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CNN Larry King Live

Drew Peterson Arrested in Connection With Death of Third Wife; Interview With Kate of 'Jon & Kate Plus 8'; Maria Shriver's Heartbreaking Battle

Aired May 07, 2009 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, breaking news -- Drew Peterson reportedly arrested in connection with the death of his third wife.

And then, reality TV mom Kate Gosselin -- tabloids claim her husband's had an affair. Jon Gosselin says no, but admits to bad judgment.

How's Kate coping and what does this mean for the eight amazing kids at the center of their lives?

And then, millions of Americans recognize her face, but Maria Shriver's father no longer knows who she is. California's first lady opens up about living with the impact of Alzheimer's -- the disease that strikes every 70 seconds.

Plus, Whoopi Goldberg on the Obamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST: He is not joking about his agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Elizabeth Edwards' decision to stand by her cheating man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLDBERG: I'm sorry she has to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: And her "Ghost" co-star, Patrick Swayze's, battle with cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLDBERG: Stories about his demise are way, way, way, way too early.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: All next on LARRY KING LIVE.

Good evening. Drew Peterson, the former police sergeant who authorities call the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Stacy, has been indicted on murder charges.

We begin with CNN's Joe Johns for an update.

He's in Chicago -- Joe, what can you tell us?

Is he indicted for the missing wife or the third wife?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's indicted for the third wife. This is really some dramatic movement, we can say, Larry, in the long- running case that has riveted national attention.

We are told that Drew Peterson now has been indicted for the alleged murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. We are told he is in police custody here in the State of Illinois.

It's important, also, to say that Drew Peterson has always maintained his innocence.

Now, he's also a suspect, as we have mentioned before here on CNN, in the murder -- or disappearance, I should say -- of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who has never been found. He said she ran away with another man.

We're expecting a news conference within the hour here in Illinois from authorities who can give us a little bit more information, including, hopefully, finding out when Drew Peterson will appear before a judge -- Larry.

KING: Joe, one other thing. That third wife, Kathleen, who he's indicted about, she was -- her body was exhumed, wasn't it?

JOHNS: It was exhumed. There were actually two times the medical examiner has looked at the body. The first time, her death was ruled simply an accident. The second time, they went back and looked at head wounds that she had received.

She was found facedown in a bathtub under mysterious circumstances. And now authorities apparently believe it's more likely that that trauma on her head was the result of homicide.

KING: Thanks, Joe. You stay right there.

We'll be back in touch with you.

Joe Johns in Chicago.

And, by the way, we'll take that news conference live when it happens.

Here's a statement from Glen Selig, publicist for Drew Peterson: "We cannot make any public comments on reports that Drew Peterson has been arrested. Mr. Peterson's lead defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, is on an airplane. I talked with him just after 705 p.m. and at that time, he was unable to deny or confirm reports of the arrest. I will speak with Joel as soon as he lands and we will release information accordingly."

Let's go to our first guest, Kate Gosselin.

She's in New York.

Her family's life is chronicled on the TLC reality series "Jon and Kate Plus 8." She's been with us before. It's lovely -- lovely looking, Kate. It's good to have her with us.

She's author of a terrific new book, already a best-seller, "Eight Little Faces

A Mom's Journey." There you see its cover.

What a wonderful family.

She's got this charming book out. The sextuplets turn five on Sunday -- Mother's Day. What an appropriate time.

Yet the big buzz is about the tabloid allegations about her husband, Jon.

So let's take care of that first.

What's the situation?

How are you coping?

KATE GOSSELIN: The situation is the tabloids are going crazy again. You know, it's a result of our situation -- our very public lives. We, as you know, have a reality show. Everyone wants to know everything about us. And I feel like this is a situation where, you know, you can't believe everything that you read. You know that. I know that.

And so we are dealing with it privately. We are handling it one step at a time. And I think the important thing to remember is that we love our kids to pieces. They are safe and happy and healthy. And of all times, their birthday is coming up. And I'm just thanking God for five wonderful years with eight wonderful kids. And, you know, we're just -- we're focusing on them.

KING: That's a good idea.

Now your kids, the sextuplets are turning five. The twins will be nine.

Are they aware of all this?

K. GOSSELIN: Fortunately, kids are kids. It's a situation where, yes, Kara and Mady are turning nine. They attend a very quiet, private school where, you know, people aren't paying attention to that. They're investing their time in their kids' education and activities. And, no, they are, at this point unaware. But they are very aware that we love them very much.

