gash in her scalp.

[27] Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow told the press that, after examining evidence in the case, he believed that the death was a "homicide staged to look like an accident".

Stacy was officially reported missing in the early hours of Monday, October 29, after her sister, Cassandra Cales, failed to hear from her when expected.

Neighbors reported seeing Peterson and another man hauling a 55-gallon barrel, large enough to hold a person, out of the house shortly after the disappearance.

There were also reports of truckers referring to the containers, but their stories were treated as not credible after it was discovered that they had not been in the Bolingbrook area at the times they claimed.

Peterson subsequently made guest appearances (including one from county jail) on radio station WLS-AM with Mancow Muller.

[51][52] In October 2009, Peterson sued JP Morgan Chase for revoking a home equity credit line that he wanted to use to pay legal expenses, claiming his income of "nearly $109,000 per year" was not sufficient.

[53] In July 2010, Judge White ruled that Peterson would remain in the Will County Jail for the remainder of his trial and appeals process.

On July 21, 2010, it was revealed that hearsay statements indicating Peterson killed two of his wives were not reliable enough for a jury to hear at his trial.

After presiding over a lengthy hearing, Judge White issued a four-page sealed ruling in May obtained by the Daily Herald.

Peterson's defense had contended that introduction of these alleged hearsay comments constituted a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to confront any witnesses testifying against him.

Analysis by the trial court under this new law led to eight out of fourteen hearsay statements being ruled inadmissible because they were insufficiently reliable.

For safety and security purposes, the department does not discuss details concerning the placement of offenders who have transferred under the terms of the Interstate Corrections Compact Agreement.

The petition alleges, amongst other claims, that State's Attorney James Glasgow had intimidated witnesses during Peterson's 2012 murder trial.

[63] In May 2022, it was revealed that Drew Peterson's former defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, is considering the release of confidential information protected by attorney-client privilege.