Drew Peterson Juror Deliberations to Start Wednesday

Updated 5:02 p.m. 

Judge Edward Burmila is calling a halt to the day's proceedings. 

Closing arguments lasted longer than Burmila had anticipated. Deliberations by the jury will start Wednesday. 

Updated 4:20 p.m. 

State's Attorney James Glasgow made the rebuttal argument for the prosecution's case.

"When you put all this evidence together, it's solid, it's real, and it proves Drew Peterson killed Kathleen Savio in cold blood," Glasgow said.

Glasgow countered the attack on prosecution witnesses leveled by defense attorney Joseph "Shark" Lopez. Glasgow also said the prosecution's case includes scientific, circumstantial and hearsay evidence.

The state's attorney pointed out that jurors don't have to conclude tha each element of the prosecution's case exceeds the level of reasonable doubt.

He told the jurors they must merely find the case as a whole has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. "You can take a stick and snap it," Glasgow said. "But if you take 50 sticks, he said, they cannot be broken."

Updated 2:36 p.m. 

Defense attorney Joseph "Shark" Lopez started his closing argument by telling the jury they could ignore the testimony of witnesses who recounted Drew Peterson's threats to third wife Kathleen Savio, and then he spent about an hour attacking their integrity.

"If you can't prove it's a homicide, who cares what (the Rev.) Neil Schori says?" Said Lopez. "Who cares what (Savio's sister) Anna Doman says? Who cares what (attorney) Harry Smith said?"

Lopez saved his most burning vitriol for Smith, whom he referred to as "Smiley" and continually flashed on a large screen an image of a grinning purple Cheshire cat whenever he spoke of him.

But then Smith, who was called as a defense witness and questioned by Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky, may have done the most damage to the accused wife-killer's case.

Lopez also attacked forensic pathologist Michael Baden, calling him the "Show Biz Doc" and showing a picture of the Hollywood sign when he spoke of him.

Lopez was also critical in his assessment of not only Savio's friends and relatives, but of the dead Peterson wife herself.

Original story 

Assistant State's Attorney Chris Koch just finished his closing argument, hitting on nearly every high point of the prosecution's 35 witnesses and criticizing that of the doctors called to testify for the defense.

Koch repeatedly called on the jury to use their "common sense and life experiences" when reaching a verdict. He also hammered home that Drew Peterson "entered that home with the intent to kill" Kathleen Savio.

"He held her down," Koch said. He forced her to inhale water." 

Koch also repeated damning statements others claimed Savio made to them about Peterson planning or threatening to kill her. 

"I'm going to kill you," Koch repeated. "You're not going to make it through the divorce settlement. You're not going to get the pension. You're not going to get the kids."

Koch also spoke of witnesses testifying how Savio told them Peterson said to her, "I could kill you and make it look like an accident," and "I can kill you and make you disappear."

Koch recalled how a minister and divorce attorney both testified that Peterson' fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, told them details of Peterson allegedly killing Savio.

The minister, Neil Schori, told of Stacy relating Peterson's actions and plan to cover up the Savio slaying, Koch said. The attorney, Harry Smith, said Stacy told him how Peterson killed Savio.