Illinois high court upholds former cop Peterson's murder conviction
Source: Reuters
#U.S. SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 / 12:35 PM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
Illinois high court upholds former cop Peterson's murder conviction
Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
(Reuters) - The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the conviction of former Chicago-area police officer Drew Peterson for murdering his third wife.
Peterson, 63, who was sentenced to 38 years in prison for the 2004 murder of Kathleen Savio, was given an additional 40 years in 2016 after being found guilty of trying to hire a hit man to kill the prosecutor who argued for his conviction at his first trial.
Petersons attorneys had urged the states highest court to overturn his conviction of Savios murder on several technical grounds, including the admission of hearsay statements and the competence of his lawyer for calling as a defense witness Savios divorce lawyer, Harry Smith.
The courts seven justices, however, unanimously rejected all of Petersons arguments, upholding an earlier ruling by an appellate court.
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