tv Dateline MSNBC December 11, 2022 10:00pm-12:00am PST
10:00 pm
up next, msnbc films projects lone wolves, a documentary that follows journalists -- to uncover the real cost of student loan debt. low moles air is next on msnbc and it is streaming right now on peacock. thank you for making time for us, into we meet again, i am eamonn, live in new york. have a good night. n new york have a good night. my sister was my love, my best friend. stacy told me that if anything happens to me, you know who did
10:01 pm
it. >> one stacey went missing, of course, people start saying, wait a minute. his other wife died in the bathtub. >> he says neil, i've done a lot of bad things in my life. >> always bad. either he has the worst walk in the world or he is responsible for murdering two women. >> i want them to know the truth. >> i was talking to this lady -- >> it was almost as if he considered himself a celebrity. >> he did not do it. >> he did not do? what >> killed kathleen or make stacey disappear. >> so everyone is making things up. >> you may be here for the rest of your life? >> maybe, but i may not be. >> what keeps me going is my love, my heart. i will find her. and i will bring her home and that is my promise. ♪ ♪ ♪
10:02 pm
>> i just think about, is this ever going to end. am i ever going to be able to find her and get the closure that i need? >> in these murky, turning waters, a sister searches for answers. >> i'm going to keep doing this every day i can and every day i can afford until the day i die, until i can bring home. >> solving that mystery would close the circle on a notorious and sensational case, the decision periods of stacy peterson. >> it brought the world's attention to a quiet, bedroom community outside of chicago and put a megaphone in front of this country's most infamous villains. drew peterson. >> i could stand here and cry for you, with that make you happy? >> i've never covered a story like drew peterson. i don't think i ever will again. it was crazy. >> i would not put myself in front of your house. >> as this thing went further and further, i was shocked that
10:03 pm
he kept telling jokes, and a certain point you have to wonder, does he really have a lawyer? >> please leave me alone. >> why did it take someone to go missing for you to look at this? >> this is not an accident. this is a cold blooded murder. >> i remember being portrayed as a massacre and no one is defending it. >> more than a decade later, from inside prison, drew peterson agreed to sit down for an exclusive interview. >> can you understand why people may have been disgusted by the way that you talked about your wives when one of them is missing and the other is dead? >> sure. sure. i was being me. if somebody don't like it, too bad. >> why should somebody, do you think, have to hear or listen to what you are saying today? >> there is so much that has not been heard, that everybody on the opposition on the prosecution gets to talk, call me names, say things and i am left in a cage. i do not get to say, publicly,
10:04 pm
what i need to say. what needs to be said. >> most important, at the heart of it all, is the story of two women, two moms who lives are now forever inextricably linked. >> what happened to stacey had everything did do with what happened to kathleen. >> on every level. and i think that their stories will be forever told together. >> the story began in late october, 2007 in boling brook illinois. 30 miles outside of chicago. we >> had dinner, watch the movie. >> cassandra calles vividly remembers the last day she spent with her older sister, stacy peterson. it was just a simple evening in. >> she was going to call me, when she woke up in the morning. >> when she said, i will call you in the morning? >> that never happened. it was odd to be sure, but the
10:05 pm
23 year old mother had a lot on her plate. perhaps stacey was just too busy, even for cassandra. but after waiting hours, cassandra picked up her phone and dialed say see. >> her phone is never of. i do not care if she is watching the kids, or doing anything, she will answer. hey, i'm going to call you back. and she does. but, it went to voice mail and that is when my gut started going. >> as the hours ticked by and still no word from stacey, cassandra became increasingly alarmed. she reached out to other family members, stepsister carrie symonds. >> right away, when she said that she could not get a hold of, where we knew something was wrong. we all knew how close cassandra and stacey were, and of course we all felt the panic and the anxiety of, where is she? >> cassandra called stacey's husband, drew, a police
10:06 pm
sergeant. he said he is not seen stacey since early that moaning when he got home from his overnight shift. as day turned tonight, family friend pam bosco joined the efforts to try to locate stacey. >> then it goes into the morning, hours and stuff, and we cannot find her. i remember telling cassandra at that point, go to the police. she placed the report at that point. she did not let up, she went from that morning with me, through to the next morning trying to find stacey. >> cassandra filed a report for the state police, and the family fanned out to spread the word. stacy peterson was missing. within days, a massive volunteer effort to find stacey was underway. >> they had to put aside any motions we had, cassandra took
10:07 pm
it especially hard. her mom pam had stepped in to be the spokesperson, but there needed to be somebody who could be there every single day. there is just an overflow of people that wanted to donate, wanted to bring in supplies, wanted to help search. >> searchers blanketed the area. >> we had dozens of people that would come out every day. i think we started in boling brook and then would pick different places to meet, wherever we were deciding to search. combing fields, and woods, and rivers, and would take boats, use the docks. >> as the search for stacey's continued, stories began to emerge about her marriage. her much older husband, and what her husband's ex wives. stories that would soon transfixed the country. >> coming up. >> she was like i want to see my friend drew. >> i was like who's? drew >> she was only?
10:08 pm
16 >> she was, 16. yes >> it was mid 40s when they met, drew peterson was old enough to be stacy peterson's father. >> we were shocked at who this man wasn't how lovey dovey he was to this. girl >> for me, it was like, what are you doing? >> and soon, stacey was playing house in a new apartment. >> everything that she could dream of, and where the -- did this come from? >> when dateline continues. ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. imagine that. ♪♪ dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain,
10:09 pm
worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. who knows what you can do when you du more with less asthma. ask your asthma specialist about dupixent. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid before it begins. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. would someone please pass me the sweet potatoes? sorry, grandma, we don't have sweet potatoes. [ whispering ] what do you mean we don't have sweet potatoes? i told you to get some. -n-no, you didn't. -yes, i did. you gave me a whole list of things, and i got them all. there's not a list that doesn't have sweet potatoes on it. should we look at the replay? oh, please. this what really happened replay is brought to you by progressive.
10:10 pm
one thing no one would challenge -- saving money when you bundle home and auto with progressive. i'm sorry, mom. we f-- [ thud ] i forgot the sweet potatoes. my husband and i have never been more active. i'm sorry, mom. we f-- [ thud ] shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects.
