"Engagement" To Drew Peterson Was "Stunt"

Most Recent Ex Says They Were Never Engaged; He Just Wanted It To Look That Way; His 4th Wife Missing; 3rd A Homicide Victim

(CBS/AP)  A woman who has just broken up with Drew Peterson says, contrary to what he wants the world to believe, they were never engaged.

Christina Raines, 24, removed her belongings from Drew Peterson's home as the woman's father, Ernest Raines, looked on, along with an Early Show camera crew and officers from Peterson's former department.

Peterson, 55, had reached the rank of sergeant with the Bolingbrook, Ill. police.

Peterson's fourth wife, Stacey Peterson disappeared in October 2007. She was 23. Peterson hasn't been charged, but authorities have said they are investigating the disappearance as a possible homicide.

Peterson has denied any involvement in the disappearance and has maintained he believes she left him for another man.

Authorities also are investigating the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in an empty bathtub in her house in 2004. After Stacy Peterson disappeared, authorities reopened the investigation of Savio's death, which was originally classified as an accident. Her body was exhumed and her death was reclassified as a homicide following an autopsy.

On Friday, Peterson initially refused to allow Christina to take her belongings from her home, despite Ernest's angry demands that Peterson do so, as Early Show cameras rolled from a distance. Ernest, angrily shouting through the front door to Peterson that he was "fooling with the wrong guy," called police.

Peterson then let Christina remove her things from his home.

Referring to the incident on The Early Show Monday, Ernest quoted an old Johnny Cash tune in saying he and Christina had beaten the devil. "That's what we did," Ernest told co-anchor Julie Chen "We beat the devil."

An emotional Christina, frequently pausing for long periods, told Chen she first met Peterson when she was 15, but met him again more recently at a bar.

Ernest says Peterson began pursuing a relationship with his daughter, who wound up moving in with Peterson.

"He was very kind to me," and was never violent toward her, Christina told Chen. He was also a "great father," Christina added.

Christina said he didn't "feel comfortable" answering Chen's questions about Stacey Peterson or any possible Drew Peterson role in her disappearance. Christina said she had met Stacey Peterson.

"I'm a good person and I have a good heart," Christina remarked. "And instead of following with my head, I followed with my heart," and allowed the relationship with Drew Peterson to grow. "I don't love him," though at one point, "I thought I did," Christina continued.

When asked how she had come to get engaged to Peterson, Christina responded, "It was never an engagement."

"What was it, then?"

"It was more like a stunt."

"A stunt?"

"Yes."

"On whose part?"

[lisalyn20]

What an idiot!Is this girl,deaf,dumb,blind AND stupid?
I agree that she does have some self worth issues and appears to be unstable but look at the big picture...Drew Peterson is a wolf in sheep''s clothing!He''s old enough to be her Dad and he''s NOT the least bit attractive!Ewww,why would she even let him sit next to her,much less-sleep beside him?He is one sly fox!I believe the good guys ALWAYS win and he will be caught!I hope he gets the punishment he deserves!I pray for Stacy,her children and her family.I hope this Christina gets the attention she desperately needs-not just for her but her kids as well...bless her heart!

[lisalyn20]

What an idiot!This poor girl must be deaf,dumb,blind and stupid!Even though she does show issues with low self esteem,why would she let an old man like Drew Peterson even sit next to her?EWWWW He''s not even attractive!He''s creepy and He''s one sly dog...but I believe the good guys always win,Drew will get caught and he will be punished.I pray for Stacey,her children and her family.

[idigblues]

By the way, I luv how Ernie has camera crews in tow, long before he calls the police. What the hey? Totally bizarre.

[idigblues]

This entire story is getting more bizarre by the minute. Both sides are obviously hiding something (probably saving the ending for the movie).

[misssuzq]

You ask what was she thinking?

What about the women who fall in love with men already in prison?

Sadly women of any age can be sucked in and manipulated.

Saw him on TV and he is a pompous a$$ with a huge ego.

[duffyn]

Oh right. A cabinet postion in Obama''s admin. Oh right. Gee another ignoramic rpugnant who thinks bush actually did him any good and wants to lay eggs on Obama who has ten times the brain bush ever dreamed of having. Oh unless, maybe the poster is a billionaire. bush did those guys realllll good. Yeah, must be another billionaire repugnant poster.

[hunterdon6]

I bet Drew Peterson has cheated on his taxes too. A cabinet position under O''bama is probably in the making for him. From one crook to another!

[richardj390]

Peterson is good at only two things:
One, attracting young, stupid, and reasonably attractive women. Who knows how he does it, but some guys just have the knack. I won''t even speculate how he does it.

Two, murdering women and either making them disappear or look like an accident, without leaving ANY evidence. Here, his cop training comes in handy. He already KNOWS how cops investigate murders, and what they look for. Thus, he knows how to get away with it.

Sooner or later the police are going to get the goods on this guy. Meanwhile, I''m sure they have him under 24/7 watch to make sure he doesn''t slip away, and that job has got to really su*ck.

[cusefan21]

This girl should have gotten a slap in the face for even getting involved with that man. The biggest problem is she reads the news like everyone else and still decided to go out with him she''s a tool

[cricketmk3]

Only a southern republican would want to read this garbage...

Why was this statement necessary? You read and commented on the article...

[cuffhead]

He seems to attract young, stupid girls. And why? This is one ugly dude.

[credibility2]

Why does anyone insist on giving any attention to someone this mentally unstable and immature? I guess she liked the attention she got from disgusting sugar-daddy Drew and continues to get from disreputable news sources. She needs intensive psychiatric intervention to get at the root of her mental and emotional issues of self-worth and stability.

[love4all2]

this guy is a wacko. He does belong in jail and on death row. And this girl? what could she be thinking? moving in with him? and all stacys clothes are there. He will make a wrong move and he will get caught eventually. People like this are a waste of breath. Why is that he keeps going after the young girls? can''t he get someone his own age. Next we will hear he molested his daughter. To be after girls 1/2 his age is absolutely sick. this guy needs to be put away

[andie52]

Why is this confused young woman on television or even in the news? Drew Peterson should be where Scott Peterson is.

[ofbyfor3]

"(Mike) was telling me, you know, ''this is not right. He''s not a good guy.'' (It) just kind of opened up my eyes."

Um, DUH, honey! What took you so long that you couldn''t figure this out by yourself?!

Any woman who would get within 10 feet of this guy needs to have her head examined.

[notopennshut]

This girl is so sick, and she really needs help. She won''t get it from running to and from one man to another, and already with two kids! What is she thinking? Isn''t there anyone out there who could help her, otherwise she could just turn into another statistic.

[dbstevens]

It''s a shame that losers end up in the headlines so much.

[aerodog]

What a stupid girl.

[petro49l]

Christina refuses to be murdered for a life insurance benefit. When will the Police wake-up and prosecute Drew for the murders of his two Wives?