Posted on 11/19/2003 5:44:27 AM PST by runningbear
Peterson held over for trial
By JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: November 18, 2003, 02:15:14 PM PST
2:07 p.m., PST: A judge this morning held Scott Peterson to answer on double murder charges in the deaths of his wife and son.
Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Al Girolami's ruling followed a short day in court that included testimony Peterson had $15,000 cash and extensive camping gear with him when he was arrested.
The driver's license issued to Peterson's brother was on the center console of the car next to Peterson's wallet, Detective Jon Buehler testified.
Peterson also told his girlfriend Amber Frey that he had "lost his wife" two weeks before Laci Peterson was reported missing, Buehler said.
Scott Peterson later told Frey on Jan. 6 - more than a week after his wife disappeared Christmas Eve - that he was "longing to hold onto" Frey, Buehler said.
Frey secretly recorded the conversation for police, and Buehler said he with was Frey during the call.
During the conversation, Frey asked Peterson why she should "not go to police with this," Buehler said, reading from a transcript of the call.
It was unclear during the proceeding if Frey was referring to the couple's relationship or something else.
Peterson responded: "It's your decision," Buehler said.
Defense attorney Mark Geragos said that during hundreds of phone calls between the two, Peterson never sought to dissuade Frey from going to police.
"That's correct," Buehler answered.
Judge Al Girolami's decision to bind Peterson over for trial came at the conclusion of a 12-day preliminary hearing. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the 31-year-old Modesto fertilizer salesman.
He is charged with killing 27-year-old wife, Laci, and their unborn son, who was to be named Conner. The bodies of mother and son washed ashore in April, a few miles from where Peterson said he went fishing on a solo trip Christmas Eve.
He is to appear in court Dec. 3 for arraingment on the charges..........
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Testimony is graphic at hearing
Testimony is graphic at hearing
Scott Peterson's chair is empty as pathologist Brian Peterson testifies Monday in front of the defense and Judge Al Girolami. LAURIE McADAM/THE BEE 
Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, and stepfather, Ron Grantski, listen to testimony Monday afternoon. LAURIE McADAM/THE BEE 
Modesto police Detective Craig Grogan, left, and Sgt. Mike Zahn head into court. MARTY BICEK/THE BEE
By JOHN COTÉ and GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Last Updated: November 18, 2003, 08:10:51 AM PST
Police investigators found evidence suggesting someone made several cement anchors in Scott Peterson's warehouse, a detective testified Monday, while a pathologist said it was possible but not likely that Peterson's son was born alive.
Missing anchors could be damning evidence against Peterson, while the possibility that his son was delivered by Caesarian section could undermine a prosecution argument that he murdered his wife when she was nearly eight months pregnant with their first child.
The developments in Stanislaus County Superior Court punctuated a day dominated by often graphic testimony from the forensic pathologist who performed autopsies on Peterson's wife and son.
The 31-year-old defendant asked to leave the courtroom before the doctor took the stand. Defense attorney Mark Geragos said he encouraged his client to waive his right to hear that particular testimony in his preliminary hearing on double-murder charges.
"I do not wish to be present during this witness," Peterson said in measured tones when Judge Al Girolami asked him if it was his choice to leave the courtroom.
Laci Peterson's family members, who have been in the front row for nearly every court session, did not appear until after that testimony was over.
Peterson's parents, Lee and Jackie Peterson, remained in the courtroom. During a particularly gruesome patch of testimony, Jackie Peterson dabbed her eyes with a tissue. The Petersons cringed as the medical examiner inadvertently showed the audience portions of large color autopsy photos.
Also Monday, a police computer investigator said Scott Peterson used his home computer in early December to research San Francisco Bay and Central Valley lakes and reservoirs. The expert acknowledged that Peterson visited a sport fishing Web site as well.
Prosecutors said they intend to finish presenting evidence and witnesses today. Defense attorneys said they may call no witnesses.
But that could change, Geragos said, after he hears what today's witnesses have to say. Scheduled are Modesto police Detective Jon Buehler and county district attorney investigator Steve Jacobson.