10:11 pm
ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. ♪♪ when you're through with powering through, it's time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. powerful relief so you can restore and recover. theraflu hot beats cold. if you found yourself start in stacy peterson's orbit, those who knew you're would tell you it's a pretty nice place to be. >> she was pretty, kind, gentle. she was a loving mother, a loving sister. just a wonderful person. >> she had the biggest heart, she would do anything for you, even though she had so much on her plate. she would drop everything and
10:12 pm
run to help whoever needed anything. >> but at the end of october, 2007, it was stacy's family who were dropping everything in a desperate bid to find her. the sense of urgency was almost crippling for her sister, cassandra. >> i was up for almost three days and i actually had to go to the doctor, who had to give me a shot to get me to reacts. >> the sisters shared a special bond. >> i know that you guys did not have it easy growing up, right? >> no, we did not have easy growing up, at all. >> you really looked out for each other? >> yes. >> did you guys talk about your hopes and dreams, what you want it someday? >> not really. it was just surviving that day. you know, are we going to eat, are we going to be fed? >> cassandra does not like to talk about their childhood. their parents divorced when
10:13 pm
they're young and stacey cassandra lived mostly with their father. their mother, who suffered from alcoholism and depression, was in and out of their lives. strangely, when the girls were teenagers, she also disappeared and was not heard from again. stacy only 17 months old, or kept a motherly eye on cassandra. >> so stacey was the one who took over that responsibility and that role? >> absolutely. she was on a mission to be better than what we had gone through >> it appeared that stacey was well on her way to accomplishing that mission. she was preparing to graduate from high school early and was working at a hotel to earn enough money to continue her education. there was someone new in her life, a guy. >> she's like i have to go see my friend drew. i was like who's through? she was like, he's just a friend. >> she was only 16? >> she was 16, yes. because i was 15. >> cassandra says that everything changed as soon as
10:14 pm
stacy turned 17 and graduated high school. >> and then, boom. 17 years old, hey come over and check out my place. she's got a brand-new car, she is living in an apartment fully furnished, leather furniture. everything that she could dream of. and then here i am like, where the -- did this come from? >> no way could stacy afford such nice things. >> next thing you know, here comes drew, full uniform, walking in. like, hey are you? >> drew peterson, a sergeant with the bolingbrook police department. they had met at the hotel where stacey worked. at 47, he was 30 years older. >> he was old enough to be her father. she was a little girl, she came to my party with little ponytails and we were shocked at who this man was and how lovely w was to this girl. >> drew was twice divorced and
10:15 pm
his third marriage was imploding. he already had four children, two of whom were actually older than stacey. even his brother paul was struck by how young stacey was. >> actually, my older daughter is two months older than stacey. so for me it is like, what are you doing? >> what do you think attracted her to drew? >> a stable person. he was a cop, she feels protected. she was looking for a father figure, you know? or just, to be taken care of a little bit. >> cassandra says that drew did take care of stacey. he paid for her furnished apartment, among other things. but, according to cassandra, what stacy really wanted was a family. and in july 2003, when stacy was 19 years old, she andrew had a baby boy. >> my gosh. stacy was born to be a mom, she
10:16 pm
pretty much put us all to shame when it came to taking care of kids, and stuff. >> drew and stacey married that october and when drew's ex-wife, kathleen savio, died suddenly five months later, stacy adopted the two boys kathleen had withdrew. >> were you surprised when stacey said that she was adopting kathleen's two boys? >> not at all, stacey wanted a family. they lost their mom and she wanted to be there to comfort them. >> stacy and drew had another child together, a daughter. by the fall of 2007, with four kids, a home, and a police officer husband, stacey, now 23, seemed to finally have what she and cassandra longed for. >> it was so beautiful. we did not have that growing up. we did not have that happy family. >> and she was building that withdrew? >> right. >> but now, stacey was missing
10:17 pm
and none of it made any sense. we stacey's family and friends were not the only ones to think so. local crime reporter, joe huoseh had his own questions about stacey's disappearance because this was not the first time he had reported on something happening to one of drew peterson's wives. >> at this point it is just a missing versions report, right? >> it is a missing person, but it is the missing wife of a man whose previous wife died under what i consider to be suspicious circumstances. >> coming up. >> they found her in the bathtub and it looks like she drowned. >> drew told your sister that? >> yes. >> the mysterious death of the previous mrs. peterson, according to drew. >> it is like she took some sleeping pills or something, drink some wine. fell in the bathtub. >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues your home insurance,
10:18 pm
here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual!!! what does it do, bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need! and what did you get, mike? i got a bike. ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ moderate-to-severe eczema. it doesn't care if you have a date, a day off, or a double shift. make your move and get out in front of eczema with steroid-free cibinqo. not an injection, cibinqo is a once-daily pill for adults who didn't respond to previous treatments. and it's proven to help provide clearer skin and relieve itch fast.
10:19 pm
cibinqo continuously treats eczema whether you're flaring or not. cibinqo can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. do not take with medicines that prevent blood clots. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, lung, skin and other cancers, serious heart-related events, and blood clots can happen. people 50 and older with heart disease risk factors have an increased risk of serious heart-related events or death with jak inhibitors. it's time to get out in front of eczema. ask your doctor about once-daily cibinqo. when reporter joe hose he got the virus that causes shingles is sleeping... in 99% of people over 50. and it could strike at any time. think you're not at risk? wake up. because shingles could wake up in you. if you're over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention.
10:21 pm
the tip that drew peterson's wife stacey was missing, his antenna immediately went up. >> i just knew that they were both married to drew peterson, and one was dead and one was missing. >> his thoughts went back to a story he covered three years earlier for the local paper. the joliette herald news. >> this guy's wife died in the
10:22 pm
bathtub. >> and he's a police charge? and >> yes, he's a police sergeant. >> the suspicious deaths was that of drew peterson's third wife, kathleen savio. >> some aren't, family oriented. kind. >> her sister, sue doeleman. >> she is just overall a good person. she would never hurt anybody. loved her children to death, they were her life. >> drew and kathleen had split in 2001 after a nearly decade long marriage. kathleen had custody of the two boys. drew took them on weekends. that is how it went until 2004, when drew, by then married to stacey, and living just down the street from kathleen, try dropping the boys of after a weekend visit. kathleen did not answer the door. not that night, not the following day. >> it was probably nine, 9:30 in the evening and drew came down the street and pulled up
10:23 pm
to me in a swab car. >> steve was through his friend and kathleen's neighbor. >> he asked me to go to the house. he is already contacted her best friend married go to the house. he thinks something might be wrong because he's been trying to drop off tickets for the past day and a half. >> drew said his ex wife would not want him inside his home, regardless of the circumstances. so he waited outside. when >> we first walked into the house, it was kind of an eerie feeling. it was dead silent in there. you are kind of like, wondering what you are going to find, if you're going to find anything. >> they went upstairs into kathleen's bedroom, saw the unmade bed and checked the bathroom. >> i was going towards the bathroom, looked in the tub, and it was kathy laying there naked. mary came into the bathroom right away and she started screaming. drew came running up the stairs right away, ran into the bathroom, first thing he did was checkers balls. and then he started screaming out, what am i going to tell my
10:24 pm
children, what am i going to tell my children? very distraught. i looked right into the eyes, and he got very emotional very quickly. and then he called the pleas department. >> kathleen was dead. sue remembers getting the call late that night. >> i got a call at one in the morning. and i did not want to answer because i thought it was a wrong number, but it kept ringing and ringing. so i got out of bed and i answered it and it was my sister, my older sister, and she said are you sitting down? but is there any way there with you? i said, no. why are you asking me this? she said katie is dead, kathleen is dead. we called her katie. >> family members gathered to grieve. everyone with the same question. what happened? drew seem to have the answers. >> they found her in the
10:25 pm
bathtub and looked like she drowned. >> drew told your sister that? >> yes. >> it was the same story that drew told his brother, paul. >> it looks like she took some sleeping pills, or something, drinking some wine, and fell in the bathtub. >> because drew was a bolingbrook police officer, the illinois state police took over the investigation into kathleen's death. >> what are you finding out from the police and the sources at the time of her death? >> i was not finding out much, they were not saying much. >> joe heard the same thing the family heard. kathleen was found naked in her bathtub. it appeared that she had drowned, but the bathtub was dry and street with blood from a wound in her head. the coroner was stumped, and so formed an inquest try to get to the bottom of what happened. >> they sent the started to present evidence to the -- and said in no uncertain terms that it was an accident. it was not suspicious, there
10:26 pm
was no sign of foul play. the jury deliberated and came back that it was an accident. >> an accident. kathleen must have slipped in the tub, hit her head, and knocked unconscious and drowned. the tub was dry because the water had slowly gone down the drain in the time it took for her body to be found >>. >> did the facts of what you are reporting bother you? did any of them linger with you that this seems weird? >> it did. i remember covering stories of children driving in bathtubs, but never an adult. that right there is a red flag. right there, you would think, it would've caused the police to look at it a little closer than they did. >> joe says his editor did not share his suspicions, and did not want him to keep digging. the story went nowhere. >> i had bosses who said it was an accident, we are not writing about this anymore. i guess that is where it ended. >> but right now, three years later, drew's wife stacey was
10:27 pm
missing. joe, again, wrote about kathleen's bizarre death, linking the two women to drew and each other. >> it was not much of a story, but i got it in the paper for the next day. >> it may have been a small story, but it made a huge impact. >> coming up. >> i can only do one of you at a time. listen. i was talking to this lady, she is prettier than you. >> the drew peterson show. >> it was almost as if he considered himself a celebrity, like paparazzi chasing him around because he was famous and not because he was suspected of killing his fourth wife and his third wife. >> when dateline continues. line continues it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala is a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma that can mean less oral steroids. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred.
10:28 pm
don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. dupixent helps you du more with less asthma. and can help you breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. ask your specialist about dupixent.
