Drew Peterson: "Very Lonely" Without Stacy

Former Cop Says Media Has Unfairly Painted Him As The Killer Of His Last Two Wives

(AP)  Jobless and with no prospects, Drew Peterson spends his days taking care of his children from two marriages, cooking their meals, washing their clothes, helping with their homework. And the former cop does it knowing that on the other side of his front door, it is widely believed that he killed his last two wives.

It has been nearly five months since Stacy Peterson vanished from their home in this Chicago suburb. In that time, Peterson has been named a suspect in her disappearance by authorities who also are now trying to determine if he had any role in the 2004 death of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio.

The result is two separate worlds for the 54-year-old Peterson. One is inside his home, made up of the mundane and the challenge of raising teenage boys, ages 13 and 15, a 3-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. The other is out there, where he's recognized wherever he goes, where camera crews follow him, where people whisper his name and can't wait to talk about him on Internet message boards.

Those two worlds - and what he knows is the very real possibility that police may lock him up at any time - go a long way in explaining why Peterson, with his attorney's blessing, allowed The Associated Press into his home for a lengthy and revealing interview.

"I am now dealing with the court of public opinion, which is filled with my jury pool," explained Peterson, who has hired a publicist.

His image has taken a beating. From wisecracking about his wife's menstrual cycles to enthusiastically agreeing on a radio show to take part in a "Win a Date With Drew" contest, he has repeatedly come off as boorish and callous.

Peterson knows all this, though he blames the media for portraying him as a "sinister character lurking around underneath rocks." He does, however, acknowledge that from the outside his behavior might be seen as peculiar and his jokes inappropriate.

"Humor's kind of a defense mechanism for me, so I joke about everything," he said. "Even though I may be scared to death, I'm smiling and laughing."

Pamela Bosco, a friend of Stacy Peterson, doesn't believe any of it. If Peterson acted one way early on it was because he believed it would help him, she said. "They keep trying to change the look that fits," she said. "Drew is a chameleon."

For two hours at his home last week, Peterson was subdued. He's 30 pounds lighter than he was when his wife disappeared, there are bags under his eyes and he appears pale, certainly nowhere as robust as he was when reporters first started knocking on his door last fall. When he speaks, there still are some jokes - he compared the media attention to a colonoscopy - but he is careful.

What he wants to put on display is his life behind closed doors.

Stacy, who was 23 when she vanished, is everywhere in the house. There are photographs of her, alone, with her children and with her husband. The living room is crowded with bright silk flowers Peterson said she kept coming home with, and many of the pictures are in frames with phrases like "Home Sweet Home" and "Live, Laugh, Love." Other rooms are similarly crowded, including his home office with shelves holding Disney figurines in what Peterson said was kind of a shrine his wife had for her late sister.

"For some reason I just can't bring myself to take stuff down," he said. "I can't even bring myself to put her clothes away. They're hung up like they were the day she left."

The kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and downstairs family room all remain as they were - decorated as she decorated them. Artificial vines hang from lattice on the walls of the kitchen, an effort by Stacy to give the room an Italian feel.

Upstairs, 3-year-old Laci's room is awash in pink, a frilly canopy over the bed, its headboard emblazoned with the words "The Princess Sleeps." There are stickers of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty on the wall.

There is a bedroom next door with a car theme and across the hall, plastic planets hang from the ceiling, a nod, Peterson said, to his 13-year-old son's one-time interest in planets.

The knickknacks elicit a story about Stacy: Holding a figurine of a police officer holding a little girl's hand, he said the joke was that it showed he and Stacy in 1988, referring to the 30-year age difference between him and his wife.

"I thought we had a lot of fun together when we just did everyday things," he said.

[keithle1]

Why would young women want to marry a man who is 30 years older than they are? Not like he''s rich. When they''re in their early 30''s, he''s getting his first Social Security check. Are they that desperate to get married? You can''t find a man closer to your own age?

No sane or innocent person put in the position that he''s in would be making jokes.

[libsrweak]

oh come on drew, do you really expect to get away with it?

[arealist]

Drew, you would not be lonely if you hadn''t murdered your wifes.

[rbailey31]

I STILL SAY GUILTY !!!!!!!!!!

[rbailey31]

WHY ARE PAST WIVES COMING UP DEAD ALL THE TIME ?????HMMMMMMM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ralan40]

Life Lesson of the Day....We are our own worst enemy. People love to blame others for problems because it is easier than having to face their own personal shortcomings. We are a product of our past. We are where we are through a series of choices and actions be it good or bad.

[rbnniem]

My heart goes out to their children. They must be so afraid and confused without their mother. Only Drew and God know the truth. The truth will come out eventually, I just pray that the children will be safe until that time comes.

[underdogus]

hang the b.astard!

[arealist]

POOOOR Drew! He can''t get a date because no young ladies want to take him up on his offer to have a few laughs, drinks, a nice meal, dessert and a toe tag.

[jghutto]

He is considerable older than Stacy as one said ...
but early on I thought it was posted that Stacy was
pregnant with his child when they married. ?????

[keithle1]

He''s a psychopath. Narcissistic personality disorder. ME ME ME.

What is so great about this guy? Ladies, would you marry him? 30-year age difference. You only do that when the man is RICH.

[kmccliment]

my gut is telling me he''s a nutjob with a few clinical names to go along with mine. he''s guilty and they should tape his eyes open to look at a picture of his past 2 wives as they give him the needle. Nighty, Night!

[pfd572]

First, I do believe in innocent until proven guilty. Second, we all know the media...enough said. But, I do think its telling that Peterson stated that, after 32 years, only one member of the police dept. has contacted him. Who would know him and the circumstances better than his co-workers, who also happen to have inside knowledge of facts/evidence?

[yongamerica]

What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Posted by nirak2

That''s what the court system is all about. Common sense from practically anyone that has read about this case knows Drew is a murderer. Chances of this are even greater now that it has been proven his first wife did not die in an accident as he claimed, she was murdered.

If this man cared one bit for his missing wife, don''t you think he''d call all his cop favors in to try to find her?

[yongamerica]

If Stacy Peterson she would have surfaced in light of the media''s attention. And it''s common knowledge to all that knew her that she''d have never left this wife beating murder without her children.

[stagg_lee]

I''m sure he won''t be this cocky (smiling, laughing) once behind bars. I''m sure he won''t be lonely either. Gosh, I wish they had Pay-per-view where he''s going.

[stagg_lee]

Jobless without prospect?????? Peterson retired early and is collecting a nice check every month. Drew Peterson is guilty. What''s he trying to do. Look like a poor man, so people feel sorry?

[atlanta30326]

Boy, let''s assume he is guilty...not such a hard thing to do. An ex-policeman in prison isn''t going to be treated with a warm embrace from his fellow prisoners. An embrace, perhaps, but it won''t be warm. Good luck Drew! Be very careful on the grounds of the prison. If you don''t have any friends at the place you used to work for 30+ years, you might be a tad anti-social and hard to like. Trust me on this one, if people didn''t like you on the outside, they will hate you on the inside.

[rushlimpdrug]

"Wow these comments are pretty wild.
You must all watch Nancy Grace!
What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Can''''t say I like this man much, but calling him a murderer is a little much. . . "
Posted by nirak2 at 03:13 PM

Yeah, like you''d invite him over for dinner.
Hey, there''s an idea, how bout you bake him a cake and take it to him?
You could write on it:
"I know what you did last summer"

[getacluidiot]

He''s lonely with so much attention on him and unable to prey on another woman to victimize next...