Peterson seeks overturned conviction

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JOLIET, Ill., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Some intense legal maneuvering could be on the horizon as a former suburban Chicago police officer tries to get his murder conviction overturned, lawyers said.

Former Bolingbrook, Ill., police Sgt. Drew Peterson is petitioning for a new trial, telling Judge Edward Burmila his attorney, Joel Brodsky, botched his defense so badly it ended in his guilty verdict in the 2004 killing of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Her death -- she drowned in a bath tub -- was initially ruled an accident until Peterson's fourth wife, Stacey, went missing.

If Burmila allows Peterson to move forward with his incompetent defense argument, it could lead to Peterson taking the stand in his own defense for the first time. It could also lead to prosecutors being called as defense witnesses and Brodsky being called on the prosecution's behalf to defend his handling of the trial, the Chicago Sun-Times said Monday.

The hearing date is set for Thursday.

If Burmila denies Peterson's request, it clears the path for sentencing, the Sun-Times said.