Drew Peterson biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Convicted murderer Drew Peterson's romantic life seemed to have a happy start. He attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois. A cross-country team member, Peterson dated Carol Hamilton (later Carol Brown), and took her to his senior prom. He graduated in 1972, and joined the military soon after.

Peterson served in the U.S. Army from 1972 to 1976, spending most of his time as a military police officer. While in the army, Peterson married his high school sweetheart Carol. The couple had two sons together. He joined the Bolingbrook Police Department in 1977. Three years later, Carol and Drew divorced, amicably by all accounts.

Troubled Times

After his marriage to Carol ended, Peterson dated Kyle Piry. After four months, though, Piry broke it off. She later claimed that he abused his position as a police officer to harass her.

In 1982, Peterson married Vicki Connolly. The couple seemed content at first. They helped each other raise their children from previous relationships and ran a bar together for a time. "When it was good, it was wonderful, it was great. But when it was bad, it was really bad," Connolly later told the Chicago Tribune.

Connolly said that Peterson became unfaithful and controlling. She even claimed that he bugged their home so that he could keep track of her. Peterson also ran into trouble at work. He had been an undercover narcotics officer for several years when he investigated for misconduct in 1985. The Bolingbrook Fire and Police Commission decided that Peterson was guilty of disobedience and failing to report a bribe, among other infractions. He was fired, but he was reinstated the following year after appealing his case.

Mysterious Death

Peterson's marriage to Connolly fell apart in 1992 over his infidelities. He was having an affair with Kathleen Savio, and he and Connolly divorced that year. Not long after the divorce, Savio and Peterson married and eventually had two sons together, Thomas and Kristopher.

The union did not remain happy for long, however. Savio got an order of protection from Peterson in 2002, claiming that he had physically abused her. The couple divorced in 2003, without finalizing their financial arrangements. That October, Peterson married for the fourth time. He wed Stacy Cales, who was 30 years younger than him. Peterson and Cales had been having an affair during his marriage to Savio.

Peterson and Savio were set to resolve their outstanding issues regarding their divorce in April 2004. But Savio never made it to the hearing. She was found dead in her bathtub on March 1, 2004. Her hair was damp, but the bathtub was dry.