This week, they took the bathtub in which Drew Peterson’s 3d wife, Kathleen, drowned and media talking heads are beside themselves pondering when the Grand Jury is going to pull Drew Peterson into criminal court. Lots of speculation on that tub: measuring it against a lifesize replica (doll, forensic dummy) of Kathleen and the injuries found on her body, etc. Why do they want the tub? What’s the grand jury looking for? If the injuries don’t match with the tub, then is the Grand Jury fixing to indict Drew Peterson?
Who knows. But expect Drew Peterson to be ready - he has a legal defense team in place, and assumedly he’s got money set aside for this.
Lots of money.
Remember last December, when Drew created a website with a fund (www.defenddrew.com), for anyone wanting to help with his legal fees? The site is long gone, after lots of airtime back then -- Drew Peterson’s attorney was busy telling Nancy and Greta that the collected money would be used first for Drew’s attorneys’ fees and legal expenses, then for a private investigator to find Stacy, and anything that was left would go into a trust fund for Drew’s four children.
Nothing to report on the status of that fund today, though. And, no - Drew doesn't have to tell us about that money. It's his private business.
How much do lawyers really cost? What would Drew Peterson need for a good legal defense if he is tried in connection with the death of either Kathleen or his fourth, missing wife, Stacy?
Well, Drew Peterson is a messy case. There’s all that media play, and there are two cases running on the same fee track right now: investigations into Kathleen’s death and into Stacy’s disappearance. Dealing with the media costs more in time, and therefore in money. So does dealing with two investigations at once. Messy is expensive. Especially with all these fun filings like the recent weapons charge ....
The top dog trial lawyer, aka “lead counsel,” may well charge Drew $450+ an hour, with his team of attorneys aka “second chair,” “third chair,” and assorted “associates” billing at $250+ an hour. Then there are all the even more expensive experts, like the forensic guys on the bathtub (think Gil from CSI in private practice), along with the private investigators, legal assistants, and other professionals that the lead counsel will need to build a strong defense.
Drew's legal fees are probably in the six figures already, if you think about it.
O.J. has never said how much the Dream Team charged The Juice, but it is public record that O.J.’s criminal trial cost Los Angeles County around $9,000,000. The Dream Team’s final tally had to be at least twice that - probably more. We’re talking F. Lee Bailey, remember ….
So, it’s safe to assume that the criminal defense of any Drew Peterson trial is going to cost millions of dollars. Millions. And no savvy criminal defense lawyer goes to the mat without get paid in advance. That's standard.
So, criminal defense is very, very expensive anytime your life is on the line. But the ordinary case probably isn't going to be in the Drew Peterson range, for whatever comfort that provides defendants and their families....
