He will handle the Peterson case personally. He admits, it's the biggest case of his career.
"We're very confident in our case," said Glasgow on Thursday night following the arrest of Peterson.
Peterson is charged in the 2004 bathtub death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He is also a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. He denies any wrongdoing in both cases.
The case has captured the attention of the nation. Glasgow knows the trial will be widely reported and closely scrutinized.
"Every human life has equal value, clearly we have a problem of crime against women," said Glasgow. "We want to send a message that that's a grave and serious matter."
As he prepares for trial in the Savio case, Glasgow continues to investigate Stacy's disappearance.
"That investigation is foremost in our minds. We believe there (are) significant things to follow up on. Unfortunately, one of our problems is funding," said Glasgow.
Will County has seen the damage done from a high-publicity prosecution that backfires. An example- Kevin Fox of Wilmington spent 234 days in jail after he was charged with the murder and sexual assault of his 3-year-old daughter, Riley. DNA testing by his defense attorneys proved he was innocent.
The Fox case was managed by Jeff Tomczak, whom Glasgow unseated at election time.
During the Peterson murder trial, Glasgow will use statements made by Savio, herself; a risky test of a relatively new state law that allows such testimony from a deceased person if a judge approves.
"We're going to do our very best to prosecute this case successfully," said Glasgow.
Peterson's defense attorney has already attacked the new Illinois law. He claims it is unconstitutional.
If Peterson is convicted and the case relies on hearsay statements of Savio, it will most likely be appealed- perhaps all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