KING: We have a statement -- your husband issued this statement: "These allegations are false and just plain hurtful. As I adjust to the attention that comes from being in the public eye, I need to be more careful and aware of who I'm associating with and where I'm spending my time. The bottom line is I did not cheat on Kate. I'm sorry for putting my family in this awkward position, given some poor decisions and bad judgments I've made recently. I'm working through this difficult time with my family and my family is my top priority."

Do you know what he means by difficult times and bad judgment?

K. GOSSELIN: Well, this is a situation where, you have to understand, we are a couple, we are a family who didn't set out to live, you know, the celebrity lifestyle. We are living our lives like a normal family. Cameras come in and film us. And that, to the world -- to the public, makes us celebrities.

I do not like that word. I am not a celebrity...

KING: But...

K. GOSSELIN: ...I am a mom and a wife. And I feel that Jon is having difficult times realizing that, you know, you can't go to the grocery store without people whipping out their cell phones, calling everyone they know and taking pictures of you. He is dealing very poorly with it.

And I feel like these, you know, things are making him realize, oh, my gosh, I cannot go anywhere without everyone knowing...

KING: Are you...

K. GOSSELIN: ...who I am.

KING: Kate, are you now sorry you did this series, because you made the decision to become the celebrity?

K. GOSSELIN: You know, I am not sorry, because I look at life as a glass half full is my attitude. And I feel like we have learned a lot, the kids have gained a lot. We have benefited a lot. And life lessons is -- you will see in our show. And this is full of life lessons.

KING: OK.

K. GOSSELIN: Life happens. And, you know, we all have to react to what happens to us. And I choose happiness. And I choose to survive anything.

KING: Kate's book is "Eight Little Faces

A Mom's Journey."

Kate's sextuplets have lived nearly all their lives in front of the cameras. What's going to happen when the cameras go away?

Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "JON & KATE PLUS 8," COURTESY TLC)

K. GOSSELIN: A day in the life with mommy and the eight kids alone. No, I do not look glamorous. This is not a glamorous job. Check their hair. Jon might have put a pink one in their hair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. There actually is.

K. GOSSELIN: Yes. Jon, don't ever use the pink ones for at home. They get lost.

JON GOSSELIN: I'm sorry.

K. GOSSELIN: Use the weird...

(CROSSTALK)

K. GOSSELIN: Jon.

J. GOSSELIN: OK, I said I was sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That's quite a show -- and quite a hit show.

By the way, one other note on this question of the husband. The 23-year-old woman with whom some publications allege Jon has been involved with also denies there's been an affair and she says she and Jon are just friends.

How do the children handle cameras?

K. GOSSELIN: You know, they don't know anything different. The camera crew, to them, is a bunch of playmates. When we're not filming, they're hanging out with our crew, who love our kids very much. We handpick them as far as how they interact with the kids. And we're very fortunate to have a very wonderful production company and crew. And we work very well together.

They love them. They scream and shout when they -- when they show up.

KING: How about when they go away?

K. GOSSELIN: They hug and kiss them.

KING: What's -- what's the best thing about having this seen on television?

K. GOSSELIN: The best thing for us, to be quite honest, is the ability to be able to work from home. I realize, as my career has changed and grown, I am taken away from home more and more often. But one parent is always home with the kids. And the majority of the time, both of us are home.

And I feel that that is the best thing, because when I was, you know, pregnant with sextuplets thinking how in the world are we going to provide for these kids, how do you afford day care for eight kids and all of those thoughts, this has answered that problem.

And, furthermore -- which is very crazy to me, our show has become inspirational to people. They tell me via e-mail they turn off the TV and they're glad, you know, that they only have two kids to take care of. And if we can do with it eight, they can do it with two.

So that has been an added benefit. And I appreciate those encouraging e-mails from fans.

KING: All right. That's the pluses.

What are the minuses, Kate?

K. GOSSELIN: Well, you know, the minuses are the fact that Jon and I never get to leave work. We are always working. It's -- you know, you're finishing the e-mails, the conference calls, the calls late at night. There's always deadlines and things to turn in -- the stuff that you don't see, the behind-the-scenes of filming a show.

The kids are just living their lives. They're just playing. They -- they're oblivious to all of this and the cameras following them. But it's a very, very full-time job. And it comes with a lot of public, you know, scrutiny, as is evidenced in the current media -- things that nobody enjoys.

You know, I -- I'm -- I'm dealing with it and I'm -- I'm thick skinned. But, you know, that is definitely a humongous negative.

KING: You...

K. GOSSELIN: Everybody has an opinion.

KING: You're a noble lady.

By the way, Kate's posted a sextuplet birthday message on our blog. And you can check it out and post your comments at CNN.com/larryking.

Why -- why did you write this book?

K. GOSSELIN: You know, Larry, I wrote it for my kids. I wrote "Multiple Blessings" for my kids. I wrote "Eight Little Faces" for my kids. I want them to know that I did not set out to have eight children. That's very obvious. But each one of them is special to me and unique. And I want them to have written down so that there is no doubts ever in the future that I love them individually and as a group. And I -- I honestly have the best eight kids that there are and I'm very grateful.

KING: What were you doing before having children?

K. GOSSELIN: I was working as a nurse, saving money so that I could get married and have children.

KING: How did this TV series come about?

K. GOSSELIN: Actually, Discovery Health, the production company, e-mailed us and -- and said we're doing things on larger families, would you be interested in doing a documentary?

Knowing that they have a very good factual reputation, we decided that we would just collect these memories on -- on DVD. It had an overwhelming response, which turned into our second hour, "Twins and Sextuplets," one year later, which became "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

KING: What did Jon...

K. GOSSELIN: Did we ever think it would have this response?

KING: No.

K. GOSSELIN: Absolutely not.

KING: Why do you think it does?

K. GOSSELIN: Just because we're -- we're a family that is doing what every other family is doing, just with, you know, a handful of extra kids. It's -- it's family life. And, you know, I'm not willing to hide who I am. I -- it does not bother me that the cameras capture how I am. There's a couple episodes I wish I could send through the shredder. But other than that, you know, I don't mind it.

I'm -- I'm not going to hide who I am. And I'm willing to show that to people because nobody is perfect. And you'll never hear me say I'm perfect or even close to it.

KING: Do you control the editing?

K. GOSSELIN: We do not. That's why those episodes still air.

(LAUGHTER)

K. GOSSELIN: No, we do not. One -- you know, once it's filmed, it's in the can and -- and it's airable. If it's stuff that is -- I don't feel is appropriate, from the kid's standpoint to show, you know, about a certain child, I will be allowed to refute it. And the network is very happy to listen to that and change things.

But as far as myself, I don't know that I've ever asked that anything be changed about me, because I don't really care about me. I'm protecting the kids.

KING: Wow!

Thank you, Kate.

K. GOSSELIN: Absolutely.

Thank you.

KING: Kate Gosselin. The book, "Eight Little Faces

A Mom's Journey.".

Two Web exclusives to tell you about.

The first is from Kate. She wrote exclusively for our blog, as we already told you, CNN.com/larryking.

The second, is Prince Charles and Camilla's spokesman. And he reveals key details of the prince's star-studded campaign to save the rainforest. His interview and exclusive commentary also, CNN.com/larryking.

We're back in 60 seconds with Maria Shriver.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back.

We're still waiting for the press conference on the indictment of Drew Peterson. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

We welcome to LARRY KING LIVE from New York, an old dear friend, Maria Shriver; the first lady of California; best-selling author; more important than any of that, co-executive producer of The Alzheimer's Project. It's a four part documentary series. It debuts May 10th on HBO.

And her wonderful father, Sarge Shriver, suffers from that horrific disease.

Maria, before I -- before I ask you about HBO and this special, your husband, Governor Schwarzenegger, is making news, saying that maybe we should think about legalizing marijuana and taxing it as a source of revenue.

MARIA SHRIVER, FIRST LADY OF CALIFORNIA: Well, I heard you were going to ask...

KING: What do you feel?

SHRIVER: ...you were going to ask me about that, so I wanted to check it out, since I'm not in California. And what he said was that we should study or look at what certain states have done, what other countries have done. And we should explore that topic -- bring people to the table, find out if it's detrimental to do that, if it's a good thing to do that.

But I think at no time did he make a point of saying we should do this so it can help us with the budget. What he was saying, as far as I understand it, is look it, we should do a study on whether that's a good thing or not a good thing. And we should talk to all the people involved and then make a determination, one, is that a good thing, separate from anything having to do with the budget.

KING: OK. Let's move to The Alzheimer's Project. Your father, as we mentioned, Sarge Shriver, suffers from it.

Is that what led to you motivating to do this?

SHRIVER: Well, it led me, first, to write a book for children on the subject of Alzheimer's, really, to explain to my own children what was happening with their grandfather and, in truth, to really explain it to myself.

And then I actually went around to television networks, asking them if they wanted to do a special on Alzheimer's. And nobody did. And that was about four years ago.

And then two years ago, Sheila Nevins at HBO came to me and said, you know, when you asked me about that Alzheimer's project, now is the time. The numbers are growing. The research is fascinating. And we can do a multipart platform television event on this and will you work on it?

