Drew Peterson was sentenced to 38 years in prison earlier this week after being denied a retrial in the case of the 2004 death of third wife Kathleen Savio. Right before being sentenced, Judge Edward Burmila said that Peterson would not be given a retrial.
In the Joliet, Illinois courtroom Thursday, Peterson shouted, “I did not kill Kathleen!” He is required to serve the entire length of his sentence. Prior to his sentencing, Peterson blamed the media for capitalizing on him being an “obnoxious man by nature” and the Lifetime movie, which “pretty much guaranteed” he would not be give a fair trial.
A year before Savio’s death, her and Peterson got divorced. The prosecutors said that the motive for killing Savio was Peterson’s fear that a settlement would destroy him financially.
“We all got an opportunity to see a psychopath reveal himself in open court,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said on Thursday. He called Peterson a “cold-blooded killer.”
“This sentence needs to send a very strong message that this will not be tolerated,” Glasgow said.
Two of Savio’s sisters and her brother read victim impact statements on Thursday.
“My loss of my baby sister is beyond words. There will be no more birthday parties, backyard gatherings, holiday celebrations or other family activities to share,” Anna Marie Savio-Doman, Savio’s sister, said Thursday.