JOLIET, Ill. – The murder trial of former suburban Chicago police sergeant Drew Peterson began Tuesday with dueling explanations of his third wife’s death, clashes over evidence and a teary witness describing how she screamed when she discovered her friend’s body.

Prosecutors gave jurors an account that could have come from a 1940s pulp novel, in which a man does whatever he must – including murder – to keep his ex-wife’s hands off his money. On the other side, Peterson’s attorneys argued the former officer was a victim of something newer: 24-hour news cycle and cable TV’s talking heads, which together created a media frenzy that did not subside until prosecutors had charged an innocent man.

Peterson, 58, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2004 death of his third wife, 40-year-old Kathleen Savio. He is suspected but not charged in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. He has denied wrongdoing in both cases.