So I was thrilled because millions and millions of people need the information that's coming through this project. Children need to understand what's going on with their grandparents. Over a quarter of a million young kids baby-sit grandparents in this country with Alzheimer's. And there's a lot of hopeful things going on in this field.

KING: We'll be right back with Maria and talk more about the long good-bye which is Alzheimer's.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: The Alzheimer's Project debuts on HBO May 10th. It's a four-parter. Maria Shriver is co-executive producer. It's gut- wrenching to watch some of the moments that you capture.

Let's watch this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT, COURTESY HBO)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, I told you my wife, right now, is precious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your wife is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, who do you think I am?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, let's see. I don't know. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't know who I am?

I am your wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We know that your father the great -- and I call him great because he is a great man, Sergeant Shriver -- doesn't recognize you.

Does he speak?

SHRIVER: Yes, he does speak. And I introduce myself to him every time I go to visit him, which I'm going to do tomorrow. And I say, "Hi, daddy. I'm Maria and I'm your daughter."

And he says somewhat like that man, "You are? Oh, my goodness, that's so great. Nice to meet you."

And that's never easy. And even if you go into the kitchen to get a glass of water, you have to come back and reintroduce yourself. But it teaches you, I think, to live in the moment, to accept the person who's sitting right in front of you and to stop wishing that something were different and that the person was who they used to be and just try to accept the person that's right there.

KING: Since Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan, have we devoted enough effort now in this fight as a government?

SHRIVER: No, I don't think so. I testified in front of the Congress a couple weeks ago. And there was a two year study done that has very bold recommendations to this Congress and this president about more money that is needed in the research for Alzheimer's -- how to revamp the whole health care industry, because Alzheimer's single- handedly will break the health care system in this country as we know it.

Caregivers are -- need, perhaps, a tax break. There's all kinds of very different recommendations that the study makes that was chaired by former Senator Bob Kerrey and Speaker Gingrich and Sandra Day O'Connor.

And they spent a lot of time talking to people in the field and trying to figure out what kind of money is actually needed to help us find a cure.

And I should mention, Larry, that the people that are researching in this field. There are about 92 clinical trials that are underway. And we talk a lot about the science and the research. They really believe that a cure is within reach -- is in some test tube in some laboratory in this country. They don't tell you when that's going to happen, but they do believe that they are within reach of that.

KING: Is stem cell going to help?

SHRIVER: I think anything's going to help and everything is going to help. And I think the population needs to get mobilized. This is, I think, an epidemic that is going to either make or break the baby boom generation. People are getting Alzheimer's 60 years old, 65 years old, 70, 80. And, you know, it impacts the entire family -- emotionally, spiritually and definitely financially.

And I think if we come together and stress to this Congress and this president, really the brain is the new frontier -- what we can understand about the brain. We're living longer and we need to make our brain match our life span.

KING: It is the long good-bye, is it not?

SHRIVER: Well, It can be long. And you can look at it as a good-bye or you can look at it as a brand new hello every day, which is the way I choose to look at it.

KING: And that emotionally helps you, then, to look at it that way?

SHRIVER: Well, it's an emotional disease. There are no survivors of Alzheimer's. Nobody goes into remission. Nobody is at work. And so you have to, as one doctor said to me, once you've seen one case of Alzheimer's, you've seen one case of Alzheimer's.

But in the special that I did on Monday, which really talks to children, it really tries to dispel some of the shame, some of the confusion, some of the fear that associate -- that is associated with Alzheimer's.

KING: Yes.

SHRIVER: People 55 and above fear Alzheimer's more than any other single disease. And I really do believe that we can cure this if we come together and seek a cure.

KING: Yes, God willing.

We're awaiting, by the way, the press conference of Drew Peterson's indictment. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

More with Maria Shriver when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Maria Shriver.

Alzheimer's can be very tough on children, too.

Watch this moment from the documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT, COURTESY HBO)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Melissa's taking a picture of you. Isn't that wonderful?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: What was it that made you fall in love with her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, she's a pretty little girl. And I didn't have any other girlfriends. And so I fell in love with her. It was on sight. I love you. You're so wonderful.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I wish I could have known her as she was before, because as from what I've heard, she must have been a really amazing woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That is so sad.

SHRIVER: It is.

KING: How's your mother Eunice dealing with this?

SHRIVER: Well, I just wanted to say that I think that young girl is so moving and triumphant, the way she has told the story of her grandmother and the love affair that goes on between her grandparents. Larry, that's one of the things you see in Alzheimer's, these incredible love affairs and the incredible love the children have for their parents, spouses have for one another, and what they go through, the emotional roller coaster.

