Updated at 6:17 p.m.

Judge Burmila has released the jury and has told them to resume deliberating ay 9 a.m. Thursday.

Updated at 6:07 p.m.

Judge Burmila has sent a note back to the jury letting them know he will let them go home tonight if they wish to.

Updated at 6:05 p.m.

The jury responded to Burmila's note by asking if they get to go home if they break for the night, or if they will be sequestered.

Updated at 6 p.m.

Judge Edward Burmila was about to send the jury a note asking if the wanted to order dinner or go home for the night, when they beat him to the punch.

Before the judge could send his query, the jury sent a note of their own asking for someone to go get them dinner.

Burmlia then wrote up a note asking if they were sure they wanted to eat or if they wanted to break for the evening.

Assistant State's Attorney Chris Koch objected to the judge's plan, asking to just let the jury eat and continue to deliberate.

Burmila sent his note over Koch's objection.

Burmila instructed the jury to answer his question without commenting on the state of their deliberations.

Updated at 4:20 p.m.

A court reporter read back the entire testimony of the Rev. Neil Schori and Wheaton attorney Harry Smith.

The jury was returned to the jury box to hear the testimony. When they went back to deliberate, they were sent photographs of Kathleen Savio dead in her bathtub, as well as pictures of her autopsy.

Updated at noon

The jury has asked to see Drew Peterson's phone records from Feb. 28 to March 1, 2002, Stacy Peterson's phone records for the same time period, the testimony of the Rev. Neil Schori, the testimony of Wheaton attorney Harry Smith, Kathleen Savio's November 2002 letter to Assistant State's Attorney Elizabeth Fragale and the Bolingbrook police report detailing a July 2002 attack Peterson allegedly perpetrated against Savio.

All of the evidence the jury wants to see is damaging to Peterson's case, indicating the jury may be leaning toward a conviction, court watchers have said.

Judge Burmila said transcripts will not be provided to the jury, but the testimony will be read to them.

The jury will be returned to the courtroom to be shown permitted exhibits and to hear testimony read to them.

Burmila has sent a message back to the jury saying prosecutors and defense attorneys are unclear about the request for the Juky 2002 police report.

Updated 11:08 a.m.

The jury has a question for the court but there is a delay due to defense attorney Joel Brodsky reportedly  giving a press conference outside.

Original story

The jury in the Drew Peterson murder trial was sent off to deliberate whether the disgraced ex-cop murdered his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

The jury left the courtroom shortly after 9:30 a.m.

The four alternates were taken to a separate courtroom. They are being held in the event one of the first 12 jurors is taken off the panel due to illness or some other emergency.

One of the six attorneys representing Peterson quibbled with Judge Edward Burmila over the way he was handling the alternate jurors.

The attorney, Steve Greenberg, wanted the four alternates released from service and sent on their way.

Judge Burmila asked what he was supposed to do if one fo the 12 jurors needed to be replaced, and suggested Greenberg wanted him to summon an alternate from home.

Greenberg claimed to have seen that happen before, but that made no difference to Burmila, who put forth another alternative.

"Are you telling me if one (juror) becomes ill, Mr. Peterson will accept a jury of 11?" Judge Burmila asked.

"I think it results in a mistrial," Greenberg said.

"That's what you think," the judge said.

The judge decided to keep the alternates in a separate courtroom.

The deliberations mark the impending conclusion of the five-week trial. More than three dozen witnesses testified over the course of 21 days. Jury selection was completed after two days.