Buehler was law enforcement's chief contact with Amber Frey, Scott Peterson's girlfriend when his wife disappeared. Jacobson was in charge of wiretaps on Peterson's phones.
Judge rules on DNA tests
Girolami started Day 11 of the hearing by ruling he would allow results from a disputed DNA test into court if the case proceeds to trial.
The move was a blow to the defense, which maintains that police wrongly honed in on Scott Peterson after his pregnant wife was reported missing Christmas Eve.
Prosecutors contend Peterson murdered his wife and unborn son late Dec. 23 or early Dec. 24. They are seeking the death penalty.
Peterson told police he left his wife at about 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 24 to fish alone in San Francisco Bay. She was gone when he returned that afternoon, he said.
A Dec. 27 search of the Modesto warehouse that Peterson used in his work as a fertilizer salesman and where he stored his fishing boat turned up evidence suggesting the making of cement anchors, Detective Dodge Hendee testified Monday.
Police found what appeared to be cement powder along the edge of a flatbed trailer in the warehouse, Hendee said.
There were five patches "where there was a little less powder, a voided area, if you will, something had probably or most likely, in my opinion, been there," he said.
Investigators found a 1-gallon plastic pitcher nearby, Hendee said.
A cement anchor with a rebar loop at one end found in Peterson's 14........
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Peterson to stand trial in slayings of wife, unborn son He could face death penalty if convicted
Peterson to stand trial in slayings of wife, unborn son He could face death penalty if convicted
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, November 19, 2003
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Modesto -- Scott Peterson will stand trial for murder in the slayings of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son in a case that has captivated the nation since the substitute teacher and former high-school cheerleader disappeared on Christmas Eve.
Capping 11 days of testimony, Judge Al Girolami of the Stanislaus County Superior Court ruled Tuesday that prosecutors had presented ample evidence that the former fertilizer salesman likely committed the crimes -- including a hair found in his boat that FBI scientists linked to his wife and more than 200 phone calls between Peterson and his mistress.
If convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, Peterson, 31, could face the death penalty. Peterson, who has pleaded not guilty in the slayings, is to be arraigned on the charges on Dec. 3.
"The court has considered all the evidence, and it appears to me that the offenses outlined in the complaint have been committed. There is sufficient cause to believe that Scott Lee Peterson is guilty of the crimes," Girolami said at the end of a preliminary hearing.
The decision marks the latest chapter in a saga that has transfixed the public with anguished searches for the smiling mother-to-be, reports of her husband's infidelity -- which he initially denied -- and the discovery of two bodies along the San Francisco Bay shore not far from the Berkeley Marina, where Peterson told police he had gone fishing alone on Dec. 24.
'We're not surprised'
"We're not surprised," Peterson's father, Lee Peterson, told reporters on Tuesday.
Peterson's attorney, Mark Geragos, said the ruling was all but a foregone conclusion. "The standard unfortunately in California . . . is: 'Is the defendant breathing?' " Geragos said. "Obviously, we're gratified at least that we're this much closer to trial and, hopefully at trial, vindication of Scott."
Geragos said he plans to file a change-of-venue motion and appeal the judge's ruling to hold ...........
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Peterson to stand trial for deaths of wife and unborn son
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Judge rules Scott Peterson to stand trial
Judge rules Scott Peterson to stand trial
Defense calls no witnesses at preliminary hearing
Wednesday, November 19, 2003 Posted: 3:00 AM EST (0800 GMT)
MODESTO, California (CNN) -- A judge decided Tuesday to bind Scott Peterson over for trial on murder charges in the deaths of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child.
The decision -- on the 12th day of Peterson's preliminary hearing -- quickly followed the end of the prosecution presentation and the defense decision not to call witnesses -- a move that kept Peterson's ex-mistress, Amber Frey, from testifying before the actual trial.
Peterson's next court appearance is set for December 3, when he will face arraignment in Stanislaus County court and when the judge will consider a defense request to move the trial to another county.