10:29 pm
my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. hello i'm dara brown. nucala is a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma that can mean less oral steroids. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala.
10:30 pm
10:31 pm
found rain that caused flash flooding. and historic, the artemis mission returned to earth, splash down in the specific open. a test flight flew 40,000 miles be on the moon, further than any spacecraft traveled. spacecraft traveled. in hindsight, it is hard to believe, but back in 2007, reporter joe huoseh was not sure the two peterson story had legs. >> the bosses that i was working for really were not interested in pursuing it. >> but his local paper was owned by the chicago town times, which also rand joe stories. this tipped off the national media, which descended on bolingbrook. >> we are also following the latest development on a missing mother, stacy peterson vanished after leaving home on sunday.
10:32 pm
>> describe the media circus that then descended on this area. >> it was wild. through lived in a called a sack, in a subdivision. it was packed with satellite trucks and cameramen and reporters. it was shoulder to shoulder with media. >> national, but was their international attention as well? >> i know there was because i was interviewed on shows and. stuff >> the national media, are they all making the same connection that you had already made? >> yeah, i think that was the general theme, yes. and everyone was looking into and digging into what was really going on. >> cameras were soon documenting every aspect of the developing story. from the searches for stacey to marches and vigils. >> we come here united as a family, friends, and as a community. >> there are, usually in the background, was sister cassandra. she did not want the attention, she wanted stacey back. >> you were out helping in the surges and often in the
10:33 pm
background, but you are always there. >> i was always there, just because i'm not on camera doing anything it does not mean i was not searching. >> but you want to stay in the background, really? >> i could not, because i wanted to be out front. but it was literally killing me. >> trying to find? >> or no, i was literally going to die. somebody told me to get a spokesperson. i cannot even walk from here to my mailbox without having a panic attack. >> other family members were also offering support. drew's brother paul, and paul's wife norma, moved into drew's house to help with the kids. >> we are trying to get them some semblance of normalcy. here is a mom and dad, we are going to take care of you. never mind that everything else is happening around. do >> this is when the whole called a sack was filled with reporters and camera crews. >> all of them wanted a glimpse
10:34 pm
and a comment from drew. >> where were you the night she died, sir? >> police had searched drew's home and we're treating him as a person of interest. he had spoken to them after stacey went missing, but otherwise was keeping his mouth shut. until one evening when reporters knocked on his door. >> i am sorry sir? we >> cannot hear you, one more time? >> never again will i allow myself to -- >> reporters strain to hear him and as he joked about overdue library books. it was just a preview of the drew peterson show. he resigned from the bolingbrook police department. he began holding court in his driveway. >> i can only hear one of you at a time. well, i was talking to this lady. she is prettier than you. >> shake my hand. what's wrong? >> from day, one joe as he had
10:35 pm
a front row seat to drew's antics. >> it was almost as if he considered himself a celebrity, like we were all paparazzi chasing him around because he is famous and not because he is suspected of killing his fourth wife and his third wife. >> i'm a little burned out. i've lost 30 pounds to date, so if anyone wants to go on a weight loss program. you could use it. >> where is, drew? >> we got, him he finally picked up. >> eric mueller, known over as man cow, had drew on his popular radio show. >> we were not supposed to ask about the murders and i said, i asked him about stupid stuff. >> what do you think of the? whether >> it's cold. >> i did not really follow the rules. >> did you kill your wife? >> no. >> drew it seems like every day -- >> something new comes. up >> what are your thoughts? >> i'm waiting for my eighth grade pogrom day to show up and
10:36 pm
say i was a bad kisser. you folks have a good day. >> did drew cause all of his own problems? absolutely. >> watch this. >> laughing about it and making light about it, and joining the celebrity of my show and other shows, i think repulsed a lot of people. my job is to entertain and inform, and we are the silent copilot of everyone driving to work in a tough commute in a big city. it was an interesting story, but in the end, loose lips sink ships. the bible talks about how our tongue is a writer in life. sometimes it is best to shut up. >> while drew is joking around with the media, he made no effort to search for his missing wife. >> people are wondering why you are not helping in the? search >> people wanted to find out what happened to stacey, searching for stacey. any proof of what happened to her. but, drew is there and drew is acting out. so, yeah it did kind of -- >> and he is sitting down to do interviews and he's answering questions.
10:37 pm
>> so yeah. he did hijack the spotlight from his missing wife. >> drew claimed that stacey left on her own. he said that she had taken cash and at the key, and abandon her four kids and husband to start a new life with a mystery man. but something did not add up for sister in law norma. >> why would you adopt two kids and then go off and leave all four for another man? that made no sense. >> it made no sense to the police either, who continued to investigate true. a family member told them that he helped drew remove a large blue barrel from the house the night stacey disappeared. >> he is convinced that he helped carry stacey's body down to drew's denali. he never saw a body, looked in the barrel, but -- >> another lead police followed was drew's phone. records showed it was near a canal just miles from drew and stacey's home that night. >> there would be no reason for
10:38 pm
him to be there, stacy's last night that she was seen. i know they searched the canal, that they did an extensive dive. it turned up nothing. >> still, drew was the last person to have known to have seen stacey. that, coupled with his odd behavior in front of the cameras led police to turn up the heat on drew. >> drew peterson has gone from a person of interest to clearly being a suspect. >> that would be enough to make most people to stop talking. but not true. >> there is an investigation, as there should be. so it is just like, i am a suspect, officially. but i think i was a suspect from the beginning, so. >> just because you are the husband? >> because i am the husband. >> one family believed it was more than that. they had been sounding the alarm for years. it was just that nobody cared to listen. >> coming up. >> they were always fighting like cats and dogs. >> you saw it firsthand? >> we saw it firsthand. they were always at each other,
10:39 pm
and there was always something. >> behind closed doors, drew and kathleen's disastrous marriage. >> he had her by the neck with a knife and he said, i can kill you now and i can make it look like an accident and i will get away with it. >> when dateline continues. teline continues [coughing] hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry. ♪ ♪
10:40 pm
♪♪ voltaren. the joy of movement. ♪♪ announcer: type 2 diabetes? discover the power of 3 in the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. announcer: ozempic® provides powerful a1c reduction. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right
10:41 pm
away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. join the millions already taking ozempic®. ask your health care provider about the ozempic® tri-zone. announcer: you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid for twice as long as pepcid. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. - [both] so hungry. choose acid prevention. - grubhub? speaking my language. - [both] go for grubhub. (upbeat music) - thank you grubhub. find your beat
10:42 pm
10:43 pm
peterson. she knew it was a nightmare for stacey's family, but she also knew it was an opportunity for the truth to finally come out. >> i saw them searching everywhere and i was hoping that someone would connect the dots. >> she wanted police and the public to look at another case. the 2004 death of her sister, kathleen savio, drew's third wife. sue never believed her sister died by accident and she never trusted drew. >> i never felt comfortable with him. >> she says her sister was dazzled by drew when they first met in the early 90s. >> was she had over heels in love, i mean when she called to talk to, you what would she say to him? >> actually, drew gave her a picture, and she showed me the picture before i even met him. i said, look, he is a police officer, he is a good guy and treat me good. it was everything that a woman would want and more.
10:44 pm
>> he would put on a good show, then? >> yes, i would say that he does get put on a good show. >> and how soon before they got married? >> i would say six months. it was very fast. >> the couple had those two boys, later adopted by stacy. they moved into this house in bolingbrook. drew charmed neighbors like steve carson motto. >> drew came over and said if there's anything i ever needed his garage, like a lawnmower, tool, anything ever need. he said his garage was always open to me. i thought that was very. nice >> very nice, eager to please. that was drew peterson. except, sue says, when mr. nice guy morphed into mr. high, using insults to manipulate kathleen. >> he would say that she is crazy. she was looking like a dog. she was ugly, not a good mom. >> soon, the cutting words became heated arguments. drew's brother and sister in law, paul and norma peterson.