And if you want to see real love at work, watch this project, because it takes your breath away.

KING: And your mother, Eunice, how's she doing?

SHRIVER: I think it's difficult. It's difficult for a spouse, if you're married to somebody for 50 some years, and they're effectively there and then they're effectively not there. So that has its own challenges. It's different for children. Then it's different for grandchildren.

So I think what I've learned is that everybody walks this journey in their own way --

KING: Maria, I'm going to -- we're going to go to Chicago. Maria Shriver, the special begins Monday night. Drew Peterson, the former police sergeant, who authorities call the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife Stacy, has been indicted on murder charges. Here's the conference.

CHUCK PELKY, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR WILL COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY: My name is Chuck Pelky. I'm the director of communications for Will County States Attorney James Glasgow. There will be two speakers this evening. The first will be Captain Carl Dobrich of the Illinois State Police. The second speaker will be Will County State's Attorney General James Glasgow. After they make some brief statements, they'll be available to answer a limited number of questions. But I have to caution you this is now a pending criminal case and they will not be able to make extensive comments on that.

Before I introduce Captain Dobrich, I should not that we do have members of the state's attorney's prosecution team on this case, as well as member of the Illinois State Police investigations team as well. Right now, I'll turn the podium over to Captain Carl Dobrich.

CAPT. CARL DOBRICH, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE CAPTAIN: Good evening. It's been a long day, started early this morning. So I'll have a brief statement I'd like to read.

Today, Drew Peterson, age 55, of 67 Chase Court in Bolingbrook, Illinois, that was arrested by the Illinois State Police, on a warrant based on an indictment by a Will County special grand jury for the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Drew Peterson was taken into custody without incident by Illinois State Police officers in Bolingbrook at approximately 5:35 p.m. this evening. Drew Peterson was taken to the Illinois State Police District Five Patrol Headquarters here in Lockport, where he was processed and he was later transported to the Will County adult detention facility in Joliette (ph) and transferred into the custody of the Will County Sheriff's Office.

As you will recall, on October 29, 2007, the Bolingbrook Police Department requested the assistance of the Illinois State Police to conduct an investigation into the disappearance of Stacy Peterson, at the time, age 23, and the fourth wife of Drew Peterson.

That investigation prompted the Illinois State Police and the Will County State Attorney's Office to re-examine the death investigation of Kathleen Savio in March of 2004. That investigation was also conducted by the Illinois State Police, at the request of the Bolingbrook State Police Department.

In November 2007, the remains of Kathleen Savio were exhumed from Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. A second autopsy was conducted by Dr. Larry Blume, and concluded the death of Kathleen Savio was caused by drowning, and the manner of death, homicide.

The investigation surrounding Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson over the past 18 months has involved an unprecedented amount of law enforcement and prosecutorial resources. To date, the investigation surrounding the murder of Kathleen Savio has involved 330 registered leads, accounting for approximately 8,200 pages of documents.

The investigation surrounding the disappearance of Stacy Kales Peterson has involved approximately 791 registered leads, accounting for over 40,000 pages of documents. In all, these cases account to over 500 gigabytes of digital information.

The Illinois State Police wishes to thank all the local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers in Illinois and around the nation who have contributed to this effort. Additionally, the Illinois State Police wishes to thank entities from the private sector who provided cooperation, support, resources and expertise in this investigative matter.

The Illinois State Police, especially Zone Three Investigations here in Lockport, appreciates the families and friends of Kathleen Savio and Stacy Kales Peterson, who supported us during this investigative effort.

I wish to thank the men and women of the Illinois State Police. Your dedication and personal sacrifices during the past 18 months were effectively remarkable.

For most of us on these cases, our investigative journey began on October 29th, 2007. Our journey has been far and wide. It has been exhausting. Ironically, for all of us, the murder of Kathleen Savio and the disappearance of Stacy Kales Peterson has made us all better police officers and has made our great agency stronger.

Thank you very much.

JAMES GLASGOW, WILL COUNTY, IL STATES ATTNY: The Grand Jury that was impaneled to meet on Thursdays to investigate the death of Kathleen Savio and the disappearance of Stacy Peterson returned a two- count bill of indictment today, charging two counts of first degree murder; one on the theory of intentionally killing, the second on knowingly doing an act that could cause great bodily arm.

I appeared before Judge Daniel Rosik (ph) this afternoon and requested a bond in the amount of 20 million dollars, which Judge Rosik granted without question. This is an extremely grave and serious manner. And I think that's reflected in the bond.

