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Two men face murder trials for deaths of pregnant wives
The Argus ^ | Feb 6 2004 | Amelia Hansen

Posted on 02/09/2004 5:25:36 AM PST by runningbear

Two men face murder trials for deaths of pregnant wives

Article Last Updated: Friday, February 06, 2004 - 3:36:15 AM PST

Two men face murder trials for deaths of pregnant wives One gets headlines around the world; the other is largely ignored

By Amelia Hansen, STAFF WRITER

REDWOOD CITY -- Deep inside the Maguire Correctional Facility, a man accused of killing his pregnant wife and unborn child sits waiting for his day in court.

His name is not Scott Peterson.

But like Peterson, he is in his 30s, has dark hair, and will stand trial for multiple counts of murder. Unlike Peterson, when Eddie Rapoza goes on trial -- possibly for his life -- the national media will probably continue to ignore him.

Despite the intriguingly close parallels to the Peterson case, the Rapoza case has failed to capture America's imagination -- in part, some say, because there simply was not enough mystery.

Rapoza, 36, is charged with driving his seven-months-pregnant wife and 4-year-old daugh-ter off a Moss Beach cliff and into the ocean, 150 feet below.

Raye Rapoza, 34, and her unborn child died at the scene. The couple's daughter, Tehani, died eight days later. Rapoza is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 20 to have a trial date set, and to see if the prosecution will seek the death penalty.

Meanwhile, the Peterson case is beginning in the same courthouse, under the watchful eyes of media from around the world.

Laci Peterson, eight months pregnant, disappeared on Christmas Eve of 2002. By the time police found her body -- and that of her unborn son -- more than four months later, images of Laci's pretty, smiling face had been broadcast to living rooms across the country. The fact of her death was undeniable, but the cause of her death remained unknown.

By contrast, the Rapoza deaths came instantly. Investigators reported the blue Dodge minivan, driven by Eddie Rapoza, went over the cliff at Bernal Avenue in Moss Beach at 50 miles per hour. Witnesses reported that Raye Rapoza was still wearing her seatbelt, her head underwater, by the time she was pulled from the van.

There was no need for "missing" posters or search teams for Raye Rapoza. And aside from her name, age, and the fact that she was pregnant, media reports offered little information about the dead mother.

Unlike the Peterson case, there has never been much mystery with Rapoza -- except why the deaths happened. The prosecution contends Eddie Rapoza had accused his wife of being unfaithful and intentionally drove the van off the cliff; Rapoza, who has pleaded not guilty, says his foot stuck on the accelerator, which had been adjusted for his wife.

**America loves a mystery,** said Gabriel, who has worked on the O.J. Simpson, Heidi Fleiss, and Whitewater trials. The missing-person phenomenon of Laci Peterson riveted the nation, Gabriel said, and was compounded by the fact the missing person was a mother-to-be who disappeared on Christmas Eve.

**Look at the initial images,** Gabriel said. **The candlelight vigils, neighborhood searches, the divers in the Bay. That makes for very evocative copy.** ........

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Peterson judge to decide whether to sequester jury Isolating jurors increases their stress level

Peterson judge to decide whether to sequester jury Isolating jurors increases their stress level

Stacy Finz, Diana Walsh, Chronicle Staff Writers

Monday, February 9, 2004

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They were sequestered for 9 1/2 months during the Charles Manson trial.

Two of the 18 jurors -- both married -- had an affair, another had a heart attack and another got divorced.

"We didn't leave as enemies," said 77-year-old William Zamora, one of the 12 people who convicted the cult leader of murder and later wrote "Trial by Your Peers." "But we didn't leave friends."

Zamora said he felt like a prisoner. Television was forbidden. Reading materials were censored, and guards were posted outside each juror's door. Christmas was spent in the hotel.

But after all that, he still thinks juries on high-profile cases like the Scott Peterson trial should be sequestered.

"There are always the people who want to corner you to talk about it, even though you're not supposed to talk about it," he said. "So even though you have to eat, dream and live with the same people morning, noon and night, it's a good idea."

Peterson's attorney, Mark Geragos, also thinks it's a good idea. He has asked that the jurors chosen to decide the fate of his 31-year-old client be shut off from the world and focus solely on the trial. Peterson is accused of murdering his 27-year-old pregnant wife, Laci, and the couple's fetus. Prosecutors, who are seeking a death sentence for Peterson, have said they want no part of sequestering the jury.

Neither side is talking about the issue because they are under a court- imposed order not to discuss the case. But whether to sequester the jury is one of the topics expected to come up during a hearing today in Redwood City, where Peterson's trial has been moved from Modesto because of all the media attention. And the court will probably have to decide before the lawyers start picking a jury for the case, projected to ........

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Sensationalism's old hat at Peterson case venue Redwood City court has long history of notorious cases

Sensationalism's old hat at Peterson case venue Redwood City court has long history of notorious cases

Kelly St. John, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, February 8, 2004

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John Linley Frazier killed five people in Santa Cruz in 1970 and was sentenced to death. Chronicle file photo, 1971, by Peter Brenig


Joe Hunt acted as his own lawyer in the Billionaire Boys Club case and spent $3 million of county money in preparations. Associated Press File Photo, 1984


Cameron Hooker admitted kidnapping the woman whom he was charged with keeping as a sex slave for seven years. UPI File Photo, 1985

The spectacle of the moment in Redwood City -- the trial of a fertilizer salesman accused of killing his pregnant wife at Christmas -- is the latest in a long line of lurid, bizarre or gripping sagas to unfold in San Mateo County Superior Court over the years.

There is the sick tale of the sex slave, locked in a box, kept captive for seven years. And the sad story of the millionaire's bastard daughter, banished to a Kansas City convent by her father's new wife.