10:45 pm
>> they were always fighting like cats and. dogs >> you saw it firsthand? >> we saw it firsthand. they were always at each other, and it was always something. >> the end of the nine year marriage came one day in 2001. it came in the mail. >> she called me and she said, i got a letter and it said that she was having an affair and that she was a laughing stock. >> the anonymous letter included this shocking tidbit. drew's other woman was still in her teens. >> the thing that really stood out with kathleen was that she was a baby. she said, i do not understand why he would do this. >> come to find out, it was stacey. >> right, right. >> stacey, the future mrs. peterson. kathleen demanded a divorce. the house, and half of druze pension. he oked the divorce, but not the terms. kathleen stood firm. >> she was a fighter.
10:46 pm
>> she was not going to give. up >> she was not going to give up, she was not going to let him win. she felt like she had the truth on her side. >> when stacey became pregnant, kathleen did make one concession. a divorce that allowed through to remarry, while lawyers worked out the finances. >> things only got worse. >> she would call me and say he would be watching her. >> how is he watching? her >> he would pass by the house and slow down and look out the police window. >> kathleen said drew was intent on terrorizing her. sometimes the fights turned violent when he stopped by. she told her sister that drew even sneaked into her house and threatened her. >> he had her by the neck, with a knife. and he said i can kill you now and i can make it look like an accident and i will get away with it. >> did she tell you that? >> oh, she was hysterical. she called the police and he denied the whole thing. >> still, she says, kathleen
10:47 pm
kept calling bolingbrook police after every confrontation. drew, an officer, was never arrested. >> it got to be where the police would come over and they would just take drew accordingly, saying how is your day going, this in that. a, she's crazy, here we go again. they did not take it seriously. >> in fact, after one fight, it was kathleen who is charged with domestic battery. the record was later expunged. a police spokesman told the associated press that officer had followed proper procedure. but then, kathleen was found dead in her bathtub. sue thought there would be a criminal investigation, instead that inquest found kathleen's death was an accident. >> when you heard that news, what did you think? >> oh my god. oh my god. i cannot believe this is happening. >> she refused to give up, pass those in power to look at the case again. >> they got tired of me.
10:48 pm
the bolingbrook police department told me that if i continued on with us i would be charged. >> the police told you that? you are just asking for answers. >> i tried to convince them that he pretty much said he would kill her and get away with. >> it >> a bolingbrook police spokesman said he had no call knowledge of sue's calls. he said that the department did not investigate kathleen's death and would have referred to any requests to state police. the bottom line, sue says, is that neither she nor her sister ever felt heard. now, stacey was gone. and now, sue was not the only grieving relatives who wanted investigators to take a hard, long look at one of their own -- drew peterson. >> coming up, another gathering storm. >> how early on in their marriage did she confided in you? >> i knew that they were having difficulties. she did not hide any of that. >> i was on the couch one time,
10:49 pm
she came flying out of the room backwards and landed on her back. >> he threw her? >> he choked her. >> and stacey shares a secret. >> she just blurted out, she said, he did it. >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues could make it hard for her. now i'm staying ahead of it. dupixent helps heal your skin from within. so they can have clearer skin and less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. my husband and i have never been more active. without talking to your doctor. shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50. but shingrix protects.
10:50 pm
proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. ♪♪ norma peterson had seen it, her research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual!!! what does it do, bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need!
10:51 pm
10:52 pm
brother in law drew's marriage to third wife kathleen savio was a disaster. their breakup, worse. which is why kathleen's sudden death never sat right. >> so now you are going to come and tell me that there is a 40-year-old woman who drowned in a dry bathtub two weeks before you guys or support to settle everything in court, financially? it just seemed too convenient for me. >> then, she saw the past repeat itself with the truth next wife, stacey.
10:53 pm
his need to control. >> how early on in their marriage did she confided in you the problems that they were dealing with? >> i knew that they were having difficulties. she did not hide any of that. he would just call her incessantly. one time when we were out and i answered the phone, i finally just told, them we are out. we are having a girl's dinner. >> she saw signs of violence. >> i happened to catch a -- what happened? walter pushed me up against the tv. >> at the time, norman did not report concerns to police because she did not think they would do anything. his andrew said she did not call them either for the same reason. >> i remember something on the couch one-time, she came flying out of the room backwards and landed on her back. >> he threw? her >> he shoved her. >> do you think he sort of hit that kind of behavior around other family members, other people? >> yes. >> absolutely. >> eventually, stacey sought
10:54 pm
help for her troubled marriage. >> stacy approached me after one of our church services and said neil, i believe that you are the counseling pastor here at the church, right? >> a pastor neil chery said he'd be can counseling drew and stacey. one day, he said, through approached him. >> he said would he ever do right along with me in my police car? i said yeah, why not. >> he said drew drove them around, made small talk, and then got to the point. >> he says, i really wanted to talk to you about stacey. she really gets crazy. well, at that time of the month, and i just. he could see my displeasure with this. it felt so disrespectful. >> the pastor tried to change the subject. he asked to drew about his fate. he said to replied that he was not religious. >> he said neil, i've done a lot of bad things in my life. i said, yeah we all have,
10:55 pm
through. he sort of looked off into the distance, it kind of looked like he went somewhere. he said neil, the difference is i have never felt bad for anything i have done in my life. and i just thought, that is it. the way he said it was so absent of emotion and i just knew, do not ask him another question. >> the pastures last conversation with stacey was in august, 2007. two months before she disappeared. she asked to meet, something urgent. >> i got there, and she was already sitting there, outside in the café, just like this. she looked concerned and she was quiet. then, very suddenly, she blurted out. she said, he did it. i said, stacey he did what? she said, drew killed kathleen. >> stacy told the pastor what she knew about that night in 2004. she said drew came home late.
10:56 pm
at first, he would not say where he had been, but eventually, she he told her enough to make it clear. he had just murdered his ex-wife. >> he talked about things he could've done, obviously you could've not have known what is coming. now, looking back, what are the things that should have been done? did she want you to go to the police? >> she certainly did not want me to, because i asked her and she said, i do not want you to do anything with my story, i just want you to know. i think things were really dire for her, by that point. i think that she probably sensed that she was in grave danger. >> it was the last time that he saw her, just before he disappeared. stacey also confided in her sister. >> stacy looked up to me and said, how do you feel about me getting a divorce? i said, i told her i was scared. she just looked up at me and was like, why? i just said, because of what
10:57 pm
happened to kathleen. that is when she told me, if anything happens to me, you know who did it. >> days later, stacey vanished. the pastor immediately thought the worst. >> i absolutely know, in my heart, what happened to her. i believe that through kilter. >> he knew that he had to tell someone about his last conversation with stacey, her story about kathleen's death. he called the police tip line. i knew that she had gone missing, i knew that everything had changed in that moment. it was all over the news, i thought, good i finally get to tell this story. so i called them two different times and i left voice mails and they never called me back. >> nobody ever came to question you? >> nobody did anything. >> until fate intervened. days after stacey vanished, the pastor was serving on a grand jury, hearing evidence in a series of unrelated cases
10:58 pm
before the court. an officer with a state police took the stand and referenced through peterson. >> i knew i was not supposed to, but i raised my hand and said excuse me, excuse me. >> a remedy attorneys looking at me, my fellow grandeur is looking at me, and they were like, this is not the role of a grand jury. you are just here to listen. i made a scene, and i did it several times. >> that stopped the hearing. the pastor met with the officer in the hallway. told his story, and eventually went down to the station to make a formal statement. >> i remember writing out my testimony and i had a video interview, and so i knew at that point that finally had taken it seriously. >> jim glasgow remembers when it happened. when everyone started buzzing about drew peterson. >> at what point did you learn of kathleen savio death. >> that would've been in 2007, when stacey disappeared. >> glasgow is the state
10:59 pm
attorney for will county, but he was not in office when kathleen died in 2004. >> you have to understand, it was tucked away as an accident so nobody mentioned it or even knew about it in my administration. so, once stacy went missing, of course, people started saying, wait a minute. his other wife died in the bathtub. >> hearing that, died in the bathtub. what do you think? >> i do not know of any case where a healthy, middle aged adult has ever ground in a bathtub. >> coming up. >> as soon as we pulled the pictures of her in the bathtub, we were like. this is wrong. >> the bathrobe theory of kathleen's death. >> it was almost like there was a struggle and -- >> and she is forced in that position. when you are floating, there will be no force, we would just kind of rest. >> when dateline continues. continues p keep others from harm. at pfizer, we're driven by this impulse.
