Peterson's lawyer to seek bail reduction

BOLLINGBROOK, Ill., May 11 (UPI) -- A former Illinois police sergeant charged with his third wife's death is being persecuted by an overzealous prosecutor, a defense lawyer said.

Drew Peterson, 55, of Bolingbrook, Ill., was being held on a $20 million bond in the death of his wife Kathleen Savio, 40, who was found dead in an empty bathtub with a gash on the back of her head in 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday.

Savio's death, initially ruled accidental, was ruled a homicide after further investigation sparked by the 2007 disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, 23. Drew Peterson has not been charged with his fourth wife's disappearance.

Peterson is innocent of any wrong doing, defense lawyer Joel Brodsky said Sunday, calling prosecutor James Glasgow's case "weak." Brodsky vowed to get Peterson's bail reduced and have his trial moved out of Will County to somewhere "people have less strong opinions about Drew."

Meanwhile, Peterson has been cautioned to stop wisecracking about his "spiffy" jail uniform and calling handcuffs "bling," the Chicago Tribune reported.

"I certainly believe his comments don't help defuse the situation and I've discussed that with Drew," Brodsky said.