DREW PETERSON TRIAL BEGINS

NationalEnquirer.com

Jury selection in the bombshell murder trial of so-called Bolingbrook Bluebeard, former cop DREW PETERSON began.

Three years after his arrest on murder charges, the former Bolingbrook, Ill., police sarge Peterson put on his game face as he addressed a courtroom packed with media and potential jurors.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Mr. Peterson," he said, his hands clasped in front.

The potential jury pool waited over two years to be summoned to the Will County Courthouse, where Peterson is on trial for allegedly drowning third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004.

As THE ENQUIRER previously reported, Savio’s death was initially ruled an accidental drowning by the coroner’s office but an exhumation of her remains coupled with  forensics indicated her death was a homicide as poison was present in her system at time of death.

Prosecutors also believe Peterson murdered his fourth wife, Stacy, who disappeared in 2007, but he has not been charged with that crime.

At day’s end, no jurors had been selected for the jury nor eliminated from consideration.

Judge Edward Burmila acknowledged the intense media scrutiny as he addressed potential jurors.

"This is not CSI. This is not a John Grisham novel. It’s not a movie you’ve seen in a theater or a show you’ve seen on TV," he told the first panel of would-be jurors, cautioning they were about to witness a "real" criminal trial and must base their verdict on the law.

Potential jurors were eliminated if they had seen Rob Lowe portray the accused in a recent Lifetime TV movie “Drew Peterson: Untouchable.”.

Jury selection is expected to continue this week.

Opening statements are docketed for July 31.