Friend: Peterson was frantic

The Modesto Bee ^ | 12/05/03 | Garth stapely

[runningbear]

Friend: Peterson was frantic

Friend: Peterson was frantic

By GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

Last Updated: December 5, 2003, 07:25:21 AM PST

Scott Peterson sounded frantic when he called a friend after Peterson's pregnant wife disappeared Christmas Eve, Modesto businessman Gregory Reed said Thursday. Reed's name surfaced in the intrigue-packed preliminary hearing for Scott Peterson. The hearing ended Nov. 18 with a judge ordering the 31-year-old former fertilizer salesman to stand trial on charges of slaying Laci Peterson and their unborn son, Conner.

Other former acquaintances of the defendant, also mentioned at the proceeding, refused to comment.

Reed and his wife, Kristen, held private Lamaze sessions attended by the Petersons, who lived a few blocks away in the La Loma neighborhood. Gregory Reed previously said the Petersons brought meals and visited after the Reeds' child was born.

"They were good people," Reed said Thursday.

At the preliminary hearing, detectives testified that on the night of Dec. 24, Scott Peterson told them he fished alone briefly that day in San Francisco Bay. Peterson said his wife, who had been planning to walk their dog when he left, was gone when he returned.

Prosecutors contend that Peterson used his pickup to transport the body of his wife to his work warehouse and then to the bay.

Steve Jacobson, a prosecution investigator, testified that Peterson used his cell phone to call Reed shortly after leaving the Berkeley Marina on Dec. 24, and again later that evening. There was nothing unusual about the first call, Reed said.

"I could tell he was driving," Reed said, "but I don't know where. I could hear road noise and feedback.

"A few hours later I did get that frantic phone call. I caught up with him and went over to the house."

Family members, friends and neighbors gathered that night to post fliers and search for the mother-to-be.

Peterson's attorney, Mark Geragos of Los Angeles, appeared at the hearing to draw the image of a man concerned at having returned to an empty house. Jacobson confirmed that Peterson made numerous calls the evening of Dec. 24, including several to his wife's mother, Sharon Rocha, and sister, Amy Rocha, and later to 911........

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Taping calls is legally tricky

By GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

Last Updated: December 6, 2003, 07:01:58 AM PST

Amber Frey secretly taped her phone conversations with suspected double-murderer Scott Peterson, but such an action is only legal under very specific circumstances. Recording calls is against the law in California -- unless the one taping gets the other person's consent. Another law permits covert recording to gather evidence of certain crimes, including murder.

That's how Frey did it. In fact, she had help from detectives who bought her a recording device and showed her how to use it -- hoping she could extract evidence from her boyfriend.

Peterson, 31, is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 26 on charges of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

In a preliminary hearing last month, authorities suggested that the defendant's romance with Frey may have provided him with a motive to kill his wife.

Frey approached Modesto police on Dec. 30, six days after Laci Peterson went missing, and began cooperating with authorities. Detective Al Brocchini testified that he gave her taping equipment that same day.

Brocchini said he bought some of it at Radio Shack. The store sells a "recorder control" for $24.19 -- with a caution urging buyers to check local laws because taping without consent is illegal in some states.

Questioning from a defense attorney suggested that Frey had begun taping their calls on her own as of Dec. 16.

In any case, she continued recording their calls for about seven weeks. Transcripts from one featured Peterson saying he was "longing to hold onto" Frey; he repeatedly deflected questions about having previously lied about his wife and unborn baby.

Authorities also obtained wiretap warrants for Peterson's cell phones allowing them to record all of his calls. Those recordings were not discussed at the preliminary hearing, though prosecutors reserved the option of introducing that evidence at trial.

Before 1967, anyone in California could tape a phone chat without fear of going afoul of the law. But state legislators that year adopted a series of eavesdropping statutes, including one prohibiting one-party-consent recording.

"To me, it's just offensive that people record conversations, in terms of .......

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Superior Court, Stanislaus County December 5, 2003

Minute Order: Findings on Sealing Orders

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Superior Court, Stanislaus County December 5, 2003

Minute Order: Correction to Minute Order of 12/3/03.....

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[Cloe]

Thank you for posting that link - interesting reading!

[drjulie]

"Besides, I am a lifelong reader of the fine journalism of the National Enquirer, having started when I was 9 (in spite of store clerks saying things like, "I'm not sure I should be selling this to you kids, but...")"

You're welcome...NE has gotten more credible over the years, at least there aren't headlines refering to "alien visits". They have a checkbook & I think that helps. These NE article are gems. I still haven't found a link to the Globe article. BTW, can they use anything Scott said (or didn't say) in that initial interview in court as evidence?

[drjulie]

You're welcome.

[Devil_Anse]

Can they use anything Scott said/didn't say in that interview as evidence? My dear Drj, they can use all of it! Thank heaven!

It's tricky, though, for them to argue to a jury, "Notice he didn't say such-and-such"... they would stay away from that sort of comment. I think they'll just put the statement out there... they can point out conflicting statements by Scott. The jurors will be able to draw a few conclusions of their own, also. I bet at least one juror will ask, "Why did he ask for grief counselors less than 24 hours after she went missing?"

