Peterson attorney to ask for bond reduction

May 10, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Drew Peterson's lead attorney says he will ask a judge to sharply reduce the former police sergeant's bond from the current $20 million.

Attorney Joel Brodsky returned to Chicago Sunday afternoon. He had been in New York on the network morning shows and missed Peterson's first court hearing Friday.

Brodsky plans to file a motion to reduce his client's bond on or before Peterson's next court appearance May 18th. He says if bail can be reduced to less than $1 million, Peterson has the money to bond out.

"He's not going to run. His position is: whatever happens, he's going to face, and I believe that somebody who is not a flight risk and has these kind of ties to the community should get a reasonable bond," the attorney said.

Sunday was the first time Brodsky was back in Chicago since Peterson was arrested for murder. The attorney says his trip was a previously planned and his absence had nothing to do with delaying Peterson's arraignment.

"There were strategic reasons for having the arraignment delayed until the 18. What those reasons are, I'm not going to say," Brodsky said.

Peterson is behind bars on a $20 million bond for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Originally ruled an accident, Savio was found dead in a bathtub five years ago. A second autopsy revealed she was killed. However, with no forced entry into Savio's home or any witnesses, Brosdky believes prosecutors have a very weak case.

"I still think state's attorney really doesn't have a case. Especially if you take away the hearsay law, they don't have anything except a very weak circumstantial case at best," Brodsky said.

Brodksy says he plans to strongly fight against the new Illinois hearsay law, some refer to as Drew's law, that allows a judge to admit certain hearsay evidence into court.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow says the law would allow Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio to "testify from the grave."

In a letter, Savio sent to a prosecutor prior to her death, she writes that Peterson "knows how to manipulate the system and his next step is to take my children away or kill me instead."

Brodsky calls the hearsay law unconstitutional.

"To think that we have now loosened the rules of evidence for homicide rather than make them stricter is just absurd," Brodsky said.

Brodsky has never tried a murder case, although he says he has plenty of experience with felony charges, including attempted murder. Despite his lack of experience, Brodsky says he is confident Peterson will be getting a good defense.

Despite his status as a prisoner, Peterson managed to joke around as he was brought into the courthouse last week. Brodsky says Peterson uses humor to mask stress.

"The wise cracking doesn't play well&Drew knows this. It's almost a gut reaction," the attorney said. "I don't think he's ever going to stop doing that. That's who he is."

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