Drew Peterson and Scott Peterson are two notorious murderers who share the same last name, but are they related? The answer is no, they are not related by blood or marriage. They are both American men who were convicted of killing their wives, but their cases have no connection other than the coincidence of their names. Here is a brief overview of their crimes and trials.
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Drew Peterson: The Former Cop Who Killed His Third Wife and Possibly His Fourth
Drew Peterson was a former police sergeant in Bolingbrook, Illinois, who was married four times. He was convicted in 2012 of the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in a dry bathtub in 2004 with a gash on her head. Her death was initially ruled as an accidental drowning, but it was reclassified as a homicide after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Ann Cales Peterson, went missing in 2007. Stacy Ann has never been found and is presumed dead. Peterson is the prime suspect in her disappearance, but he has not been charged with her murder.
Peterson’s trial for Savio’s murder was highly publicized and controversial. The prosecution relied heavily on hearsay evidence from Savio’s relatives and friends, who testified that she feared for her life and that Peterson had threatened to kill her. The defense argued that the evidence was unreliable and that Savio’s death was an accident. The jury found Peterson guilty of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
In 2015, Peterson was charged with two additional felonies for soliciting the murder of James Glasgow, the state’s attorney who prosecuted him for Savio’s murder. He was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to another 40 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentences at an undisclosed out-of-state facility.
Scott Peterson: The Salesman Who Killed His Pregnant Wife and Unborn Son
Scott Peterson was a fertilizer salesman in Modesto, California, who was married to Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant with their son Conner. He was convicted in 2004 of the murders of his wife and unborn child, who went missing on Christmas Eve 2002. Their bodies were found four months later on the shore of San Francisco Bay. Peterson had been having an affair with a massage therapist named Amber Frey, who testified against him at his trial.
Peterson’s trial was also widely covered by the media and attracted national attention. The prosecution presented evidence that Peterson had planned to kill his wife and son to start a new life with Frey. They also showed that he had lied about his whereabouts and activities on the day of Laci’s disappearance. The defense claimed that Peterson was innocent and that he was framed by an unknown killer who abducted Laci while she was walking her dog. They also challenged the forensic evidence and the credibility of some witnesses. The jury found Peterson guilty of first-degree murder for Laci’s death and second-degree murder for Conner’s death. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
In 2020, the California Supreme Court reversed Peterson’s death sentence, citing errors in jury selection. The court also ordered a lower court to reexamine his convictions, based on a claim that a juror had concealed her involvement in other legal proceedings. In 2021, Peterson was resentenced to life in prison without parole for Laci’s death and 15 years to life for Conner’s death.
Conclusion
Drew Peterson and Scott Peterson are two different men who committed similar crimes: killing their wives and disposing of their bodies in water. They are not related by any means, but they share a common fate: spending the rest of their lives behind bars for their heinous acts.
