Drew Peterson 'trial watchers' travel far, line up early

Drew Peterson may not have many fans, but his case has dozens of followers who come from near and far to file into the Will County Courthouse.

Peterson, 58, is charged with murder in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. The trial is in its sixth week, and jurors got the case just Wednesday morning.

Mandy McGlothlin, who is from Tampa, Florida, practices what some might call "trial tourism."

"I flew out here. I am a trial watcher. I love the domestic violence trials. That's my focus," McGlothlin said.

McGlothlin has attended every day of this trial since jury selection began more than six weeks ago. She did the same thing during the trial of Casey Anthony, the Florida mother found not guilty of killing her own daughter. How does the Peterson case compare?

"The jurors are definitely a lot more interested, they're taking a lot more notes," McGlothlin said. "The jurors in the Casey Anthony trial they didn't take any notes at all."

A cable television court show broadcasts live from the lawn of the Will County Courthouse. Getting a seat inside is not easy.

"Got over here at 3:30am and was number 20. At 3:30am, you think 'Good!' but I was the last person with a ticket to get in that day," Les Brown, trial watcher, said.

Toni Quilco-Kriebel is another trial watcher. She drives to Joliet from Chicago each day. She's struck by the difference in Drew Peterson's public persona and his courtroom demeanor.

"He's not the goofball he is outside. Inside he's very business. He doesn't speak that much, just whispers to his defense team, he's not allowed to talk to any of us." Toni Quilco-Kriebel, trial watcher, said.

The trial watchers do it, they say, to see justice firsthand, and in some cases provide a measure of support to the families of Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson.

"That's how we look at them, part of a bigger family to stand and support us. It's why we stood and did what we did for all these years, because we had this huge support of family and friends around use," Pam Bosco, Stacy Peterson's family spokesperson, said.

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local, ben bradley

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