BURGLAR MAY TESTIFY vs. LACI HUBBY

The NY Post ^ | Jan 6 2004 | HOWARD BREUER

[runningbear]

BURGLAR MAY TESTIFY vs LACI HUBBY

BURGLAR MAY TESTIFY vs. LACI HUBBY

By HOWARD BREUER

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January 6, 2004 -- MODESTO, Calif. - A convicted burglar who targeted neighbors of Scott and Laci Peterson around the time Laci disappeared may testify at Scott's murder trial to try to refute testimony from a potentially key defense witness.

Prosecutors filed documents yesterday seeking to allow Steven Wayne Todd, 37, to testify in the sensational case. Last February, Todd was sentenced to more than eight years for burglaries in December 2002.

Prosecutors may try to use Todd to undermine the defense's assertions that detectives zeroed in on Scott Peterson as a suspect early in the case, effectively rejecting other leads that could have led to Laci's true killer.

Possible defense witness Diane Jackson told police she was driving home at 11:40 a.m. Dec. 24. - two hours after Scott says he left Laci to go on a fishing trip - when she spotted something suspicious.

She said she saw three men, presumably Todd and accomplices, standing near a tan van across the street from the Petersons' home, making them potential suspects in the case.

Police insist that Jackson was wrong about the date and that the burglaries actually occurred Dec. 26, two days after Laci vanished.

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Superior Court, Stanislaus County
January 5, 2004

Declaration and Order for Production of Inmate/Witness from Deuel Vocational Institute

Deuel Vocational Institute

Superior Court, Stanislaus County January 2, 2004

Opposition to Motion for Change of Venue; Declaration of Dr. Ebbe Ebbesen, Mark Smith, Caitriona Goss; Points and Authorities in Opposition to Change of Venue

Change of Venue

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Conflicting Polls to Be Presented in Peterson Change of Venue Hearing

Conflicting Polls to Be Presented in Peterson Change of Venue Hearing

A new poll contradicts an earlier finding that Stanislaus County residents weren't unduly influenced by media reports of the Laci Peterson case.

According to a report in The Modesto Bee, a survey authorized by defense attorneys found that citizens of Stanislaus County are more likely to have formed conclusions about the guilt or innocence of Scott Peterson than Bay Area and Southern California residents.

The survey was conducted by Stephen Schoenthaler, a criminal justice professor at California State University, Stanislaus. It questioned 1,175 prospective jurors in ten California counties about their attitudes on the case.

The poll found a wide disparity in results from Laci Peterson's home county and those elsewhere in California. The survey results indicate that nearly 70 percent of Stanislaus residents have formed a strong opinion in the case, compared to less than 50 percent of those living in the Bay Area and Southern California.

The defense is expected to use the results from the latest poll in a change of venue hearing scheduled for January 8.

On Friday, prosecutors with the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office filed a motion to keep the trial in Modesto. Based on the results of a survey conducted by a U.C. .......

Jacko Defense: He Wasn't There

Jacko Defense: He Wasn't There

What kind of defense is Mark Geragos putting together for Michael Jackson? How about: absentee molester?

The word is coming down that Geragos will use the specific dates mentioned in the charges filed against Jackson to exonerate the singer. Those dates — Feb. 7 to March 10, 2003 — will work in Jackson's favor, I am told.

The defense will reconstruct a timeline of Jackson's travels, primarily to Miami, to show that he was rarely in town or at Neverland when the D.A.'s office says he allegedly molested a 13-year-old boy suffering from cancer.

What is known already is that Jackson was in Miami on Jan. 16 last year for the funeral of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. Further, according to sources, he was also there on Feb. 6, the night ABC aired the Martin Bashir documentary "Living with Michael Jackson." He was then a guest of Miami lawyer Alvin Malnik.

The defense, I am told, will sketch out Jackson's trips through the six weeks in the police complaint, showing that Jackson was either in Miami or away and didn't have much access to the boy or his family.

Prosecutors will counter that the boy made a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., during that time, and that Jackson saw him there. But even if that turns out to be true, all nine charges against Jackson specify that they took place in Santa Barbara County, Calif., and not anywhere else.

One source close to Jackson suggested to me that possibly he'd been in the Miami recording studio The Hit Factory in early February. But a Hit Factory source went through the facility's 2003 schedule book and concluded for me that Jackson .....

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Books

Laci : Inside the Laci Peterson Murder

and

The Murder of Laci Peterson: The Inside Story of What Really Happened

[Canadian Outrage]

I wonder how Geragross can account for the extensive coverage here in B.C.??!! He's so FULL OF $HIT!!

[Jackie-O]

I have a copy of the Jan 13 NE.
Does anyone remember if the story about Snott's "apology" email to Sharon has been posted yet?
I only remember the story about Laci catching Snott cheating being posted.
If not, would you SCOWS like me to post it??

[Canadian Outrage]

I agree!! He has a horrible voice. Also, since the very beginning when Geragos started the Satanist crap, Roy Black was EXTREMELY critical of Geragos PUBLICALLY!! But Geragos knows no other way to practice law than "in the media". This GAG order has really screwed his routine! -):

[Canadian Outrage]

Yeah and attack and slam in THIS case is going to fly like a lead balloon!!

[Canadian Outrage]

I haven't seen anything about Snott apologizing to Sharon. What, pray tell, was he apologizing about??