11:00 pm
we've reached hundreds of millions of lives with our covid-19 response. and we keep innovating. whatever comes next, we will respond fiercely. like family. ♪ (vo) red lobster. the finer points of fun dining creating your own ultimate feast... ...is the ultimate form of shell-fish-pression. create your own ultimate feast is here. choose 4 of 10, like new cheddar bay shrimp. welcome to fun dining. this is a door. mom's holiday classic, tempting you to move closer to home, door.
11:03 pm
unearth the truth. the prosecutor called in the old photos taken at the day kathleen's body was found. >> as soon as we pulled the pictures of her in the bathtub -- >> starting with the tub itself. >> looking at the size of the stab, i mean, pretty small. >> it is 22 inches wide at the bottom, and 40 inches long. so think about 22 inches, i mean it is -- >> my goodness, that is tiny. >> barely enough to fit in. >> a baby top almost. >> he found it hard to believe anyone could have child and a tub that size, or even slept in it. >> i had an opportunity to sit in, it in the tub myself. >> how tall are you? >> i'm six foot, but when i sat, they're my knees were in my face. so if you are standing up in the stab, and he went to slip, your front foot would almost immediately hit the front of the top and stop the fall. >> but if kathleen had fallen,
11:04 pm
the prosecutor would at the very least expect to see nearby soap bottles knocked over, he did not. >> you see all these toiletries, nothing has been dispersed. so if you have a fall and fall backwards, you are going to see that. >> then there was the matter of bloodstains inside the tub, in 2000 and, for investigators believed kathleen hit her head, fell unconscious, and drowned as blood boost from her wound. the water turned away, but the blood remained. that did not make sense to glasgow. >> that should not be there, if it is filled with water, the blood is going to dilute into the water, and by the time it drains out because the plug is not 100%, then you will not see what states are on the bottom of the tub. >> the position of her body also bothered him. her feet pushed against the side of the tub, he thought the odd for a drowning victim. >> here it is almost like there was a struggle, then she was -- >> then she is forced in that
11:05 pm
position. when you are floating, there would be no force. >> we have handed out the -- four explanation was filed today. >> they slater who was in front of tv cameras saying he wanted a new autopsy performed on kathleen. kathleen's family gave him the go ahead. >> we were very fortunate to have the attorney jim glasgow, a very strong man, would me very determined. >> two weeks after drew's fourth while stacey vanished, workers exhumed the body of his third kathleen. the pathologist got to work. >> he was able to show there were no bruises on the back of her arm where she fell backwards, and the national instinct to frail your arms, and no bruises on her back, or her buttocks. >> undercutting the original finding that kathleen had fallen just before her death. but there were bruises, -- >> she had 16 other fresh
11:06 pm
bruises on all four planes of her body. >> including her collarbone. >> there was the two bruises to her clavicle, identical bruises, how do you get those? nobody is going to come up and punch you with those angles. >> the prosecutor was convinced kathleen had not died by accident, and she had not drowned in that tub. >> these two bruises lineup with the edges of the troye toilet room if you put somebody's face in the toilet. >> he said the bruising on kathleen's body spoke of a struggle, or assailant overcoming and then joining her in the toilet. she was likely placed in the tub and hit over the head, to make it look like an accident. >> you knew right away she had been murdered? >> yes. >> and he had a pretty good idea who the killer was. the prosecutor was building a murder case, voted by photo. story by story. but then, someone else was also
11:07 pm
building a case for all to hear. >> coming up. >> i want you to be 100 percent honest, seriously, did you kill your wife stacey? >> no. >> so where is stacey? >> i'd be looking at a beach. >> what do you mean? >> a beach somewhere warm. >> when dateline continues. ne continues i am puss in boots. the legend will never die. ohh!!! you are down to your last life. oh no. the legend tells of a wishing star. that star will get me my lives back. the wishing star is in the dark forest. 1, 2, after you. wait, what? dog, still alive? let's go find out. there's nothing like volunteering at the fire department. there's nothing like hitting the waves. but with my moderate-to-severe eczema
11:08 pm
it hasn't always been easy,... ...since my skin was so irritated and itchy... ...and even worse with all my gear on. now, i'm staying ahead of my eczema. there's a power inside all of us to live our passion. and dupixent works on the insie to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. so adults can have long-lasting clearer skin and fast itch relief. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. healing from within is a powerful thing. ask your eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal your skin from within.
11:09 pm
in 3 seconds, this couple will share a perfect moment. oh, wow. but we got to sell our houses. well, almost perfect. don't worry. just sell directly to opendoor. close in a matter of days. get your free offer at opendoor.com there's a different way to treat hiv. it's every-other-month, injectable cabenuva. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by my healthcare provider, every other month. it's one less thing to think about while traveling. hiv pills aren't on my mind. a quick change in my plans is no big deal. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away.
11:10 pm
tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. every other month, and i'm good to go. ask your doctor about every-other-month cabenuva. >> the state of illinois was
11:11 pm
zeroing in on troop eaten in late 2007. police called in suspect in his fourth wife's disappearance. >> i'm the husband. you know, i'm the husband. you always blame the husband. >> while a prosecutor was eyeing him for the murder of his third, and looking harder every time ensure mug for the cameras. >> i mean obviously it was a tell to me that this is not an innocent man, and he was not showing any remorse. >> but you could not stop, the worst things got, the more he talked, including right here to us. he sat down that november with today show co-anchor hoda, then a dateline correspondent. >> it has been a couple weeks now since your wife and missing. >> correct. >> he pretty much shrugged when it came to finding stacey. >> i would be looking at a beach. >> what do you mean? >> a beach somewhere warm. >> you think she ran off with someone and is enjoying herself on the beach somewhere? >> i believe that.
11:12 pm
but i'm guessing. >> he said he had no idea why she took off. he did not see the point in shedding any tears. dishing the dirt, that he could do. >> stacey was spoiled, stacey wanted what she got, she wanted a boot, job i got her job, she wanted a tummy tack, she got that. stacey loved militant shun, and we did all -- she wanted, she had it. >> in what had become a pattern, he repeated offensive comments about her, once he had already shared with pastor and other reporters. >> stacey was on an emotional rollercoaster from month to month, and i'm not trying to be funny here but it seemed to go with her menstrual cycle if she was a pmf thing, she wanted a divorce. if she was, not everything was -- romantic and happy. >> reporter joe rosy -- >> troup had his own narrative where she was depressed, medicated, erratic, and it was
11:13 pm
not about him. >> troup did not have anything kind to say about his ex-wife kathleen either. >> she was easily agitated, -- >> when you say easily agitated, what do you mean? >> she would snap. >> as for her death in that bathtub, he did not think it was so suspicious. >> there was talk in the police department that it was done so well it looked like it was staged. it was like somebody knew what they were doing. >> that i'm sure people are saying that. >> people would say, who else would know better than you. you are a police officer with many years on the, force what do you say to that? >> i say i did not do it. >> what do you think might have? >> i don't know. and i don't know if it was an accident. >> if he was guilty of anything here, he said, it was choosing the wrong woman more than once. >> i want you to be 100 percent honest with me. >> i won't lie. >> i want you to be 100 percent honest, did you kill your wife stacey? >> no. >> what about your wife kathy?
