Crime & Safety

Drew Peterson's Mother Dies

The convicted wife-killer's mother passed away this week.

OUTSIDE CHICAGO -- Drew Peterson's mother died a month and two days after her son was convicted of murder.

Betty Morphey, 84, never attended a single day of her son's five-week murder trial. She also never visited Peterson in the three and a half years he has been locked up in the Will County jail.

Morphey suffered from severe dementia, according to a source close to the family.

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Morphey was married to Peterson's father, Donald Peterson, for 38 years. When her husband died she married Albert Morphey, Donald Peterson's boss at Northern Illinois Gas Company.

One of Albert Morphey's sons, Thomas Morphey, has said he helped Peterson carry a blue barrel containing the dead body of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, out of his house.

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Thomas Morphey also said he and his family always suspected Peterson killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in March 2004.

Peterson was convicted of murdering Savio last month.

Morphey last lived at an assisted living facility. Before that, she and her deceased husband Albert Morphey lived in Burr Ridge.

Betty Morphey's visitation is from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Modell Funeral Home in Darien. Her funeral will be at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Darien.

Will County Deputy Chief Ken Kaupas said the issue of whether Peterson will be taken out of jail for the funeral has not been brought to his attention.

"I think this would be something that would have to be asked for by his attorneys, and I haven't seen an order to that effect," Kaupas said.

Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, failed to return calls for comment.

Read more of Patch's latest Drew Peterson coverage.

  • New Lawyer Horning in on Peterson Case

  • Lawyer Showdown Looming in Drew Peterson Case
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