40 More Years in Prison for Wife-Killing, Murder-Plotting Ex-Cop

CHESTER, IL — Tack on another 40 years in prison for Drew Peterson, convicted of conspiring to kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

A judge handed down a 40-year prison sentence for Peterson, the ex-Bolingbrook police sergeant, on Friday. Peterson was convicted on May 31 by a jury in Chester, Illinois. They needed just a few hours to find him guilty. He could have been sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Peterson, 62, was found guilty of plotting the murder of Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow from behind the walls of Menard Correctional Center. Glasgow led Peterson’s prosecution in 2012 and got him sentenced to 38 years in prison for drowning his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in her bathtub.

He's incarcerated in Menard Correctional Center on a 38-year sentence for Savio's death.

When he was sentenced in 2013, Peterson shouted at Glasgow: "Never forget my face. Never forget what you’ve done here."

On Friday, Peterson again spoke directly to Glasgow after speaking at length for more than 20 minutes.

"And Jim Glasgow, there was never any intent to have you killed," he said. Prosecutors objected. "That's all right.

"I'm done."

Done is right. With the additional time tacked onto his sentence, Peterson will likely die in prison.

Glasgow issued a statement after the sentence was announced.

"The sentence handed down today by Judge Richard Brown sends a clear message that convicted criminals will be punished severely if they attempt to take revenge on the prosecutors who have placed them behind bars for their crimes," Glasgow said. "While I was the target in this case, it is important to note that this crime is not about me. It is about every State’s Attorney and every Assistant State’s Attorney who takes on the important role of prosecuting criminals and protecting our citizens. This was not merely a threat to one prosecutor. It was an attack on our entire criminal justice system by a notorious murderer who always felt he could act outside and above the law."

Peterson's cellmate, a 25-year-old gang member named Antonio "Beast" Smith, became Peterson's confessor, of sorts, saying Peterson talked about his trial , the disappearance of his wife Stacy Peterson, and Savio's death a lot, and how he wanted to get back at Glasgow.

“He admitted to me that he killed Stacy Peterson,” Smith said during the first day of Drew Peterson’s murder-for-hire trial.

Smith eventually agreed to wear a wire on Peterson and recorded many of their conversations, which were played at his trial this spring. The FBI and Illinois Department of Corrections handled the investigation.

Peterson offered $10,000 to set up a hit on Glasgow, according to testimony. Smith was in prison for various crimes, including attempted murder, and agreed to wear a wire on Peterson after telling authorities about the nature of Peterson's conversations.

The Peterson snitch tapes, played at his trial, featured several bizarre revelations, including his hopes to someday smuggle drugs from Mexico for a cartel, his tale of the time he got it on with three Russian hookers in a Florida swimming pool, and the movies he liked to watch. He was fond of romantic comedies.

• Also on Patch: Read the Drew Peterson Murder-For-Hire Trial Snitch Wire Transcripts
• Patch's Murder-for-Hire Trial Coverage by Joe Hosey

After he was convicted, Peterson wrote to Randolph County Judge Richard Brown to say he was disappointed with his defense, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Peterson's case was argued by a court-appointed attorney, Lucas Liefer.

He also claimed he was only trying to help Smith get time knocked off his sentence and knew he was being recorded the entire time.

Glasgow also spoke to the judge, per a Chicago Tribune report.

"That this was all a ruse to get Antonio Smith some time off is beyond ludicrous," Glasgow said.

At his murder-for-hire trial, the prosecutor painted Drew Peterson as consumed with hatred for the man who secured his murder conviction, telling how he stewed in prison and plotted another killing, then wept with joy when he believed it was imminent.

“Anger, hatred, revenge, all directed at the Will County State’s Attorney, Mr. (James) Glasgow,” Randolph County prosecutor Jeremy Walker said of Peterson on the first day of the disgraced Bolingbrook cop’s murder-for-hire trial.

Peterson was charged in February 2015 with trying to hire a hitman to kill Glasgow.

But Peterson’s attorney, Liefer, said Glasgow was the one with issues, claiming Will County’s top prosecutor was “obsessed” with Peterson.

At his murder trial, Peterson was represented by high-priced attorneys, including Joseph "The Shark" Lopez and Joel Brodsky. Interest in the case was so intense a PR company was even brought in to handle inquiries, and a website, www.PetersonDefense.com, was set up.

The website is now defunct, and Peterson can't afford to hire his own representation.

The Illinois State police named Peterson a “suspect” in Stacy Peterson’s “potential homicide” shortly after she vanished in October 2007. No one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.

On Friday, Peterson also spoke of his years as a police officer.

"I've lived my life in service to others," he told the court. "I strapped a gun on my hip every day for 32 years and went out and put my life on the line."

But that was a long time ago. Now he's a convict, with a dead ex-wife and a wife missing without a trace.

Glasgow said prosecutors would never stop pursuing Stacy Peterson's case.