cop sentenced to 38
years for murder of wife
JOLIET,
Ill. — A judge has sentenced Drew Peterson to 38 years in prison for murdering
his third wife. Will County Judge Edward Burmila imposed the sentence Thursday.
The 59-year-old Peterson faced a maximum 60-year prison term. Jurors convicted
Peterson in September in the 2004 death of Kathleen Savio. Neighbors found her
body in a dry bathtub at her home with a gash on her head.
Peterson
is also a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his 23-year-old fourth wife,
Stacy Peterson, but hasn't been charged. Her disappearance is what led
authorities to take another look at Savio's death and reclassify it from an
accident to a homicide. Fascination nationwide with Peterson arose from
speculation he sought to use his law enforcement expertise to get away with
murder.