He also signed a search warrant, which the state police executed this evening. The state police, during this 18-month period, have done a phenomenal job under very difficult funding situation with their department. And -- but never once, when asked to do something, did they hesitate or in any way delay.

And my office could not function without that kind of dedication from the investigators in the field.

This case will be prosecuted in Will County. There may be a motion for a change of venue. So I'm going to be very careful here, what I say. I've made every effort to make sure that our office and the state police have done nothing to prejudice any jurors that might be selected in this case. And we want to continue to adhere to that.

I want to mention, there is a law that was passed recently that was spurred by these cases. It's basically forfeiture by wrongdoing, where we're going to make a motion to admit statements made by Kathleen Savio in the trial. These will be admitted as substantive evidence, as an exception to the hearsay rule. It's a significant step forward in the prosecution of these types of cases. And we look forward to the challenge.

At this point, we'll take questions, on a limited basis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jim, how confident are you that you have the evidence to put Drew Peterson away for Kathleen Savio's murder?

GLASGOW: After an 18-month investigation, nothing dictated our time frame. I know there was a lot of speculation in the news media that different people were going to drive us to do one thing or another. We moved when we felt that the time was appropriate. And that culminated in the two-count bill of indictment that we obtained today.

And we're very confident in our case.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jim -- Jim, the new law that was passed, you think that helped this investigation here -- (INAUDIBLE)

GLASGOW: Well, again, it -- evidence that we've uncovered in the investigation, which previously might not have been admissible -- we have the ability to have a hearing before the trial begins. And if we prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Drew Peterson killed or murdered Kathleen Savio, then the court can allow those statements in at the trial, if they find -- if the court finds that they're relevant and probative. We believe the statements we have would meet that standard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it you believe Drew Peterson did? How did Drew Peterson (INAUDIBLE)

KING: That was James Glasgow, the states attorney, receiving a two-count indictment today of Mr. Peterson, the former police officer in suburban Chicago, for killing his third wife by drowning. With us on the phone is Nick Savio, the youngest brother of the late Kathleen Savio.

What do you make of this news, Nick?

NICK SAVIO, BROTHER OF LATE KATHLEEN SAVIO: I think it's great. I think it's just step one though.

KING: Step one leading to?

SAVIO: Now we're just hoping for conviction. And that will be justice enough.

KING: Did you think all along that he had murdered your sister?

SAVIO: I thought that he did. You just don't see a person go to a funeral and start laughing in the background like he was.

KING: Did she tell you he was ever worried about him?

SAVIO: Actually, she told Susie a lot of things, which would be my sister, that she was worried. She wrote a bunch of letters that if anything ever happened to her, it was him that killed him.

KING: Do you also then feel that he might be responsible for the disappearance of Stacy, the fourth wife?

SAVIO: Without a doubt.

KING: You think they're going to ask for a change of venue?

SAVIO: I believe so.

KING: Think it might be granted?

SAVIO: Uh, that would be up to the judge.

KING: What can -- before I let you go, Nick, what can you tell us about Kathleen?

SAVIO: Young, vibrant, healthy person, beautiful smile. Just a beautiful person in general.

KING: At the beginning of their relationship, did you like Mr. Peterson?

SAVIO: Uh, didn't really get a chance to meet him too much. I know our father, Henry Savio, didn't really -- didn't know why she was marrying him, didn't feel that -- he didn't feel that she was -- he was right for her.

KING: Nick, thanks for spending the time with us. We'll be calling on you again. We appreciate it.

SAVIO: Thank you so much, Larry.

KING: Nick Savio, youngest brother of the late Kathleen Savio. We'll be right back with the panel to talk about this. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: With us to discuss all of this in New York is Lisa Bloom, on the phone is Stacy Honowitz, assistant state attorney in Florida, and on the phone is Michael Cardoza, the well-known defense attorney. In April of 2008, Drew Peterson was a guest on this show. I asked about the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, the woman he's now accused of murdering. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The third wife.

DREW PETERSON, ACCUSED MURDERER: OK.

KING: What happened?

PETERSON: Don't know. I don't know. She, uh -- we got information that she, uh, drowned in the bathtub. I was working. I was a watch commander at the police department. And the previous night I believe it was she failed to respond at the door to allow me to bring the children home. The children were with me for the weekend. That was unusual for her. So I started calling her on the phone. And I started questioning with the neighbors. And they were also alerted, because it was unusual for her. I have neighbors going to the house. And they found her dead in the bathtub.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Were you surprised when the body was exhumed and they changed the determination of death?

