Scott Peterson Sells Missing Wife's Car

KABC-TV news Los Angeles ^

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

MODESTO — Scott Peterson, whose pregnant wife, Laci, has been missing since late December, tried to sell the couple's Modesto, Calif., home, sources close to the investigation into her disappearance said. Peterson allegedly looked into selling the home, saying he had issues with it and didn't want Laci coming back to it. The deal to sell the home was scrapped about a week after Scott first began looking into it, according to a Sacramento television station. But Peterson, 30, reportedly is driving around town in a new truck these days. He traded in his missing wife's Range Rover SUV for a Dodge pickup truck, sources close to the investigation said. It's unclear what motivated the transaction and Modesto police have not commented.

‘A Slap in the Face’

But the news is a blow to Laci's friends and relatives.

"Sharon, Laci's mom, turned to all of us and said, 'You know Scott sold Laci's car, don't you?' And we were all just shocked, absolutely shocked. And we didn't know, I didn't know what to say," Luceene Gee, who has been volunteering in the search for the missing woman, told KOVR.

"My first thought was, 'How cold.' I mean, that's a piece of Laci," Gee said.

Another volunteer commented on how the news must be affecting Laci's mother.

"I felt so bad for her, because it's just like another slap in the face for her," said Bruceene Norton. "She's grieving her child, she doesn't know where she is, she doesn't know what happened to her, doesn't know what's happened to the grandchild. And [he's] sold the car, wants to sell the house. It's heartbreaking."

Heather Sutton, a friend of Laci's, also told KOVR she found the news distressing.

"It was hard to hear that, just because I know that, just by looking at the car, it's totally Laci and by hearing that she loved that car, that was difficult for me. And maybe he has his reasons I don't know," Sutton said.

Family members held a candlelight vigil on Jan. 31 for the 27-year-old Laci and her unborn child, who was to have been named Connor.

Scott Peterson says he last saw Laci on the morning of Dec. 24, when he left on a solo fishing trip. She was eight months pregnant at the time.

Police have not named Peterson as a suspect in his wife's disappearance, but attention has focused on him, in part, because he admits he told his wife he was having an affair shortly before she vanished.

In a recent interview with ABCNEWS' Diane Sawyer, Peterson said his wife accepted his affair with Amber Frey, a single mother from Fresno, when he told her back in early December. Frey has said she had no idea Peterson was married, and that she contacted Modesto police as soon as she realized the man she was seeing was connected to a missing person's case.

Peterson told Sawyer he and his wife never even had a fight over his extramarital affair, adding that he never laid a hand on Laci and hopes to find her alive.

Last Updated: Feb 4, 2003

[muggs]

No it's not to much trouble but I can only answer the question about why I am interested, I can't answer for others.

There is no particular reason that I am interested in this case other than I have always been interested in true crime stories.(A member of my family was ax murdered, maybe that's some of the reason I follow murder stories.)

We all know there are other more important things going on and we keep up with that also. Just because we are preparing to go to war is no reason that we can't continue to have other interests.

I came to FR out of my loathing of clinton but after being here for such a long time I feel like many here are my friends and I like to talk about all subjects of intrest with my friends here just like I do with my friends in the real world.

[Devil_Anse]

Boy, Freerepublic is so great. I mean, they think of everything!

Who'd have thought of having one separate thread just for sanctimonious disruptors?

This is the perfect place for you guys to show off your, um, intelligence. Yeah, that's it--your intelligence.

Carry on!

[John Doe]

Nope. No ocean. Fertilizer salesman...lime...50 gal drum(?) ..........

[HollyHock]

Hi Doc

To me a "child" comes to form when the sperm hits the egg and it's impregnated. Also, I am a disabled individual, in a wheelchair, with the birthdefect Spina Bifida. I know all to well that my mother could have aborted me, but chose not too. And I also know that her body also naturally tried to abort. But I am meant to be here and I truely believe that. I don't look at children as mistakes, but as gifts. And in the case of Connor. If found that Laci was murdered, Connor the unborn will never be given a chance because some "monster" didnt find him worthy of life.

[vikingchick]

Evidently, no, he's [Scott Peterson] not famous.

According to you, we can only discuss a situation if a player is determined to be famous? Perhaps you would be more comfortable at the "People Magazine" forum.

[fellowpatriot]

And I had ignored most threads with "Scott Peterson" in the title, till now; perhaps something about the banality of the headline "Scott Peterson Sells Missing Wife's Car" induced me to actually click.

The same way countless others have ended up here - this story is very intriguing!

[homeschool mama]

Laci Peterson is an 8 month pregnant woman is missing since December 24. She is a human being and we're concerned about her, her unborn baby, and her family.

Her husband may have had something to do with it.

If you choose to not consider it important to seek information and ultimately justice then move on. Plenty of other places you can troll.

[homeschool mama]

You rarely watch the news but you watch the Simpson's? Wow...how deep.

[homeschool mama]

Who asked you what political party you claim? I could care less.

I just want Laci found alive.

[hoosierskypilot]

We're reading this thread because we've been following this story of a missing pregnant woman in Modesto, CA.

Since you don't have a clue as to what's going on, then you're reading it because you have way too much time on your hands.

