Drew Peterson Today: 5 Shocking Facts About His 78-Year Sentence And Latest Attempt To Overturn Conviction

The saga of Drew Peterson, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant whose life spiraled into a media frenzy of murder, mystery, and missing wives, continues to unfold even behind bars. As of late 2025, the convicted killer remains incarcerated, serving a colossal 78-year sentence that effectively guarantees he will spend the rest of his life in prison. His current focus is a desperate, multi-faceted legal campaign to overturn his 2012 murder conviction, a process that has repeatedly brought his name and the grim details of his past back into the courtroom.

The latest updates, including court appearances as recent as mid-2024, center on his petition to vacate his conviction in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and the subsequent psychological evaluations ordered by the court. This article breaks down the most current and essential facts about Drew Peterson’s life in prison, the details of his convictions, and the enduring mystery of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Drew Peterson: A Complete Life and Crime Timeline

Drew Walter Peterson was a decorated police officer whose seemingly stable life concealed a pattern of marital instability and alleged domestic abuse. His biography is inextricably linked to the four women he married, two of whom met tragic or mysterious ends.

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• Full Name: Drew Walter Peterson
• Date of Birth: January 5, 1954
• Occupation: Former Police Sergeant for the Bolingbrook Police Department, Illinois (retired in 2007)
• First Wife: Carol Brown (Married 1974–1980; Divorced)
• Second Wife: Vicki Connolly (Married 1982–1992; Divorced)
• Third Wife (Victim): Kathleen Savio (Married 1992–2003; Death ruled accidental in 2004, later ruled a homicide in 2007)
• Fourth Wife (Missing): Stacy Ann Cales Peterson (Married 2003; Disappeared in October 2007)
• Children: He has a total of four children from his marriages.
• Current Status: Convicted murderer, serving a 78-year sentence.

Peterson’s 29-year career in law enforcement ended abruptly in 2007 when the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, triggered a re-examination of the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. This re-examination led to a murder charge that would ultimately define his life.

The Shocking Convictions: Murder and Solicitation of Murder

Drew Peterson is one of the few individuals in U.S. legal history to be convicted primarily on the strength of "hearsay evidence." This controversial legal maneuver was key to securing justice in the Kathleen Savio case and remains a central point of his current appeals.

The Kathleen Savio Murder (2012)

Kathleen Savio, Peterson’s third wife, was found dead in her bathtub in 2004. Her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning. However, following the disappearance of Stacy Peterson in 2007, authorities exhumed Savio’s body. A forensic pathologist re-examined the evidence and ruled her death a homicide, citing injuries inconsistent with a simple fall.

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• Conviction: In 2012, Drew Peterson was found guilty of first-degree murder in Savio’s death.
• Key Evidence: The prosecution successfully used Illinois’s new “hearsay law,” allowing the jury to hear statements Savio made to family and friends before her death, expressing fear that Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident.
• Sentence: He was sentenced to 38 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The Solicitation of Murder Plot (2016)

While serving his sentence for Savio’s murder, Peterson was charged with a second, equally shocking crime: solicitation of murder for hire. Authorities alleged that he had plotted from prison to hire a hitman to kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, the prosecutor who had successfully put him away.

• Conviction: In 2016, a jury found him guilty of the plot.
• Sentence: He received an additional 40-year sentence, to be served consecutively.
• Total Sentence: This brought his total time behind bars to 78 years, making his release virtually impossible.

The combination of these two sentences led to his transfer to federal custody, a move often reserved for high-profile or high-risk inmates. He is currently serving his decades-long sentence in a federal correctional facility.

The Enduring Mystery of Stacy Peterson's Disappearance

The case that initially brought Drew Peterson into the national spotlight—the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson—remains an open investigation. Stacy vanished in October 2007 and has never been found, though she was legally declared dead in 2013.

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Despite the overwhelming public and media attention, Drew Peterson has never been charged in connection with Stacy’s disappearance. The lack of a body and the difficulty of proving a murder without direct evidence have stalled any potential prosecution.

The case is considered a "no body" murder investigation, a complex legal challenge that relies heavily on circumstantial evidence and witness testimony. Stacy’s family and the public continue to hold out hope that one day, the truth of her fate will be revealed, and her remains will be recovered.

Latest Updates: Drew Peterson’s 2025 Legal Battle to Overturn Conviction

As of late 2025, the most significant updates in the Drew Peterson case revolve around his aggressive attempts to challenge his 2012 conviction for the murder of Kathleen Savio. Peterson, now in his 70s, has filed a post-conviction petition arguing that his constitutional rights were violated during his trial.

The central argument in his appeal is that his defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, provided "ineffective assistance of counsel." Peterson claims that Brodsky made critical errors, including calling a witness whose testimony ultimately harmed his case.

Recent court proceedings in Will County, Illinois, have focused on Peterson’s mental and physical fitness to continue with his petition. In April 2024, Peterson was brought back to court for a hearing where his attorneys were granted a request for a fitness evaluation. The court delayed the hearing for several months to allow for a comprehensive psychological assessment, a common procedure when an inmate's mental state is called into question during a complex legal challenge. This delay underscores the meticulous, drawn-out nature of his appeal process.

While his appeals have been largely unsuccessful in the past, including a denial for a new trial by a judge, Peterson and his legal team continue to exhaust every possible avenue. The legal system allows convicted individuals to challenge their confinement on constitutional grounds, and Peterson is using this right to its fullest extent.

For the family of Kathleen Savio and the family of Stacy Peterson, every court hearing reopens old wounds. The ongoing legal maneuvering ensures that the name Drew Peterson remains a permanent fixture in the annals of high-profile American crime, a case defined by a policeman turned killer and the persistent, unanswered questions surrounding his missing wife.