Peterson jury selection set to begin

JOLIET, Ill., July 20 (UPI) -- Jury selection is set to begin in the murder trial of an Illinois man who is charged with the death of his third wife.

The 12 jurors will be selected from the more than 200 Will County residents that have been on hold in the jury pool for the trial of Drew Peterson since 2009, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Neil Adams, a criminal defense attorney who spent 10 years as a Will County prosecutor, said the old jury pool is yet another quirk in the Peterson trial.

"It's odd," Adams said. "But this is an odd case."

Peterson is on trial for the 2004 drowning-death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. At the time of her death investigators ruled it accidental, but when Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, went missing in 2007, Savio's body was exhumed and her death was reclassified as a homicide.

Peterson was charged with Savio's murder in May 2009. He has pleaded not guilty.

Stacy is still missing and Peterson is the prime suspect.

The jury selection is set to begin Monday.