A state appellate court has turned down Drew Peterson's bid to lower his $20 million bail on charges he murdered his third wife, his attorneys said Saturday.
The 3rd District Appellate Court was not persuaded by arguments that Peterson's deep roots in Bolingbrook and lack of a criminal record called for a lower bail. The $20 million bail was set May 7, the day Peterson was arrested for the 2004 murder of Kathleen Savio. Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, is missing.
On May 22, another Will County judge denied Peterson's attempt to lower his bail to less than $1 million. Peterson's attorneys indicated they may try again. "We are also confident that as the weakness of the state's case is exposed over the following weeks and months we will have another opportunity to ask for a reduction in bond," attorney Joel Brodsky said in a statement.
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A judge on Wednesday prohibited murder suspect Drew Peterson, a notorious media hound, from contacting anyone except people on a court-approved list of family, friends and attorneys -- jailhouse restrictions in response to Peterson's recent phone call to a Chicago talk radio show.
Will County Judge Stephen White ordered Peterson's lawyers to give him the phone numbers of family, friends and attorneys who Peterson calls. If Peterson wants to call someone who is not on the list, he must notify the jail and get the judge's approval.
The judge issued specific guidelines to Peterson's attorneys on pre-trial publicity and media interviews, asking that the lawyers inform the judge of any pre-arranged media interviews and supply him with copies of any press releases sent out on the case.
Peterson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2004 death of his third wife Kathleen Savio. He's also a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. He denies any wrongdoing.
Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow asked White to seal all documents submitted to the court to prevent the media from seeing the names of potential witnesses to protect them from media harassment.
Glasgow said Peterson's defense team was jeopardizing the possibility of a fair trail by repeatedly speaking to the media about the investigation.
He said he expects the defense to file a change of venue request in the near future.
"This is clearly a case of the state's attorney trying to close the barn door long after the horse is gone," Petersons attorney, Joel Brodsky, told the judge. "There is no evidence that any witness will be unduly harassed."
He argued that to seal evidence would be unfair to the defense and asked White to deny the state's motion.
White granted the state's motion and ruled the documents pertaining to witnesses be sealed. The defense will have access to the list of potential witnesses, but the public and media will not.
When he called into the radio talk show on May 27, Peterson, who once proposed a "Win a Date With Drew" contest, offered a jail version called "Win a Conjugal Visit with Drew." He also joked about prison showers, his legal fees and his "bling" handcuffs, saying humor is how he deals with stress.
During the nearly seven-minute phone call, Peterson tried out a few crude one-liners.
"I didn't understand why they had seat belts on the toilet until after I had a couple of meals here," he said while the hosts played a drum-roll effect.
He also said he misses his children and has prayed and read the Bible during his imprisonment.
I am surprised that the Bible didn't explode in his hands. And when is Drew going to realize that he is charged with serious crimes. The disappearance of one wife and the death of another isn't a joke.
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