A Look at Convicted Killer Drew Peterson's Four Ex-Wives
Former police sergeant Drew Peterson has been in jail since 2012 for the murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio. Meet his other three ex-wives.
In 2012, Drew Peterson, a former police sergeant in Bolingbrook, Ill. was convicted of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. She had been found dead in her bathtub a few months after she and Peterson divorced. At the time, her death was ruled as an accidental drowning. But when Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Ann Cales, went missing in 2007, investigators revisited Savio's case. In September of 2012, Peterson was found guilty of her murder and was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
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He later got an additional 40 years tacked on for plotting to have his prosecutor murdered. Meanwhile, Cales's body was never found. In the Nov. 19, 2021 Dateline special titled "Infamous," journalist Natalie Morales speaks with Peterson in jail, as well as to Cales's sister.
So, who were all of the women who were married to this dangerous man? Keep scrolling for everything we know about Drew Peterson's four ex-wives.
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Drew Peterson's first ex-wife is named Carol Brown.
Carol Brown was Drew Peterson's high school sweetheart, according to Investigation Discovery. They married in 1974 and had two sons during their marriage: Stephen Paul Peterson and Eric Drew Peterson.
In 1980, Brown ended the marriage after she found out he was having an affair.
Drew Peterson's second ex-wife, Vicki Connolly, said he threatened to kill her.
Peterson's second wife was Vicki Connolly. They were married from 1982 to 1992.
In 2010, Connolly testified at Peterson's trial for the death of Savio, according to ABC 7. Connolly said that during their almost decade of marriage, he had pulled a gun on her at least three times. "He put me up against the wall in the garage and grabbed me by the throat," she said, detailing one of their arguments.
She continued: "He told me he would kill me and make it look like an accident."
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Furthermore, Connolly’s daughter Lisa Ward also alleged that she suffered 10 years of “physical and mental abuse” from Peterson during her mother's marriage.
Connolly eventually left him after she found out he was having an affair with a woman named Kathleen Savio, who would end up becoming his third wife.
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Drew Peterson was sentenced to 38 years in prison for murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
Kathleen Savio married Drew Peterson right after he divorced Connolly in 1992. They had two sons together: Thomas Peterson and Kristopher Peterson.
During their 11-year relationship, police came to the couple’s home 18 times to deal with domestic disturbances, per Investigation Discovery. They divorced in 2003. A few months later Savio was found dead in an empty bathtub. A coroner’s jury, which included a close friend of Peterson’s, ruled her death as an "accidental drowning."
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That verdict remained in place until 2007, when Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Ann Cales, went missing. Savio's remains were exhumed for reexamination. Bruises and scrapes were found all over her body. There was also a massive stab on her scalp. This time around, the coroner ruled her death as a homicide and said that she had drowned during a struggle.
In 2012, Peterson was found guilty of murdering Savio and was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Drew Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Ann Cales, disappeared and has never been found.
In 2003, Peterson married 19-year-old Stacy Ann Cales. She had two children with him: Anthony Peterson and Lacy Peterson. Cales also adopted Drew’s two children from his previous marriage.
In October of 2007, she went missing. Peterson alleged that she called him and told him she was taking off with another man.
The case remains open to this day. Peterson is a prime suspect.
Dateline airs on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
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