11:14 pm
did you have anything to do with the death of kathy? >> no. nothing. >> nothing awful? >> no. >> someone said either you are guilty, of both of these, or you have the worst luck in the world. you just happened to mary two women, one is missing, one who is dead. >> correct. >> is that bad luck? >> i guess that is bad luck. >> drew peterson, the victim, it was a team he returned to the following year, when he sat down with us again, by this point a new autopsy revealed kathleen's death wasn't an accident. it was a homicide. drew did not buy it. >> i still don't get how someone who is healthy, able bodied dies in a bathtub. >> well, it happens, and everyone says it is impossible, but i guess if you look at statistics from the national safety council, it shows that
11:15 pm
people do die bathtubs. >> he also did not buy that story from pastor -- he said he never confessed anything to stacey about kathleen's death. >> how many times did you ever tell stacey that you killed kathleen. >> never. never. >> so if she told her preacher that, she was telling a lie. >> she told me she was lying. >> that is right, he said, stacey was a liar, and a cheat. she had run out and left him in a world of trouble. he had no choice but to defend himself and the longer she has gone, the more he seems to relish the attention. i mean he is on national television, criticizing his that and missing wives. i mean, more than anything, it is hard to believe. >> do you enjoy all of this television interviews, attention, and drew can i talk to you? >> sometimes. sometimes i do, sometimes i
11:16 pm
don't. >> what do you like about it? >> i get to go to new york, i get to go to hollywood, i get to meet famous exciting people like yourself. just, the traveling, and i don't like the constant looks and stairs and stuff. that type of thing. >> are you a good con? >> i believe i can, be yes, but i'm not calling anybody about this. >> so how does one know when you are conning, or when you are not? >> i guess you. don't i guess you don't. >> for more than a year while investigators plucked, away drew peterson spent his days telling everyone he was innocent. >> just working through the days. >> and that the world just had to believe him, but those days were numbered. >> coming up. a sister's desperate call. >> what did you do to my sister? >> nothing. >> and drew peter seems bizarre walk of shame. when dateline continues.
11:17 pm
ntinues. gins. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. [ cat purring ] why is it licking that? well, i'm not a cat expert because we don't have a cat. i'm telling you that i shut the slider last night. are you sure about that? i closed it. why don't we check the replay? that is very aggressive. i don't think -- this "what really happened" replay is brought to you by progressive. one thing no one would challenge -- saving money when you bundle home and auto with progressive. oh, yeah, that does look like me. hm. that's because it is you. (vo) red lobster. the finer points of fun dining creating your own ultimate feast...oes look like me. ...is the ultimate form of shell-fish-pression. create your own ultimate feast is here. choose 4 of 10, like new cheddar bay shrimp. welcome to fun dining.
11:18 pm
if you still have symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. stand up to your symptoms with rinvoq. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that tackles pain, stiffness, swelling. for some, rinvoq significantly reduces ra and psa fatigue. it can stop further irreversible joint damage. and rinvoq can leave skin clear or almost clear in psa. that's rinvoq relief. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin cancer; death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least one heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. rinvoq. make it your mission. learn how abbvie could help you save.
11:19 pm
11:20 pm
foursomes this couples. the first lady and -- will attend. and on her flight home after being held prisoner in russia, wnba star brittney griner opened up about the ten month she spent, there according to the -- on board for hostage affairs, she's been 12 of the 18 hour trip speaking with others on the plane. now back to dateline. ne >> despite peterson's claim that stacey was probably standing on a beach somewhere, her sister constantia continue to look elsewhere. she focused on the dirty murky waters of the canal a few miles from drew and stacey's house, where it had been widely reported drew might have been that night. >> this particular waterway was where jurors cell phone was spinning, so there is many thought she was thrown in the canal. >> essentially believed her sister's body was here, somewhere.
11:21 pm
>> she told me if something happened to her, that drew did something to her. that drew did it. to find her. >> so that was cassandra's mission, find stacey, even after police stopped searching the waters, volunteers, some on the force stepped in to help her. she was able to get sonar equipment to scan the muddy canal. in several places at different times, so not picked up images of what looked like a body, she was convinced it was d.c., police were not. >> i mean stuff shifts and moves, -- >> are you afraid to may never really know the answer? >> oh i will know the, answer because i will not stop. >> then, one day in 2009, her mounting frustration turned to fury, when she turned on the radio. >> while different things have been to our -- >> i just stopped what i was doing, i said forget this. >> it was drew, joking with his
11:22 pm
go-to radio host, the guy known as the man cal. >> and hearing him there on the radio, show he is joking with a dj's. >> it is just disgusting. >> cassandra called in. >> they are waving to me, you know, with a note, stacey sisters on the phone. of course i want to hear from her. >> this is about future, what did you do to my sister? >> you killed her after she got off the phone, the state police know where you, where and what you, did you will pay. >> his attitude was, hang upon her. annoyed, warren, take another call. that was jurors reaction. >> just a few days after cassandra confronted him, drew peterson was making news again. >> and we begin with the arrest of former illinois police officer true peterson. >> true peterson was arrested not in connection with stacey's disappearance, but for the murder of his third wife, kathleen silvio, three years
11:23 pm
earlier. lastly cuter jim glasgow knew this would be no slam dunk. >> when i went to indict this case, ten out of the 12 attorneys with me said to not do it. >> why? because it was mostly circumstantial? >> because i knew we could prove it. i knew we couldn't. so we went ahead. >> normally, this is the walk of shame for the accused shuffles along, head down, ignoring reporters questions, but not in this case. when reporters shouted questions to peterson, is a face lit up as he joked about his current situation. odd? bizarre? it appears it was just drew being true. and within no time, even from jail, he was out there again for all to hear. >> drew? >> did you call collect drew? >> i called collect, live from the will county adult -- >> even behind bars, to
11:24 pm
peterson continue to call into talk radio. >> i think i asked him, what is he going to do? he was enjoying the showbiz. i think he said, well, i would like to try standup. and i, said go ahead. >> i'm thinking or we should do is -- let's do that. >> he did some of the jokes on the show, some of them were, i mean, just, they are cringe worthy. >> it is just creepy, it is just weird, man, this guy's in jail calling our -- these estranged days we live in, and the fact, is it does not matter what you have done anymore. he was famous. no, he was better than, that he was infamous. >> peterson's lead attorney joel brodsky was also not want to shy away from the media. >> i might need -- >> the radio host says reporters hung on his every word. >> in my opinion, the lawyer was interested in promoting his
11:25 pm
name. everybody knows his name in chicago, now we didn't before, it worked. >> peterson now had a whole team of defense lawyers, attorney stephen greenberg was the last to join, and says he had a very different approach to speaking with the media. >> once i was in the case, there was no more of the shenanigans, there was no more calling the media or speaking to anyone. >> as both sides got ready for trial, prosecutors faced a major hurdle, they wanted to use witnesses to recount things both kathleen and stacey said to them about you. it is called hearsay testimony, but it is rarely allowed. >> and jupiter still knew from being a policeman, never give a hearsay statement that would die with the victim. >> prosecutor jim glasgow was going to challenge that. >> it was just a waiting game, and i thought if it is not going to be allowed what are we going to do? i don't know what would happen next. le pen >> coming up, did the
11:26 pm
missing stacey help get justice for kathleen. >> she give me details about the night that kathleen died. drew came back into the house, wearing all black, and carrying a duffel bag with women's clothes that were not hers. >> and the dumbest thing i have heard in a courtroom. >> when dateline continues. continues ow my asthma is driven by eosinophils, which nucala helps reduce. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala.
11:27 pm
11:29 pm
media hungerford ruby distant as he went on trial for the murder of his ex-wife kathleen. >> this is a complicated case. >> i think the media circus makes it harder for everybody in a case like this. >> defense attorney steve greenberg -- >> i think of it harder for jurors to acquit somebody where the public so overwhelmingly wants to see that person convicted, and there is no doubt that the public certainly wanted droopy distant to get convicted.
