Smith Testimony Sealed Peterson Verdict: Jury

"The hearsay testimony from Stacy was the biggest part of it," jurors told reporters Friday

When Drew Peterson's seven-man, five-woman jury began deliberations, they said they knew his third wife's death was a homicide.

Juror Theresa Mathews told reporters Friday they guessed Savio was drowned in a sink or toilet, "and that's how she got the gash in the back of her head."

Seven jurors voted guilty during their first vote on Wednesday. By the end of the day, they voted 11-to-one guilty and by Thursday afternoon, they had a unanimous decision.

Jury foreman Eduardo Saldana said testimony from attorney Harry Smith about a conversation he had with Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, tipped the scales. 

"The hearsay testimony from Stacy was the biggest part of it," Saldana said, noting it was especially revealing when Smith talked about "concealment of a homicide."

Rev. Neil Schori's testimony about Stacy describing how Peterson asked her to lie for him also proved noteworthy. Holdout juror Ron Supalo told NBCChicago Thursday he needed to sleep on his decision before casting a guilty vote but agreed Smith and Schori cleared the picture for him.

"Those two were the big ones, just like everybody else," Supalo said. "I couldn't come up with any reason, in my mind, to not put [Peterson] at the scene beyond a reasonable doubt."

Jurors recalled Friday that deliberations never got too heated, and -- as has become well-known to trial watchers -- they even bonded over clothing choice.

"We were bored," Saldana said about their color-coordinated outfits.

Numerous objections and even a few mistrial declarations sent them out of the courtroom enough times for them to get friendly and chat.

"We all got along," Mathews said.

Though they had to ask the judge's permission to wear sports jerseys. 

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