Daily Corinthian • Tuesday, July 24, 2012 • 13
Jury selection to start in Drew Peterson trial BY MICHAEL TARM Associated Press
CHICAGO — Jury selection is to begin Monday in Drew Peterson’s longdelayed murder trial, in which prosecutors want the former suburban Chicago police officer’s wives to effectively testify from their graves about his threats to kill them. Peterson, 58, is charged with killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004. Her body was found in a dry bathtub in her home, her hair soaked with blood. The ex-Bolingbrook police sergeant
is also a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Those picked for the jury are likely to hear statements that the wives allegedly made to friends and relatives about threats Peterson made. Such hearsay is usually barred, but an appellate court ruled jurors can hear the statements. A judge will vet wouldbe jurors starting Monday. A 200-person jury has been waiting three years for a trial to get under way. It was put off
because of appellate court battles over the hearsay statements. “I’ve never heard of anything comparable to this — a jury pool waiting around for so long knowing what case they’re going to be in and the reliance on hearsay,� said Gal Pissetzky, a Chicago defense lawyer with no link to the case. “It’s all very unusual.� The legal saga surrounding Peterson and whether he used his status as a police officer to try to get away with murder has attracted national
attention. Rob Lowe portrayed Peterson in a 2011 TV movie, “Drew Peterson: Untouchable.� Vetting would-be jurors typically takes a few days, but extra time is sometimes required in highprofile cases to weed out those who come in with well-formed opinions. Opening statements at Peterson’s trial in Joliet are slated for next Tuesday. The defense raised concerns that some prospective jurors may have violated orders to avoid all news about Peterson. One question Will County
Judge Edward Burmila is likely to ask is whether they saw the movie. Pissetzky wonders if those in the jury pool succumbed to temptations to peek at the news or search online about the case. “It’s like you tell a kid, ‘Now, don’t you eat that pie over there,�’ he said. “What are they going to do? Eat the pie!� An appellate court ruled this year that jurors can hear witnesses say Savio and Stacy Peterson told them Peterson threatened them. There’s apparently no physical evidence, so
the hearsay is the heart of prosecutors’ case. At a hearing in 2010 to determine what hearsay a jury could hear, dozens of witnesses testified that Savio told them she feared Drew Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident. The 40-year-old Savio’s death was initially declared an accident, but Peterson was charged after fourth wife Stacy Peterson disappeared. The 23-year-old Stacy Peterson’s body has never been found, but authorities say they believe she’s dead.
Shooting suspect in court with dyed hair, formal charges forthcoming BY P. SOLOMON BANDA AND NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — His hair dyed a shocking comic-book shade of orange-red, the former doctoral student accused of killing moviegoers at a showing of the new Batman movie appeared in court for the first time on Monday, but he didn’t seem to be there at all. James Holmes shuffled into court in a maroon jailhouse jumpsuit with his hands cuffed — the first look the world got of the 24-year-old since the Friday shooting that left 12 people dead and 58 others injured at a packed midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises.� Unshaven and appearing dazed, Holmes sat virtually motionless during the hearing, his eyes drooping as the judge advised him of the severity of the case. At one point, Holmes simply closed his eyes. He never said a word. His attorneys did all the talking when the judge asked if he understood his rights. Prosecutors said later
they didn’t know if Holmes was on medication. Authorities have said he is being held in isolation at the jail. Holmes’ demeanor appeared to anger the relatives of some of the victims who attended the hearing. One woman’s eyes welled up with tears. The hearing was also the first confirmation that Holmes’ hair was colored. On Friday, there were reports of his hair being red and that he told arresting officers that he was “The Joker.� Batman’s nemesis in the fictional Gotham has brightly colored hair. It could not immediately be confirmed if he told officers that he was Batman’s enemy, however. Investigators found a Batman mask inside his apartment after they finished clearing it of booby traps, a law enforcement official close to the investigation said Sunday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. Holmes, whom police say donned body armor and was armed with an assault rifle, a shotgun and handguns during the at-
tack, was arrested shortly afterward. He is refusing to cooperate, authorities said. They said it could take months to identify a motive. Holmes was brought over from the Arapahoe County detention facility and walked into the courtroom with attorneys and others. He sat down in a jury box, seated next to one of his attorneys. His entrance was barely noticeable but relatives of shooting victims leaned forward in their seats to catch their first glimpse of him. Some stared at him the entire hearing, including Tom Teves, whose son, Alex, was killed in the shooting. Two women held hands tightly, one shook her head. After the hearing, prosecutor Carol Chambers said that “at this point, everyone is interested in a fair trial with a just outcome for everybody involved.� Chambers said earlier her office is considering pursuing the death penalty against Holmes. She said a decision will be made in consultation with victims’ families. David Sanchez, who
waited outside the courthouse during Holmes’ hearing, said his pregnant daughter escaped uninjured but her husband was shot in the head and was in critical condition. “When it’s your own daughter and she escaped death by mere seconds, I want to say it makes you angry,� Sanchez said. He said his daughter, 21-yearold Katie Medley, and her husband, Caleb, 23, had been waiting for a year to watch the movie. Asked what punishment Holmes should get if he is convicted, Sanchez said, “I think death is.� His daughter was scheduled to deliver her baby on Monday. Holmes is expected to be formally charged next Monday. Holmes is being held on suspicion of firstdegree murder, and he could also face additional counts of aggravated assault and weapons violations. Holmes has been assigned a public defender. Security at the hearing was tight. Uniformed sheriff’s deputies were stationed outside, and deputies were positioned on the roofs of both court build-
ings. Police have said Holmes began buying guns at Denver-area stores nearly two months before Friday’s shooting and that he received at least 50 packages in four months at his home and at school. Holmes’ apartment was filled with trip wires, explosive devices and unknown liquids, requiring police, FBI officials and bomb squad technicians to evacuate surrounding buildings while spending most of Saturday disabling the booby traps. Weeks before, Holmes quit a 35-student Ph.D. program in neuroscience for reasons that aren’t clear. He had earlier taken an intense oral exam that marks the end of the first year but university officials would not say if he passed, citing privacy concerns. Also in June, the owner of a gun range in Byers rejected Holmes’ membership application of a “bizarre — guttural, freakish� message on Holmes’ voicemail. Amid the continuing investigation of Holmes and his background, Sunday was a day for healing and
remembrance in Aurora, with the community holding a prayer vigil and President Barack Obama telling victims’ families that “all of America and much of the world is thinking about them.� The pastor for the suspect’s family recalled a shy boy who was driven to succeed academically. “He wasn’t an extrovert at all. If there was any conversation, it would be because I initiated it, not because he did,� said Jerald Borgie, senior pastor of Penasquitos Lutheran Church. Borgie said he never saw the suspect mingle with others his age at church. He last spoke with Holmes about six years ago. “He had some goals. He wanted to succeed, he wanted to go out, and he wanted to be the best,� Borgie said. “He took pride in his academic abilities. A good student. He didn’t brag about it.� The shooting was the worst in the U.S. since the Nov. 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas. An Army psychiatrist was charged with killing 13 soldiers and civilians and wounding more than two dozen others.
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