Drew Peterson Shuts Down Web Site

Dec. 12, 2007 — -- It didn't take long for Drew Peterson to get what he wanted from the Web site he launched to raise money for a legal defense fund in the still-mysterious disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy.

The site was shut down Wednesday, and his lawyer, Joel Brodsky, told ABC Chicago affiliate WLS that they had already achieved their short-term goals from the site.

He wouldn't say, however, how much money they might have raised in the time the site was in operation.

The site, which had contained an emotional plea for financial support from a man who said he felt victimized by police pressure, and a media witch hunt, now simply says, "This Domain (defenddrew.com) Has Been Disabled."

Peterson has repeatedly denied involvement in his wife's disappearance. He has said that he believes that Stacy left him for another man. Legal experts called the online defense fund highly unusual, if not unprecedented, because the former police officer has not been charged with a crime.

Brodsky told ABC News' Law & Justice Unit the cyberplea for support was needed.

"Drew is not a rich man, and this case will be expensive," he said.

"Attention-grabbing headlines have forced both Drew and the children into the spotlight,'' the short-lived site read. "For the cost of a few cups of your morning coffee, you can help to ensure that Drew can afford to support his ongoing legal defense, find his missing wife, and divert any remaining funds into a trust for his children.

"Our legal system is built upon the fundamental truth that you are innocent until proven guilty. The media has decided to sensationalize this story, and the collateral damage is neverending."

Suspicion has swirled around Peterson since virtually the start of the investigation into the disappearance of his 23-year-old wife, who was last seen on Oct. 28.

Recently, a local pastor reported that he'd once heard Stacy blurt out in a diner that her husband had killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio.