Peterson's stepdaughter says he abused her

CHICAGO, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The stepdaughter of Drew Peterson, the man charged with killing his third wife, says she was mentally and physically abused by the ex-Illinois police officer.

Lisa Ward, daughter of Peterson's second wife, Vicky Connolly, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday she was writing a book about the decade she spent living with Peterson, a former Bolingbrook, Ill., police officer, The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

Ward said the time she spent living under Peterson's roof was filled with physical, mental and emotional abuse that ended only when her mother confronted Peterson about his marital cheating.

"I always thought he was a jerk," Ward said, adding she thought "anything is possible with him."

Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, denied that his client had abused his stepdaughter.

"He doesn't question it, he denies it. It's clear that it never happened," Brodsky told the Tribune.

Peterson, 55, was charged in the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and is a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his 23-year-old fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.