PETERSON: Very much surprised, sure. For many years, my children and I, we had been believing that she died in a household accident. I would imagine that the first autopsy, the fresh one, would be the most accurate. But powers that be are coming up with some new decisions on it. We won't really know for sure until we have a chance to review that decision.

KING: Were you separated at the time?

PETERSON: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Stacy Honowitz, is the key to this case going to be forensic?

STACY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Well, yes, Larry. Certainly you know what happened, that the investigation was looked at with a pair of fresh, new eyes, from new agencies. And certainly the body was exhumed and the medical examiners had the opportunity to reinvestigate. So a lot of this is going to come down to the second autopsy, to show that the injuries that she received proved that it was not an accidental death, an accidental drowning; that, in fact, it was an intentional murder, based on injuries that were found. That's what we're going to be seeing in this trial.

KING: Michael, is this going to be a very difficult defense?

MICHAEL CARDOZA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: A difficult defense? It's going to be interesting. It's going to be both a difficult defense and a difficult prosecution. I'm very anxious to see what the prosecution team has. Was Peterson in the house? Can they put him in the house near Kathleen Savio at the time? If they can, that certainly bodes well for them.

The other big issue will be, will they be able to get those statements in that Kathleen made before her death, that if I end up dead, Drew did it; I'm afraid of Drew; he's going to kill me; those type of statements. If they come before a jury would mean that the jury would be more likely to convict him.

But it's going to be difficult. It's going to be a lot of circumstantial evidence in this case.

KING: Lisa Bloom, what about the change of venue question? LISA BLOOM, AUTHOR, "IN SESSION": He'll probably get the change of venue. Everyone in Bolingbrook knows Drew Peterson, knows this story. I would think it would be only fair for him to get that. Let's face it, the whole country know this story too.

Larry, what I thought was interesting just now in the press conference from James Glasgow, the state attorney, was the reference to that hearsay evidence. There's a new law in Illinois that will allow them to bring in some of this hearsay evidence.

And there's two important pieces of evidence here. One is Kathleen Savio telling her sister, after making 18 calls to the police for domestic violence, by the way, against him, if anything happens to me, Drew killed me. The other hearsay statement is Stacy Peterson telling her pastor that Drew had confessed to her that he killed Kathleen Savio. And Stacy saying, in addition, that she felt guilty about the fact that she had been his alibi, telling police that she had been with him that night.

If those two statements both come in under Illinois's new hearsay law, it's going to be very tough I think for Drew Peterson to prove that he's not guilty.

KING: We'll be right back with more of this intriguing matter. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

KING: With us on the phone is Joel Brodsky. Joel is the attorney for Drew Peterson. Are you surprised at this, Joel?

JOEL BRODSKY, ATTORNEY FOR DREW PETERSON: A bit. Obviously, we didn't expect this to happen, but we're prepared for it. We've been prepared for it for some time. We had a plan of action if Drew ever got arrested, and we put that plan of action into play. So we're just going to have to, you know, start to take it step by step.

KING: Have you spoken to Drew?

BRODSKY: No, no. As a matter of fact, he wasn't allowed to call me after his arrest. It was one of the first things that was supposed to happen. And I don't suspect I'll be talking to him until he gets a telephone call probably tomorrow.

KING: So he'll spend the night in jail, and you won't see him?

BRODSKY: That's true. He'll probably spend the weekend in jail, at the very least, until we can get a bond hearing set before the judge, to set a reasonable bond.

KING: The change of the hearsay law in Illinois, has that been tested with the United States Supreme Court?

BRODSKY: It hasn't been tested anywhere, but we're certainly going to end up testing it in this case. There's no question about that.

KING: Do you question it?

BRODSKY: Absolutely. I think it's an outrageous law. It allows innuendo. It allows hearsay. It allows rumor in the place of facts. And I hopefully will be able to get it declared unconstitutional, even at this level. But we're certainly going to be one of our main points of contention, is going to be to get that law challenged.

KING: How tough --

BRODSKY: My phone is ringing off the hook, as you can tell.

KING: Joel, how tough is this case, frankly, going to be for you?

BRODSKY: I'm sorry, could you say that again?

KING: Yes, with all the publicity and the like, how tough is this going to be for you?

BRODSKY: I don't think it's going to be any tougher. I mean, this case has always been a circumstantial case. It's been a weak circumstantial case. The original pathologist found that the -- that it was an accidental death. And we believe it was still an accidental death. And we're going to bring in our own pathologist to prove that.

KING: Then it might be confusing for a jury with dueling pathologists?

BRODSKY: Absolutely -- no, I don't believe so. I think the jury's going to see that, in fact, this is a -- always has been an accidental death and still is an accidental death.

