Opening statements in Peterson trial to begin next week

Jury selection begins Monday for the Drew Peterson murder trial.

Peterson is accused of murdering his third wife and is the suspect in his fourth wife’s disappearance, according to CNN.

Opening statements are set to start next week.

Peterson’s attorney, Joel Brodsky, stated the trial should last about a month.

HLN reports that Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio, was found dead on March 1, 2004 in her bathtub. The coroner had stated the cause of death was accidental drowning.

Peterson married Stacy Cales, eight days after his divorce from Savio.

After Stacy Peterson disappeared in October 2007 the Savio case received scrutiny. Her body was exhumed and new autopsies classified her death as a homicide.

Peterson was charged in May 2009 with Savio’s murder.

Since Savio was dead and Peterson was missing the defense states that Petersons Sixth Amendment rights to confront the witnesses against him are violated.

The trial was put on hold due to several hearsay statements made by Savio, before her death, about Peterson, before her disappearance, was made inadmissible as evidence.

In April, the Third District Appellate Court overturned that decision and stated that all 14 statements could be admitted into evidence.