11:30 pm
>> it had been eight years since kathleen silvio died, and five years since stacy went missing. prosecutors had won a big pretrial victory after the court made an unusual ruling, it said the state could use hearsay witnesses to tell the jury what kathleen and stacy told them about pederson. prosecutor tim glasgow strategy was relying heavily on that. but first, he would paint a portrait of drew peterson as a controlling and violent husband. >> she had a number of witnesses go through where he was a very physical with, her and another time where he broke into her house, but a knife to her neck. >> kathleen's sister suit recounted some of those incidents. >> and you told them about all the times you heard your sister being abused? >> yes. i did not let drew make me uncomfortable, i felt him staring at me, but i would not let him get to me. i wanted them to know the
11:31 pm
truth. >> as for motive, prosecutors say peterson was financial, he didn't want to give kathleen the, house nor half his pension. >> bush was coming to shove without property settlement and he did not want her to get to any of his suspension. >> a big twist in the trial was that prosecutors used the words of one wife stacey, who was still missing to help make the case that peterson killed his ex wife kathleen. jurors heard blockbuster testimony from the state star witness, master neil chivalry about those conversations he had at a local starbucks. the coffee shop turned confessional for cc, who told him about the night kathleen died. >> drew went out of the house and came back into the house wearing all black and carrying a duffel bag with women's clothes that were not hers, dumped in the washing, machine took his clothes, off and told her the police will be here soon. and, if you tell them what i
11:32 pm
tell you to tell them, then this will be the perfect crime. and she did exactly what he said. with the cops questioning her, with a drew allowed to sit right next to her in the same room. >> controlling her even in a time or she's basically giving him an alibi. >> start to finish. >> the pastor's story stunned the courtroom for sure, but the defense responded that a good story is not evidence, insisting the state's case was purely circumstantial. >> the prosecutors in this trial were unable to say how he got in the house, when he got in the house, how he supposedly found her, it did not find any defensive wounds on him, they did not find any dna under her fingernails like she had done anything, there was just absolutely know who, what, where, when, how in this case. >> look after attacking the
11:33 pm
physical lack of evidence, they argued the hearsay testimony was not reliable, nothing more than rumor and innuendo. the defense also denied peterson was abusive to women, as this sister in law had testified. in all the heated confrontations between peterson and kathleen, he was never charged with anything, but kathleen was charged with domestic battery, the record was later expunged. >> are you going to tell me you don't believe that a police officer calling his own police force to come investigate, they are not going to say, of course we believe the guy that works with us? >> i will say that the police had a job to investigate, they investigated, and based on that investigation they brought charges. >> as for the pastor, the states star witness, the defense said his testimony was hollow. >> the pastor story was, and his testimony was pretty damning. >> but it was not enough. there were so many problems
11:34 pm
with that story. >> the biggest problem, defense attorney greenberg said, is the idea that peterson, a police officer would take kathleen's clothing back to his house that night. >> if you had somebody's clothing and you had to take it because it was evidence, you are not going to bring into your own house. if somebody finds that dead person in the middle of the night, where is the first place they are going to come, looking drew's house. >> as for the credibility of these witnesses, the defense question their motivation. suggesting it was fame, not the truth. >> almost all these people who came forward after stacey disappeared, first did so by calling the media, not the police. none of them came forward, none of them out of the good of their heart, who are out of concern for kathleen, or concern for stacey. none of them. right down the line. >> then, at the last-minute, the defense called one more witness, harry smith.
11:35 pm
>> harry smith is a divorce attorney and he had represented kathleen. >> he was originally supposed to be a prosecution witness, but then, the defense said we are going to -- which i could not fathom why, on what basis they would do that. >> turns, elle smith also talked to stacey, she had called him because he was considering divorcing pederson, but there was something else the defense wanted the jury to hear. >> she said, can i get more money out of true if we tell the police, or the cops how he killed kathy. >> the reason the defense called him was the money of stacey, that she was a gold digger, and she was trying to plant all this phony information to get more money out of drew. the >> wealthy move backfired, the jury heard smith repeat the story of true confessing to stacey, that he killed kathleen, and this time, there was more. the details about you listening
11:36 pm
in on the phone call. >> harry smith said that stacey called me and she said she knew drew had committed this murder, and i could hear drew in the background yelling at her, and that was the last i heard of stacy. it is not so much what she said, but it is him yelling in the background i think that was almost more damning. >> disastrous, here was a defense witness reinforcing the pastors story, greenberg blamed lead attorney -- for gambling by putting smith on the stand. >> did you know he was going to say? this >> sure. we knew it. i think what is widely recognized and sort of on the mount rushmore of legal mistakes it was the dumbest thing i had ever seen in a courtroom. >> as for drew peterson, the man who loved to talk, he decided not to take the stand in his own defense. after two days of deliberations, the jury came back, drew peterson guilty of first degree
11:37 pm
murder, greenberg said the verdict was sealed when smith took the stand. >> did you know in that moment we just lost it? >> when he got called, actually crawled under the table, i did not want any part of it. >> it was tragic to meet because frankly we were winning then that bonehead move takes place. >> brodsky insists greenberg is lying, he says all the defense attorneys agreed to put smith on the stand. whatever happened with the defense, prosecutor jim glasgow felt his team did everything right. >> it was obviously the best verdict i got in my career, and because it was against all odds. >> kathleen's family had waited eight years. >> i wanted to look at him good for the last time and say go you -- >> peterson was sentenced to 30
11:38 pm
years in prison, but it would not be long before his name surfaced again, this time in a new murder plot. >> coming up. drew peterson's son gives his verdict. >> he has the worst luck in the, world or he is responsible for murdering -- >> and growing up peterson. >> we have been through the worst thing possible, and had the odds against us. >> when dateline continues. olar ii depression, caplyta can help let in the lyte. discover caplyta. caplyta is a once-daily pill proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and bipolar ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants may increase these risks in young adults.
11:39 pm
elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. in the darkness of bipolar i or ii depression, caplyta can help you let in the lyte. ask your doctor about caplyta, from intra-cellular therapies. covid-19. some people get it, and some people can get it bad. and for those who do get it bad, it may be because they have a high-risk factor.
11:40 pm
such as heart disease, diabetes, being overweight, asthma, or smoking. even if symptoms feel mild, these factors can increase your risk of covid-19 turning severe. so, if you're at high risk and test positive, don't wait. ask your healthcare provider right away if an authorized oral treatment is right for you. why are 93% of sleep number sleepers satisfied with their bed? maybe it's because you can adjust your comfort and firmness on either side. ask your healthcare provider right away your sleep number setting. to help relieve pressure points and keep you both comfortable all night. >> in 2014, two years after he save $1000 on our most popular sleep number 360 smart bed. ends monday.
11:41 pm
put drew peterson away for murder, states attorney jim glasgow got a letter from an intimate serving time with peterson. >> we sent a team down to interview him, and his story just rang true. >> his story, to peterson was trying to hire a hit man to kill prosecutor glasgow. they put a wire on of the inmate and had him play along with pederson. >> so how long you think before -- run by christmas. if you say, if you say --
11:42 pm
[inaudible] that is what you wanted right? ain't no turning back. [inaudible] >> peterson was charged with solicitation of murder, tried and convicted. another 40 years added to his sentence. when he was arrested, he left behind six children, including two teenage boys with kathleen, and a five-year-old son and daughter with stacey. >> i'm not going to have them to be split up between my siblings. his son steven 29 years old with his own baby at the time stepped in to care for his younger slings. >> my dad would get out beat these, charges get back so it was always a temporary thing at first, then as time went on, then became permanent, i
11:43 pm
committed to it and as time went on, they were my kids, you know. >> despite a notorious father, he was determined to give the kids a stable home. >> what i wanted to do with him, and that was to give them the most normal life, so we did travel sports, girl scouts, all that kind of thing, probably tried at least once and then the older ones -- making sure they had -- an excellent role model. >> i would say for the first 20 years of my le pen -- >> looking back, he never could have imagined what was to come only first met his dad's new girlfriend stacey. >> one thing, she's a little younger, okay, nothing can -- 17, she was a child. no way around that.