Peterson has pleaded not guilty. If convicted for the murders of his wife and their unborn child, Peterson, 31, could be sentenced to death.
The prosecution called two investigators Tuesday morning, including one who recorded Peterson's conversations with Frey starting a week after Christmas Eve, the day officials believe Laci Peterson's pregnant body was dumped in San Francisco Bay.
Detective Jon Buehler quoted from the transcript of several calls and from his interviews with Frey. .......
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Posted on Tue, Nov. 18, 2003
Scott Peterson to stand trial
JUDGE RULES THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE IN DOUBLE HOMICIDE CASE
By Chuck Carroll and Julia Prodis Sulek
Mercury News
Scott Peterson in court on November 13, 2003. The 31-year-old fertilizer salesman is accused of killing his wife Laci Peterson and their unborn son, Conner.
MODESTO - Scott Peterson, whose alleged role in the deaths of his wife and unborn son has riveted the nation, must stand trial for double-homicide in a case in which he will be fighting for his own life.
Stanislaus County Judge Al Girolami said there was sufficient evidence presented in a four-week preliminary hearing for Peterson to stand trial on the two counts of murder ``with intention and premeditation.''
Peterson did not react, and members of the families involved did not immediately speak to reporters.
No trial date was set, but the judge set Dec. 3 for a hearing on a variety of issues, including whether the trial should be moved to help ensure a fair jury.
The ruling came after the prosecution rested and Peterson's attorneys decided not to call any witnesses.
The final witness presented the contents of some of the taped phone conversations between Peterson and his mistress, Amber Frey, whom Peterson said .....
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Superior Court, Stanislaus County November 18, 2003
Minute Order: Preliminary Hearing (Final Day overview & ruling)
Superior Court, Stanislaus County November 18, 2003
Mitochondrial DNA Evidentiary Ruling
(Excerpt) Read more at modestobee.com ...
LACI DIAL-A-TRIAL
By HOWARD BREUER
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November 19, 2003 -- MODESTO, Calif. - Scott Peterson was ordered yesterday to stand trial in the murder of wife Laci and their unborn son after investigators testified he and his mistress, Amber Frey, called each other 241 times over a 93-day period that began a year ago today.
Modesto Detective Jon Buehler recalled one conversation, secretly recorded on Jan. 6, in which Frey threatened to tell cops about the affair and some things Scott told her during their private talks.
Peterson, in the same call, urged her to continue dating him.
Lawyers introduced a transcript of the conversation into evidence but did not play a tape.
"Sweetie, you think I had something to do with her disappearance? Amber, do you believe that?" Peterson asked, according to the transcript.
Frey: "Well, let's see how can I believe? How can I believe that? How could I believe anything for . . . ?"
Peterson: "I am not . . . evil like that."
Frey: "I would hope not."
Peterson told Frey he was "longing to hold on to" her, Buehler testified, adding that he was with Frey during the conversation.
The 12th and final day of the preliminary hearing began with testimony from a prosecution phone sleuth who logged each of the 241 calls on a large calendar with pink ink for Amber's calls and blue for Scott's.
The most calls in one day was on Dec. 26 - two days after Laci Peterson's disappearance - when Scott called Amber twice and she called him 14 times, Steve Jacobson testified.
But Peterson's lawyer, Mark Geragos noted, there were no calls on Valentine's Day.
Buehler, the detective who worked closest with Frey, said she recalled for him an incident two weeks before Laci's Christmas Eve disappearance when Peterson came to her house and told her he'd lost his wife.
Peterson was "showing emotion and saying he'd lied to her, that he'd been married in the past and he'd lost [his wife] and this was going to be his first holiday without her.
He is sure one heck of a liar!
The prosecution has a very good case against him proving that they lived together, and that he cheated on his wife, but nothing to prove he actually killed her.
I would think this statement should be a backlash onto NARAL!
I have wondered how people can be in jail for years on end without ever being found guilty of a crime.
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