[Velveeta]

Come to think of it, I won't be needing any parakeet attire(rofl, recurring themes amuse me). Probably wouldn't be prudent or profitable to design anything for Japanese fighting fish either?

[Velveeta]

Did you run into Ma and Pa Peterson while you were out there? You know the covert operation you were supposed to run for us?

Slim? Slim? Come in, Slim.

[Velveeta]

An apology "e-mail"? How tacky. (I'd love to see it, please)

[Jackie-O]

SCOTT'S APPOLOGY TO LACI'S MOM OVER HIS AFFAIR
Another Enquirer Exclusive
How's this for nerve? Laci Peterson's cheating husband Scott tried to patch up a crumbling relationship with her mother by apologizing for his sleazy affair with girlfriend Amber Frey-in an e-mail!
Laci's mom Sharon Rocha didn't accept the half-hearted apology-she's convinced Scott killed her daughter.
Just prior to the one year anniversary of Laci's disappearance, Sharon slapped son-in-law Scott with two wrongful death suits charging that he "PLANNED and PREPARED to ASSUALT, BATTER and MURDER" Lacie.
But sources tell the ENQUIRER that Sharon was already starting to suspect Scott when he sent his e-mail February 3, 10 days after Amber announced that she'd slept with Scott. Forced to admit he lied, Scott wrote to Sharon and her longtime partner Ron Grantski seeking forgiveness:
"Mom, I have never taken the opportunity to apologize to either Ron or yourself for lying to you about my infidelity to Laci. I am truly sorry that I was not forthcoming with you immediately."
Sharon could barely force herself to continue reading, said an insider.
Disgusted by his affair with Amber, the outraged Rocha family had already cut off contact with the fertilizer salesman and had begun organizing searches for Laci without Scott's involvement.
They had changed the address for a Fund-raising drive designed to raise money to help in the search for Laci.
Now, as Sharon read on, she saw Scott's true motive for writing.
He wrote that he didn't mind they'd changed the address for the Laci fund, but he hoped that he could still work with the Rocha family ti find his pregnant wife.
He explained he'd been organizing a national search day on his own, something Sharon Rocha was unaware of, and was hoping Laci's family would combine their search with his.
Scott's message left Sharon and her family seething, but investigators were intrigued.
"Police were given a copy of the message and were particularly interested in one passage," said an insider. "It backed up indications that they already had that Scott was trying to insure that Laci would never be found."
In the e-mail, Scott suggested to Sharon that her family's search should be directed at "medical institutions, houses and the like."
"In earlier conversations with Laci's brother Brent Rocha, Scott had suggested that the searches for Laci should concentrate on various cities-and not in any waterway," said the insider.
"police felt Scott was obviously trying to keep the searchers from looking at San Francisco Bay, which is where her body was ultimately found."
-snip-
This was most all of the article..the last two paragraphs were about Sharon's wrongful death suit.

[Jackie-O]

I HATE THIS COLD, V!!!

[Sandylapper]

$$$Chaching$$$ will be up and ready to go tomorrow. Maybe we'll get a clue about where the trial is going to be, or when the appeal for the change of venue will be held. Katie??? I thought you sold her at a yardsale!

Mrs. runningbear, great to have you back! Thanks to all of you for the updates.

[Velveeta]

Thanks for posting that. I can hear Scotty boy now saying: "Whatever you do, wherever you search....DON'T LOOK IN THE BAY!!!"

[Velveeta]

Much too cold around here, the fingers don't type as well, for sure.

[Searching4Justice]

Happy New Year RB and to all....It just occurred to me why we have all this global warming..it's all the hot air coming from these attorneys just blowing smQke !!!!! If Scott strangled Laci there would be no weapon, no blood, so just his actions would be what's relevant and things like his run for the border instead of identifying his wife's remains can only be construed as those of a guilty man (boy)....

[Velveeta]

I did sell her at a yardsale. I was just wondering if there were any bird lovers out there (obviously I'm not one of them) who might want "Modesto wear" for their birds??!?

[Jackie-O]

Speaking of cold...I wonder if Sharon was angered by the word usage in the "apology." I'm sure Snotty doesn't talk like that in life.
One thing he wrote cracked me up..."I'm truly sorry that I was not forthcoming with you immediately."
Isn't that kinda redundant?? To me he should just simply say that he was sorry that he LIED...SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE TRUTH IMMEDIATELY!

[Jackie-O]

I used to be a major Mac fan until my workplace bought me a Dell..I'm hooked! I even purchased one for home, gave the Imac the boot. Only use it for word processing and games.

[Velveeta]

I think SP learned the use of the words "not forthcoming" from the Rocha press conferences. Remember at the time, that's the only thing the Rocha's would say (in public) that was negative about the Snotster.

[Devil_Anse]

Post it! Post it! I haven't seen it!

[Devil_Anse]

I don't recall seeing "in the area in which they live" in the law anywhere. Jury of peers, yes, of course.

One thing I KNOW, though: a defendant may win a change of venue due to publicity, but he does NOT have a right to choose WHICH alternate venue the trial is moved to. This bit about asking for L.A. is ridiculous.

It's as if a person called his wife, and when she said, "What do you want?" instead of saying why he called her, he said, "Well, I want all the money in the world, I want to live forever, I want you to be the most beautiful woman in the world..." I mean, he can SAY it, but he ain't gonna get it! LOL!

Geragos literally doesn't have a leg to stand on, in trying to dictate to the court that the trial be moved to L.A., just b/c HE likes L.A. better.