KING: When they exhumed the body, you were concerned, were you not?

BRODSKY: Well, anytime that happens -- could you hold on? Hello?

KING: Yes, I'm with you.

BRODSKY: Larry? I'm sorry. I guess anytime that happens, you have to be somewhat concerned, because you never know. I mean, we weren't able to have our own expert present when they did the second autopsy. And because of that, things could have been done that were, you know, not proper. And we wouldn't have a way of knowing about it.

So when that type of thing happens, it's always a little bit disconcerting. But we're going to retain, and we have talked to Dr. Cyril Wecht, who is a prominent pathologist.

KING: Yes, I know him well.

BRODSKY: Yes. And we will -- if anybody can unravel what really happened, it's Dr. Wecht. KING: A couple of other things. Do you expect a change of venue?

BRODSKY: I'm -- I'm sorry, Larry?

KING: Are you going to file for a change of venue?

BRODSKY: Oh, well, that's absolutely going to be an issue. I don't think that Drew could get a fair trial in a jury, certainly not in Will County, Illinois, and I don't think anywhere in Northern Illinois. So what we're going to have to deal with the venue -- it may simply be a matter of importing a jury from out of state, rather than moving the case to another location.

But certainly that's a concern we're going to have to address.

KING: And what do you make of the 20 million dollar bond?

BRODSKY: Oh, well, that's highly excessive. I did research on the bonds that have been granted in the homicide cases in Will County over the last ten years. And the average bond was a little bit under two million. And the only bond comparable to this was in the case of a man who was accused of raping -- with the Kevin Fox case, if you recall.

KING: Yes.

BRODSKY: That's where a man was accused of killing his daughter and another, and raping his young daughter and killing his daughter and his friend. It turned out, by the way, that that man was wrongfully charged. And he sued the county and recovered a 16 million dollar verdict. So we're going to have to make a motion to reduce this bond to be reasonable, along the lines of all the bonds that have been granted in Will County over the last ten years, which somewhere between one and two million.

KING: And one other quick thing. Are you expecting anything to happen in the Stacy Matter?

BRODSKY: No. I mean, I'm not expecting anything regarding Stacy. The state has chosen to bring one case out of two other investigations, and we're going to go forth. And we're going to hold them to their proofs and show that they don't have any evidence that Drew committed a crime.

KING: Joel, thank you for your cooperation. Good talking with you.

BRODSKY: I'm sorry?

KING: Thanks for being with us and good talking to you.

BRODSKY: Oh, my pleasure, Larry. Take care.

KING: Joel just landed at the airport and it's great that he consented to come with us. Michael, does he make a good start there? CARDOZA: He does make a good start, but I'm telling you, people are going to want to convict Drew Peterson. The way he presented himself to the public, the way he's conducted himself throughout this, it just rankles everybody. Remember O.J. O.J. got convicted of a 211 and an assault with a deadly weapon. But as someone said, but mostly murder. That was the murder in L.A.

And that's what may happen here. He could get convicted because people don't like his attitude. They think he's a sociopath. There may not be enough evidence against him.

KING: Stacy, do you agree with that, convict him on his personality?

HONOWITZ: Yes, I hate to say it, Larry, but I think it's very difficult with everything that's going on, especially since this investigation came about because the other wife was missing. That's why this is drummed up all again, and people are going to have a very difficult time keeping that out of their mind.

You know, it presents difficulty for the defense. And although he talks about it being purely circumstantial, certainly we all know as lawyers that circumstantial evidence can be just as strong as direct evidence.

KING: Lisa, hearsay -- do his points about the hearsay thing bear fruit?

BLOOM: I think it's very important if a woman is beaten and she tells her sister, if anything happens to me, that Drew did it, and then she ends up dead, that those statements should come in. You know, Nicole Brown's statements about O.J., similar statements, did not come into that trial.

And I think it's important that we move the law forward, as Illinois has done, so that there can be this kind of statement by somebody, if they do turn up dead, that's the kind of statement a jury should hear. It's not the only thing that the jury will hear. As we heard, there are tens of thousands of pages of documents that this lengthy investigation has unearthed.

But it is one important piece of evidence, and I think the jury should hear about that.

KING: Michael, we're almost out of town. Twenty million dollar bond, excessive?

CARDOZA: Oh, tremendously excessive. That should be reduced to something much more reasonable.

KING: Thank you all very much. We'll be covering this case, of course, in the days ahead, and, of course, when the trial takes place. Our apologies to Whoopi Goldberg. And you'll see her here soon. It's time now for Anderson Cooper and "AC 360." Anderson?