Students Say Survey Used In Scott Peterson Trial Falsified

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2753727/detail.html ^ | January 9, 2004

[StatesEnemy]

College Co-Eds Say Gathering Information Was Too Hard

POSTED: 10:13 AM PST January 9, 2004

LOS ANGELES -- When Stanislaus County Judge Al Girolami needed to decide whether to move the Scott Peterson capital murder trial out of Modesto, one of the things he considered was a 10-county survey of biases related to the case.

Now several of the students who gathered the data for the report under the guidance of a California State University, Stanislaus professor admit they made up a lot of the answers.

They say it was just too hard to gather the info.

About 65 students took part in the survey. The ones who made up the answers say they didn't have the time or the money to make the long-distance calls needed.

Professor Stephen Schoenthaler reviewed their work, and says he is stunned by what his students did. He had not detected the fraud until the students admitted their wrongdoing.

The survey suggested that more unbiased jurors would be found in the Bay Area and in Southern California than in Stanislaus County.

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[EllaMinnow]

Geez....

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[Moose4]

DOH! One wonders if these students could be held in contempt of court because of this.

}:-)4

[IncPen]

... Either of you guys ever go to the office of the pollster/liberal-professor who had the sign on the door, "Lie To A Pollster"?

[PoisedWoman]

says he is stunned by what his students did. He had not detected the fraud ....

.....because he's so tremendously biased himself. The skewed results made perfect sens to him.

[cyncooper]

Polling has NO PLACE in judicial reasoning.

That goes for our U.S. Supremes referring to public sentiment in their decisions of late, both here AND abroad.

I'm kind of glad these students came clean so maybe we can rid ourselves of this nonsense and return to a standard of objective evidence.

As to Peterson, good luck wherever they try his sorry rear.

[cyncooper]

Professor Stephen Schoenthaler reviewed their work, and says he is stunned by what his students did. He had not detected the fraud until the students admitted their wrongdoing.

And what can one say about THIS brainiac.

Good grief, what a sorry lot. "Too hard" and "not detected". A pox on the lot of them, but good for them for coming clean.

[Atlas Sneezed]

No one has yet mentioned expulsion of these dishonest students.

Also, they took a job, got paid, and did not do the work. That is theft of government funds.

They should be prosecuted for a handful of crimes.

[onyx]

FGS! What a mess from start to finish.

[Visalia]

Obviously these students are sons and daughters of commiecrat parents. No morals. No conscience.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

So how much did Geragos pay the students to falsify the answers?

[onyx]

So how much did Geragos pay the students to falsify the answers?

Geragos just might be that stupid.

[EllaMinnow]

How horrible for the Rochas. They'll have to leave their home for weeks at a time to see the trial of Laci's killer.

I'm very steamed about this.

[Digger]

Our fine institutions of lower learning.

[cyncooper]

I agree. When one steps back and contemplates what they have endured so far, and the ugly revelations that are likely to emerge during trial, this is one issue that they ought not have to deal with. My heart really goes out to them.

[hattend]

Here's the story fleshed out a little more:
====
Students Say They Faked Peterson Survey
Sat Jan 10, 9:22 AM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!

MODESTO, Calif. - A survey a judge cited in his decision to move Scott Peterson (news - web sites)'s capital murder trial out of Modesto contained made-up information, criminal justice students who conducted the survey told a newspaper.
The 10-county survey suggested that more jurors without bias could be found in the San Francisco Bay area or Southern California than in Stanislaus County, which includes Modesto, home town of Peterson's slain wife, Laci.

But several of the California State University, Stanislaus students who compiled the report told The Modesto Bee they used a lot of fake information because it had been too hard to gather all the data properly. The students requested anonymity, the paper said.

"We falsified the info," a 20-year-old criminal justice student said. "The stuff we submitted wasn't true."

The Stanislaus County district attorney, James Brazelton, said that his office wants to talk to the students to confirm the allegations, and asked them to call him.

The survey was compiled by 65 students under the supervision of professor Stephen Schoenthaler.

"I'm stunned, and I find it hard to believe. It seems impossible that I could have missed something like that," Schoenthaler said.

Not all students said they'd faked their results, which accounted for 20 percent of their grade. But six students — all seniors — told the paper they had made up all of their answers because they had no time and no money for the dozens of lengthy long-distance phone calls that were required.

Other students said they used answers provided by friends and relatives, or that they completed part of the survey properly, then faked the rest. One student said she didn't want to falsify her results but couldn't complete the survey, so she saw her grade drop from an A to a C.

Scott Peterson's defense attorney Mark Geragos submitted the survey as an official case exhibit, and Stanislaus County Judge Al Girolami cited it Thursday in explaining his decision to move the trial.

When contacted by the Bee about the students' claims, Geragos said, "Hypothetically speaking, one should never put any credence in anonymous sources."

University Vice Provost Diana Demetrulias said she would investigate the situation.

Peterson, 31, is charged with two counts of murder in the killings of his pregnant wife and unborn son. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
=====

[at bay]

Very unfair to the Rochas. The judge glossed over the fact that there was no declaration, but there was a good reason no declaration was filed! If the issue was the city of Modesto, jurors from the outlying areas of the county could have been bussed in. That is indeed a change of venue. The publicity, as the da pointed out, was in large part due to the defendant's seeking out and getting national publicity, setting up a tipline (where many tips were not forwarded to MPD) and appearing on various national tv shows.

OTOH the people should have objected to the inclusion of the survey, as it was sprung on the court without proper notice. A sly trick from Geragos.

This is the first, I'm afraid, in what will become a series of outmaneuverings by the defense. Jackie Peterson continues to violate the gag order against her and then is rewarded by having the trial moved away from the area where the crime was alleged to have been committed, because of "pretrial publicity".

Hopefully someone as cunning as Geragos will surface for the people, as a witness, advisor or whatever. Where is Vince Bugliosi these days? Writing another post-mortem?