[homeschool mama]

**If found that Laci was murdered, Connor the unborn will never be given a chance because some "monster" didnt find him worthy of life. **

Absolutely true, HH.

[Dr. Frank fan]

You rarely watch the news but you watch the Simpson's? Wow...how deep.

Yeah, if I religiously watched the Shallow 6:00 Local News With Hank & Kathy, in which they robotically read AP and Reuters and New York Times stories which I've already seen on the Internet, interspersed with chatty banter, that would make me "deep".

Uh, no thanks. But good cheap shot though! You sure proved to me that it's quite fantastic for you to follow the Scott Peterson story.

[HollyHock]

Was just responding to a post that someone made.. Sorry :)

[blondee123]

Instead of asking a million questions, if you're really concerned or interested, why not visit her site. Everything & anything you may want to know is contained there. Links to news stories & pictures of the lady who is missing & stories about her family. www.lacipeterson.com

[HollyHock]

I just found out by reading on Laci's site that her family is holding a press conference about the car. The time for the conference hadn't been decided yet.

[TexKat]

Peterson Increases Suspicion From Laci's Family

Scott Peterson Traded In Laci's Range Rover

POSTED: 10:47 p.m. PST February 4, 2003

UPDATED: 10:54 p.m. PST February 4, 2003

MODESTO, Calif. -- The past few days have been too much for Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson's mother, to handle, NBC11's Karen Brown reported on Tuesday.

Rocha's suspicions and distrust towards Scott Peterson has grown after learning that he sold her daughter's Range Rover. This has really disrupted Laci's family, Brown reported.

The general manager of Roberts Auto Sales in Modesto told NBC11 that Peterson did come in to their dealership, and later traded in Laci's SUV for a white Dodge Dakota pick-up truck.

Family members have said that Scott and Laci Peterson were having financial problems, but the dealership said the pick-up truck was actually more expensive than the Range Rover.

Scott Peterson was not available for comment.

However, Laci's father, Dennis Rocha released a statement saying, "I think it's awful, just awful. It just aggravates us how he can keep doing this to our family, tearing us apart."

Brown reported that once the dealership found out that Laci's family was upset over the fact that her Range Rover was traded in, the dealership agreed to return the car to Laci's family.

The family got together and discussed it, and they decided that the car should be turned over to Laci's father. Later on Tuesday, the Range Rover was returned to Dennis Rocha.

Brown reported that Laci's family is pleased to have the car given to them and Dennis Rocha is also happy to have something that is a part of his daughter in his possession.

[Devil_Anse]

Well-said! I also enjoyed your comment about The Simpsons.

Only the most mature of minds are comfortable with the subtle humor of The Simpsons. My 8-year-old son told me so, when he encouraged me to watch it with him.

I thought this thread was just an offshoot, but due to the efforts of several posters to explain the thread's purpose to a rather dense disruptor (how many times do some people need to hear the same explanation?), the thread has grown even larger. I am sure that Laci's family appreciate the efforts of the disruptor in drawing even more people into the discussion of their daughter's disappearance. I know I do.

[Devil_Anse]

Let's see. We know the police took that Land Rover in and processed it--at the same time they took Scott's original truck, and also roped the house off for a while so they could search it.

Now, when the police had the two vehicles in there, they had already begun to think that Laci had met with foul play. This of course has to have led them to think either she wasn't coming back, or if she did come back, she might have little need to drive the Land Rover at that time.

So they could have kept the Land Rover for a longer time, w/o much fear of inconveniencing anyone. Instead they kept Scott's truck.

I am wondering exactly why they are able to keep Scott's truck for so long. I would bet a lot that Scott looked into getting that truck back--probably very early on. The police don't have unlimited rights to seize and keep property. Scott's lawyer knows this. I'd bet the lawyer asked that the police justify their prolonged holding of Scott's original truck. It appears that they HAVE justified it--otherwise, Scott would have his original truck back. Wonder what they said that appears to have satisfied the parties that they can still hang on to that truck?

As for the Land Rover, it was nice of the car place, sure, but I can't help wondering if the car place heard from the police after it acquired the Land Rover. Could the police be going to take a second look at any evidence that might be in the Land Rover? Meanwhile, the car place has to eat the loss of revenue from that Land Rover. Good PR or not, I can't help but think that the car place's release of the Rover to Mr. Rocha might have come after the police had a chat with the car place owner.

Wonder which person really had title to that Rover--Laci, or Scott? If it really was Laci alone, then how could Scott have used the Rover as a trade-in anyway? I mean, how can you take someone else's vehicle w/o their permission, and use it to gain a supposed discount while buying a new vehicle for yourself? If the Rover was in Laci's name only, maybe the car place thought "uh-oh"--we're gonna owe Laci, or her heirs, anyway.

[Devil_Anse]

I should have read the new article in the Mod Bee, "Car Dealer's Gesture of Faith." It answers a lot of the questions I used so much space asking above!

[Devil_Anse]

Once again, I'm thinking I'm remembering something, but am not sure. Can anyone assist on this one: I have a vague memory of reading that Laci's Land Rover was a red 2002. But the article "Car Dealer's Gesture of Faith" says it was a forest-green 1996. Does anyone else remember reading that it was red, and a 2002?

I'm beginning to lean towards believing that it was a '96. We heard that Scott's original truck was a 2002. That would be just like him.