11:44 pm
she was four years younger than me. >> when they seemed, happy sourced even supported his dad. then, stacey disappeared, and his dad was a suspect. >> you can't -- interest is not have been, obviously, things got a -- >> steam, in like much of america, was not impressed whether to show. >> every time he got from the start, people started to heat him. if you're talking about women's ministration, no one is going to take your side. no one will like you. it is not, working don't do it, and his responses, -- >> steven wanted to believe his dad, that stacey had walked out. that kathleen's death had been an accident. but after his father's murder conviction, he began to expect the reality. >> knowing the guy who looked out for you your entire life,
11:45 pm
gave you 20 amazing years, is capable of something like that is very difficult to wrap your head around. you know, it does not come overnight, again, either he has the worst luck in the world, or he is responsible for murdering two women. >> as for his siblings, they all have different opinions about their father. >> i don't really think about whether they guilty or innocent. >> they have visited their dad in prison, despite everything, a steven is proud of how the peterson kids have thrived. >> you know, we have been through the worst thing possible, and had the odds against, us but we all stayed together and we are there for each other. >> drew's brother paul has also expected the harsh truth, about someone he once so admired. >> now you know the worst of your brother. >> right. >> and it to have that, to come
11:46 pm
to terms with that -- >> a nightmare. he's still my brother, still love him, and i can't forgive him for what he did. >> do you feel like he is where he should be? >> where he deserves to be, absolutely. >> what about the man at the center of all this? has he changed? since his conviction, we have heard literal from drew peterson. but now, he is breaking his silence. talking once again to dateline. >> coming up. >> all these people are looking for a place i know she is not. >> how do you know she is not in a canal somewhere unless you know exactly where she is? >> i don't know for sure, but i would believe she ran off. >> drew peterson speaks out after ten years of silence. >> you may be here for the rest of your life? >> maybe, but i may not be. >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues
11:49 pm
11:50 pm
cassandra has not given up. she still searches these waters that every opportunity for her sister stacey. >> it is like, i'm never going to stop until i bring my sister home. so, it is just never ending. >> the fbi sent divers into the canal to investigate a site flagged by cassandra and her team. she said sonar picked up what looked to be a body. the fbi found nothing. >> you have to be frustrated? >> very frustrated. with everything i have had, since the beginning, i should have had justice first. >> in fact, drew peterson who cassandra blames for her sister's disappearance, says she is wasting her time, and a president we were asked not to name, peterson sat down with us
11:51 pm
for his first network interview in more than a decade. still sticking to his story, stacey not, that she walked out on him years, ago and there was no point in looking for, her now or back in 2007. >> with all these people out looking for a place i know she is not. >> how do you know that? then >> unless someone threw her in a field somewhere, then i didn't. so, why should i go look -- >> how do you know she is not in a field somewhere? how do you know she's not in a canal somewhere unless you know exactly where she is? >> i don't know. i don't know for sure. but, i would believe she ran off. >> there is no evidence to show that a ticket was purchased, that she could have actually even gone abroad, or any where. there were obvious is that she is somewhere in a canal, or in
11:52 pm
a field somewhere? >> not really. how many women show up here slater after running off, a lot. it's in the news all the time. >> i haven't seen the, stories that haven't reported those stories. >> i have seen those stories, women coming back. so you are just not paying attention. >> the fact that no one has even heard from her in all the zeroes, not surprising to him. -- >> she was a young girl, all of a sudden she is saddled with four kids that is too much for her. >> it was still too much for her. i was getting older for her, is a beautiful woman made to an old man. >> as for the hunting conversation, cassandra says -- >> she said, if something happens, to me drew did it. >> i never heard that before.
11:53 pm
unless, she is making it up. >> so everybody is making things up? >> a lot of people. are mostly stacey. >> stacy is not here to make things up anymore. >> she already did her damage. >> or maybe you did the damage? >> no. then nothing but take care of her. >> many say if she -- you would have gotten away with kathleen's murder, what do you say to that. >> i would say i did not do it. >> you didn't do? what >> killed kathleen, or makes d.c. disappear. so, stacey disappearing, i think just prompted this frenzy that was created by the media. >> i won't kept myself in front of your house and see if you like it. >> a fancy hid mitts he helped fuel, he always made light of things including the death of your third, wife the disappearance of stacy peterson, your fourth wife.
11:54 pm
>> right. >> you are still in here laughing about that? >> no. it is just when you put a camera in front of a mattress guy, he will say mattress things. >> so you know you are an obnoxious guy? >> do you regret being that guy who was in front of the cameras and parading and doing the true show we all saw? >> the thing is, that was all forced by my then attorney joe, he put me out there in front of the cameras, and he said to me, he said if you are innocent, just go out and show them you didn't do nothing wrong, and i was, and -- >> he's on the record saying he never pushed peterson to go in front of the cameras, and that course have rejected peterson's claims that he was ineffective a trial. still in court filings, peterson claims this murder conviction on his attorney. he also blames what he calls a tainted jury and an overzealous
11:55 pm
prosecutor. >> at the end of the day, you are saying, everybody else is lying, everybody else is picking up facts, the jury did not do their job, it seems everyone else but you is to blame here. >> the prosecution is making up facts. the prosecution staged a prosecution. with kathy. they took an accident, and staged the prosecution. everybody is twisting it, to make me look bad. okay? they are twisting it to make their prosecution, when they are trying to say against meat work. >> peterson continues to deny he ever abused his two wives, -- >> you are not in control a husband, you are not threatening to both kathleen and stacey? >> correct. >> what kind of husband where you? >> i was a loving husband. okay? i was, what can i say, i was a good husband, a good provider. >> if you are such a good
11:56 pm
husband and provider, in interviews we did with you, you talked about kathleen having mood swings, stacey's said had would swings that were tied to her menstrual cycle, how about the way you talk about women? how do you justify talking about these are mothers of your children, the way you did? >> right. right. >> you don't see anything wrong with that? >> everybody complains about their wives. >> but one thing he does not complain about, the fact his children grew up motherless. >> they grew up without a mother. >> my son steve took over, and, i think he raised them pretty well. they are all polite, they are all good mannered, they are all hardworking kids, so it is like having a mother is not all it is cracked up to be maybe. >> really? >> really. because you can have a bad mother, right, --
11:57 pm
>> by the sounds of it, these two women, kathleen and stacey were extraordinary meadows. >> it depends who you are talking to. >> peterson has filed a new ground of appeals, even brought the papers with him to this interview. he is hoping to overturn his convictions for kathleen's murder, and the intended hit on prosecutor glasgow. >> we will see what happens. >> we will see what happens. [laughter] >> you may be here for the rest of your life? >> maybe, but i may not be. who knows. >> as for stacy peterson's case, the prosecutor says it is still open, and true is the main suspect. >> if the prosecutor walked in right now, and said, drew, i will give you a deal, if you tell us what happened to stacey, where the body is, you will get no additional jail time, what would you say to him? >> no. i have nothing else to tell you. i have nothing else to tell you. >> that is no surprise to those who want to honor stacey and
11:58 pm
kathleen, they are focused on building a legacy to what have been to these two women, the mistakes made, and the ways to avoid them. >> i know that you have been very frank about feeling like you have in some way failed stacey. >> absolutely. absolutely. i failed her because i did not know what to do. but, i know that i have on and her, by doing what i have done since. and i have been very blessed to be able to help women from all over the country with this new information that i have to recognize the signs of domestic violence. >> -- neil orcs in part with a true peterson sister norma, she is executive director of a nonprofit called document the abuse. the group helps victims create written records of their abuse, that can be used in court. >> so now that becomes the legacy that i want to see for both kathleen and stacey, that
11:59 pm
they will not only be true peterson's wives, they will be the reason other women and other victims will be able to hopefully survive these types of situations. >> kathleen's sister sue also advocates for victims of domestic violence by telling kathleen's story. >> everybody wanted to hear her story, and it gave me great relief because i wanted to help someone else in her name, because it was not fair for her, she had no voice. >> and you still grieve every day if you lost? >> every single day. >> you feel her there beside? you >> i do. i feel her right there with me. and i say, hi, hi kathleen, i know you are there, i got you. we got him. >> you had a death that you could mourn, a body you could say goodbye to, but stacey's family and her sister cassandra,
12:00 am
they don't have that closure. >> no, they don't. and i can't imagine what they are going through. i just could not imagine that. >> justice for one family, not yet for the other. justice is something cassandra thinks about, but is not obsessed with. her obsession is to complete the mission shame barked on years ago. >> you don't realize the -- i lost. my sister was my love, my friend, my mom, my best friend, and i will find her. and i will bring her home. that is my promise. >> i'm craig melvin, and this is dateline. and thi is dateline. i'm craig, melvin and this is dateline. she was
117 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC WestUploaded by TV Archive on
