Ashley Tucker Murder Defendant Hires Chuck Bretz

JOLIET, IL - Since late October, Peter Zabala has been detained without bail on first-degree murder charges in the killing of Ashley Tucker, 25. The murder defendant, who has been called a "dangerous sexual predator" by the Joliet Police, has retained the downtown law firm of Chuck Bretz & Associates to put forth a vigorous defense.

Bretz recently filed his appearance on Zabala's behalf at the Will County Courthouse. At this stage, it's too early to know Bretz's strategy for his client's line of defense. Joliet Police have said that Zabala, now 43, was the last known person to have contact with Tucker on Oct. 13, the Saturday night Tucker vanished from the Ridgewood area near her house.

Several days later, Joliet Police recovered her remains inside a burning barrel on the northern outskirts of Joliet, a property owned by family members of Zabala.

Judge Sarah Jones Set Low Bail

At the time of Tucker's slaying, Zabala was already facing four misdemeanor charges of domestic battery in connection with an alleged attack against another woman in Joliet. On Sept. 28, Will County Circuit Judge Sarah Jones signed a bench warrant authorizing Zabala's arrest on the four misdemeanor counts of domestic battery.

Judge Jones set Zabala's bail at $5,000, meaning he only needed $500 cash to get out of the county's jail. On Oct. 5, Zabala was arrested; he spent only four hours in the Will County Jail before posting 10 percent of his $5,000 bail to regain his freedom.

'He has a device in my house'

The victim in the September domestic violence case has taken out numerous petitions for orders of protection against Zabala, court records show.

On Sept. 19, which is less than one month before Tucker was slain, the woman who obtained the protection order against Zabala informed Will County's court that "Peter came to the house (at) 5:45 a.m. and slashed two tires on two of my neighbors' cars. They called the police. Peter was over visiting the kids. He had been drinking. I told him to go home that he had to get up and work ... He started punching me ... He started biting me all over and choking me.

"He did this in front of my 3-year-old. She was screaming and crying and begging him to stop. I ran out of the house with my daughter to my neighbors."

Will County court records indicate the woman said Zabala ran away when a neighbor grabbed a stick "and told him to get off her porch and not to hit me again. I called the police and when they came, Peter was already gone ... The police told me to get an order of protection. I took all the kids and went to my moms."

The woman noted in her petition against Zabala that "I am tired of Peter's abuse, physical and mental. I am tired of being scared. My kids are scared. I gave him chances to change, and he keeps hurting me, and he does it in front of my kids."

Her order of protection was granted by a judge on Sept. 20 and it got extended on Oct. 11, two days before Tucker was harmed. The domestic violence victim also obtained orders of protection against Zabala in 2016 and 2017. Those orders were in place for several months before they were later dismissed, court documents state.

On May 1, 2017, the Joliet woman notified the court, "Peter called and told me that he has a device in my house, and he hears everything I say. He repeated everything I said to the police and what they said to me on Saturday," court documents state.

On April 21, 2017, "My neighbor saw Peter slash my tires," court documents state.

On March 21, 2017, "Ever since September 2016 Peter has been harassing me and the kids. He brakes (sic) in my house kicking the door in and braking (sic) the window. He takes my oldest son's clothes, shoes, games and stuff because he doesn't like him. He told me when he thought I was trying to send him to jail he was going to do something to me and get away with it."

File image of attorney Charles Bretz furnished to Joliet Patch for use