Chicago Sun Times Gives Coward A Platform: Ignoring Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio

To Michael Sneed and the editors of the Chicago Sun Times the war in the home is not a recognized battle, yet intimate partner violence and homicide should be taken seriously. Printing the letter from Drew Peterson was not only irresponsible, but, a blatant disregard for these two silenced women’s lives.

You as responsible recorders of the truth need to fully comprehend the battlefield happened in a home where 4 young children were living, that neither Stacy Peterson or Kathleen Savio were equipped to handle, in my opinion not only an abusive intimate partner, but a man who was legally authorized to wear a badge and carry a gun.

This is not a game. It is a real life battle involving families, children, mothers, and in this particular set of circumstances 2 women who behind closed doors, lived abusive and violent relationships. Has the Chicago Sun-Time’s had a momentary loss of memory in exchange for advertising dollars all for the sake of increased readership? In case you do not remember, Kathleen Savio’s permanent residence is now in a cemetery and Stacy Peterson’s is yet to be officially determined.

For Kathleen her violent life is now marked by a single headstone tablet coldly displaying the name, date of birth through the date she died -March 1, 2004. And now she has been resurrected in memory super glued at the hip with everything associated with Drew Peterson. Wasn’t Kathleen Savio abused enough during her lifetime? Why do you as a newspaper have to bury her defeat further in printing her alleged killers words?

I would like to ask the Chicago Sun Times if this was your wife, daughter, sister, mother, would you have allowed this letter to be published? The answer is no!

Look around folks, you cannot pick up a paper or turn on the news without hearing how another woman was murdered by someone they new intimately. You can't help but read nasty comments on the internet, not from strangers, but, often by friends and relatives who knew both the victim and the abuser, trying to defend the actions of a cold blooded killer, and blaming a victim because she ending the relationship, filed for divorce or took the children. Has anyone ever asked the question, "why?" Or is it easier for a well established newspaper to jump on the bandwagon by ignoring justice, all for the sake of blood money?

"If you are outraged by the Chicago Sun Times and their disregard for the families of Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson by making headlines of Drew Peterson's jailhouse letters, do your part and let them know by calling, emailing or faxing. Nothing will change unless action is taken. The columnist, Micheal Sneed and her editor, should know that by making decisions based on headlines and readership instead of integrity and ethics is one of the reasons the public fuels people like Drew Peterson."

Fax number to the Chicago Sun Times is 312-321-3084

Michael Sneeds direct email address is : msneed@suntimes.com

Andrew Hermann, Managing Editor 312-321-3000

Zach Finken, News Editor 312-321-3000

Part 5 : The Series Continue's on the Times Up Blog, Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Need Your Help & Support to Stop HB45 Allows Murderers Over 50 years old To Be Released From Prison

The Illinois General Assembly is voting on a dangerous bill, HB45. This means that any inmate, all convicted murderers serving 25 years or more for mass murder or horrific crimes like rape and murder of a child, etc - a chance at release when they reach the age of 50 which the bill calls "elderly", even if they are serving life without parole! Prisoners like Patricia Columbo who slaughtered her entire family in the name of love. Or the Ripper Murder Crew who murdered, raped and cannibalized more than 20 young women.

Victims families of these crimes have NOT been told of this bill .

PLEASE, we need phone calls and fax’s sent in to the Illinois Representatives listed below! It doesn’t matter if you are a resident of Illinois. These criminals will be out on our streets. Perhaps in your own neighborhoods, near tour relatives and children if we all don’t take a moment and “SAY NO TO HB 45”.

Be polite - be nice - appeal to their good nature - saying things like "I know that Representative SMITH will want to vote NO on HB 45 and would not want to see murderers sentenced to life without parole endangering all our families and the victims of these crimes put through hell".

But also be firm and emphatic - tell them this bill would require victim’s families who have NO idea this is coming and have not been told about this bill - retroactively it would completely RE-OPEN the sentencing in their cases 25 years after the life sentence or long term sentence for murder is given.

Tell them that this is the TOP priority for defeat for the statewide crime victims organization IllinoisVictims.org and that we will be working actively come the next election cycle to defeat any legislator who supports this bill and that we will turn out murder victims family members in the news media and in their districts to work to defeat them if they vote yes on HB 45.