I mean, when a loved one is missing and you're looking frantically, I call that panic and fear--not grief! You certainly don't want to sit around and talk about your feelings at a time like that--seems like you'd be still trying to do your best to find her. Unless...

[Rusty Roberts]

RB,congratulations! Happy Holidays to all... Interesting articles and timing. My guess is the leak is from the defense, as better to get this damning data out over the holidays, when most people will not be following the case news. As you read through the interview, beside asking for counseling less than 8 hours after Laci was reported "missing": he cannot remember how long he has been married, in talking with Amy-he refers to "my, er, our house", refers to Laci "stealing my clothes", refers to leaving her a voice mail sometime "yesterday, 2:16pm"(wouldn't it still be the same day to him-most people would say "this afternoon"), and never asks about the search and what is being done to help find his "missing" wife. All I mean by this is that in the first hours of your 8 month pregnant wife being missing on Christmas Eve, these are not the responses of a concerned husband, one who hopes to see that wife again.

[BunnySlippers]

Anyone know if Wensleuths is down? I have not been able to get on in 3 days.

[BunnySlippers]

Besides, I am a lifelong reader of the fine journalism of the National Enquirer, having started when I was 9

I checked out the BIG coffee table sized "National Enquirer" book this week and returned it this morning. Very interesting ... had lots of photos I had never seen before. Kinda like "Hollywood Babylon".

[drjulie]

"Anyone know if Wensleuths is down? I have not been able to get on in 3 days."

Go to www.websleuths.com/forums

[drjulie]

"I mean, when a loved one is missing and you're looking frantically, I call that panic and fear--not grief!"

Exactly - also it is normal to see denial at a time like this.

[Jackie-O]

I read on Purgetory a few days ago that Webslueths is closing.

[Devil_Anse]

Jackie-O said she read somewhere on the Purgatory site that Websleuths is closing.

Jackie, I tried that link, but couldn't get it to work. What did you read about Websleuths?

[drjulie]

If you copy and paste this link in your address line it will work: www.websleuths.com/forums I don't know why it's not showing up as a link. There is a thread on websleuths from River saying that she has decided not to close websleuths. They also discuss why the websleuths.com address isn't working...not sure I understand this. She does say that they are going to make some changes in the near future. I'm glad to hear this - it's a good site & has some great posters. I usually don't have time to read beyond this site but when I do that's one place I like to visit.

[Devil_Anse]

Hollywood Babylon is great!!

In the olden days, the National Enquirer had stories like "Man Beats Entire Family, Including Girl In Wheelchair, To Death With Leg of TV". (Back when TV's had legs.)

Then, IMO, the defamation laws changed, and it seemed that the NE and other such rags started publishing "inside" stuff about the "stars". To me, that was a downward turn. If I'm in the mood to read maudlin garbage, I'd rather read it about ordinary, normal-appearing people--not the drug addicts/mental cases that we call celebrities.

[Devil_Anse]

And as for denial, well, he didn't appear to be in that. He lapsed into past tense at least once during that interview--I think it was when he was describing Laci's "meticulous" cleaning habits.

He does, however, appear to be in denial about the fact that it is a BIG DEAL when someone disappears and is later found dead on a seashore!

[Devil_Anse]

Oh, good, I'm glad they're not closing!!

[Devil_Anse]

Last night we went to a bookstore that has a newsstand in it, and I found THE issue of the NE! I had already read it, of course, thanks to your link, but I'm glad to have a hard copy.

It was very curious, that part about how Scott said what time it was in his call to Laci from Berkeley. Didn't he say, "Hi beautiful, it's 2:15, etc."? But Brocchini told him that that call was actually timed at 12:15. Since it was still only Christmas morning, Brocchini must have been referring to the cellphone's own time stamp mechanism--there's no way he could've seen the cellphone company's records that early.

As we all know, a cellphone can record the wrong time. Mine is always having to have the time set.

I wonder if Brocchini was telling him the truth, when he said, Scott, the phone records said your call to Laci actually came in at 12:15.

Whatever, notice that we never got an explanation as to why Scott would call her at 12:15 and say, "It's 2:15 and I'm leaving Berkeley now."

[Devil_Anse]

Good catch, on that "my, er, our house". Strange, wasn't it?

Later when he's talking about where he dumped the mop bucket, he says something about the area outside his front door, but then when Brocchini says something about the front door, Scott says, no, not the front door--that little side door. Confusing.

[RGSpincich]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1047480/posts

An additional thread re: Geragos asking for dismissal.

[BunnySlippers]

Go to www.websleuths.com/forums

Thanks for the way into Websleuths. I did get in and saw the thread about possibly closing the forum ...

I hope it stays open. It's good for armchair detectives. :)

[drjulie]

"And as for denial, well, he didn't appear to be in that. He lapsed into past tense at least once during that interview--I think it was when he was describing Laci's "meticulous" cleaning habits."

He moved through all of the stages of the grieving process in a few hours! I know that the prosecution can't use this as evidence of premeditation but it's important to me....I think he made the decision months before to "get rid" of her and began to move on with his life before he killed her. He was months into the grieving process (or whatever grieving he is capable of doing).