States Attorneys oppose it. Law Enforcement opposes it. We are asking them to stand with victims and law enforcement against convicted murderers - these are all the worst of the worst - the ones sentenced to 25 years or more. The victim’s families and the taxpayers of Illinois are entitled to legal FINALITY in these cases and should not have to pay for a new hearing at 25 years to possibly let out a convicted murderer sentenced to life without parole. This bill means that the life without parole sentence for the worst offenses possible in Illinois would now become meaningless.

Tell them to vote NO on HB 45.

I have done the work here to get phone numbers for their offices - PLEASE EVERYONE we need a phone call this morning to each representative listed!

All numbers are 217-782 - and then the four numbers I have next to their name:

Acevedo, 2855
Beiser, 5996
Bellock, 1448
Boland, 3992
Bradley, 1051
Brosnahan, 0515
Chapa La Via, 1002
Coulson, 4194
Crespo, 0347
D'Amico, 8198
Dugan, 5981
Farnham, 8020
Flider, 8398
Fortner, 1653
Franks, 1717
Froehlich, 3725
Holbrook, 0104
Joyce, 8200
Lyons, 8400
Mathias, 1664
Mautino, 0140
McAsey, 4179
McGuire, 8090
Mendoza, 7752
Mulligan, 8007
Nekritz, 1004
Phelps, 5131
Pritchard, 0425
Reitz, 1018
Smith, 8152
Tryon 0432
Walker 3739

If you have an e-fax or a regular Fax their offices, or get their addresses, click on this link:http://www.ilga.gov/ and then go to HOUSE and MEMBERS - each Rep has a link to their own contact page.

NO on HB 45,


THANKS TO ALL OF YOU for taking time to make these very important calls. This is our most important battle this entire year. Thousands of victim’s families who do not even know what is at stake here and have no voice are counting on us.

Will The Holidays Lights Be On Or Off For Drew Peterson?

Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn wrote a column about Drew Peterson and the new Illinois Hearsay Law.

While I have great respect for Zorn, I disagree on why Peterson may not be charged under the new law. There is another way to bring Peterson to court and make the charges stick. When Kathleen Savio filed for the order of protection she placed her hand on a bible in a courtroom when granted the temporary order of protection. She also stated in this document that "if she died, it would be no accident". Add in the fact that Harry Smith Kathleen's divorce attorney was told of the abuse. And Stacy Peterson also sought advice from the same lawyer. The Crawford vs Washington Statue says the accused has the right to face his or her accuser, but there are exceptions to that law they could be applied in this case, if and when, the Will County State's Attorney is able to charge Peterson.

Another Option is The Will County State's Attorney's Office do not have a body, a confession or a witness in the potential homicide of Stacy Peterson. And no one in the State of Illinois since 1850, has ever been convicted of murder without a body.

There is a similar case on which I base my remarks, Thomas York a Chicago Police Officer, knew enough that investigators and the State's Attorney's Office would not be able to charge him with the murder of his wife or his business partner in April of 1981.Why? As an officer he was trained not to leave evidence. As all good seasoned police are, trained not to leave a clue.To sustain the charge of mail fraud, the government must prove the following propositions:

First, that the defendant knowingly participated in the scheme to defraud as described in the indictment.

Second, that for the purpose of carrying out the scheme or attempting to do so, the defendant caused the United States Mails to be used in the manner charged in the particular count; and

Third, that the defendant did so knowingly and with the intent to defraud.Here is the link to the case in which Thomas York received 40 years for mail fraud:http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/933/933.F2d.1343.89-3013.htmlThis in my opinion, based on research, Federal Prosecutors can charge Mr. Peterson with mail and insurance fraud.

Kathleen Savio died a few weeks before she was to receive her settlement. Court documents and other related information not provided to the public regarding their divorce and the fact that Drew Peterson was already married and living a few houses away at the time, had motive.

Add in the fact, Drew Peterson was a trained police officer, and a trained locksmith.

Documents pertaining to insurance, correspondence and pleadings regarding the "accidental death " of Kathleen Savio were also sent by United States mail. And that is where the feds come into this case. State's Attorney Glascow must now look beyond a murder charge in this case. The statue for mail fraud and insurance is 5 years which comes due in February of 2009.

For continuing coverage and updates visit Juror Thirteen.