It was in Redwood City that Billionaire Boys Club founder Joe Hunt -- acting as his own lawyer -- dodged a murder charge. And it was there, in the nation's first repressed-memory case, that a daughter said her father smashed a little girl's skull 20 years before.

Toss in Barry Bonds' bitter divorce, and the time a killer came to court with half his head and beard and one eyebrow shaved off, and this is clear: If courtroom walls could talk, then Redwood City's would have a lot to say.

"Every court case is fascinating. There's emotion. There's drama. There's suspense," said San Mateo County District Attorney James Fox, who has been with the office since 1970, before Scott Peterson was even born. "It's interesting the Laci Peterson case has generated another frenzy. But this isn't the only high-visibility change-of-venue case we've seen."

Coincidentally, two of the most infamous cases connected to the county were not tried here.

Patty Hearst was jailed in San Mateo County, but ..........

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Is Geragos going to seek new venue for Peterson?

Is Geragos going to seek new venue for Peterson?

By GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

Last Updated: February 8, 2004, 08:13:44 AM PST

The list of oddities in the Peterson double-murder trial could grow, if his defense attorney asks for the trial to be moved again and gets his wish.

Most lawyers are more than happy if a judge agrees to move a high-profile trial out of town. But Scott Peterson's Los Angeles attorney Mark Geragos continues to hint about asking for a move to Southern California -- even after having persuaded a judge to move the trial from Modesto to San Mateo County, on the San Francisco Peninsula.

"It's really unprecedented," said Ohio-based trial consultant Daniel Young.

Several people in the legal community could not recall a case in which a defendant sought -- much less obtained -- two venue changes.

"I'm not aware of any," said Gerald Uelmen, a criminal procedure specialist at Santa Clara University School of Law who was on O.J. Simpson's defense team.

Lynn Holton, spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of the Courts in California, said her office's records don't go back far enough to determine if it has happened. How-ever, "you could say that it is unusual," Holton said.

Peterson, 31, faces the death penalty if convicted of slaying his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son. A judge, citing massive local publicity, last month agreed to move the trial to San Mateo County.

But Geragos never budged from his pro-Los Angeles position. News reports last week of a defense-sponsored poll attempting to gauge potential jurors' attitudes in San Mateo County suggest that Geragos could be trying to line up data supporting a southward push.

Some legal experts think that would be a long shot.

"It's one thing to say, 'Take it from the area where the crime occurred,'" said Erwin Chemerinsky, a law professor at the University of Southern California and former Justice Department trial attorney. "But it's unlikely a judge would move it from another area where the crime didn't occur."

If attorneys were allowed to shop endlessly for advantages, the system would spin into "a big mess," said University of San Francisco School of Law Professor Robert Talbot. "It's just a hard road to go down."

Ramon Magana, a Modesto defense attorney who twice succeeded in moving high-profile murder cases, said he never second-guessed either judge's selection of a new locale. In both cases, he already had polled attitudes in other counties; until a few days ago, Geragos' pollster questioned Stanislaus County residents only.

"We did our homework well in advance," Magana said.

Polluting jury pool

Geragos might run a risk by polling potential jurors in San Mateo County, Young said........

something to fodder article

California's Death By Zip Code

California's Death By Zip Code

POSTED: 2:39 PM PST February 8, 2004
UPDATED: 4:37 PM PST February 8, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO -- California now has 638 inmates awaiting death, some of them for more than one murder. It adds up to 645 death sentences -- roughly one for every 54,700 current residents.

But some of the state's counties have condemned many more inmates than others of similar size, according to an Associated Press review of Corrections Department data.

While many counties issue roughly the same numbers of death sentences per capita, the disparities between some are so pronounced that legal experts say capital punishment is being unfairly doled out in California.

The reasons are complex -- for one, crimes happen more frequently in some places than others. But prosecutorial zeal and the attitudes of jurors also are factors. The bottom line, according to the data, is that death penalty sometimes depends on where the crime was committed.

"Capital punishment should not depend on an accident of geography," said defense attorney Robert Sanger, who prepared a lengthy analysis of California's death penalty system in the current issue of Santa Clara Law Review.

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The Cost Of Death In California

For the past 19 years Kevin Cooper has maintained his innocence through countless legal challenges and appeals.

The lengthy battle has been a matter of life and death for the convicted killer. But for the taxpayers, it's been a matter of the harsh economic reality of California justice.

A KTVU analysis shows the price tag run up during the lifespan of a death row inmate runs into the millions of dollars. In Cooper's case his own web site says his legal expenses have totaled $10 million.

More

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Similar geographical disparities are apparent nationwide, and not just at the county level. Texas, for example, has executed 317 people in the modern era, while California has put just 10 to death.

The death penalty is getting renewed scrutiny in California, where Tuesday's scheduled lethal injection of Kevin Cooper, who was sentenced for hacking four people to death, will be the state's first execution in two years.

Often, the debate focuses on questions about race, the reliability of evidence and even arguments about cruel and unusual punishment -- all issues raised by Cooper's defenders. And like other states, California's death row is disproportionately black.

Statewide, about 39 percent of inmates awaiting execution are .........

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(Excerpt) Read more at theargusonline.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: avoidingchildsupport; baby; babyunborn; childkiller; conner; daughterkiller; deathpenaltytime; dontubelievemyalibi; getarope; hacking; ibefishing; laci; lacipeterson; lori; lorihacking; mark; patholiar; rapoza; scottpeterson; smallbaby; smallchild; sonkiller; unborn; wifekiller
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To: runningbear
Source was Court TV report. Heard it again a few minutes ago, trial starts this week Wednesday.

Buckle up!
41 posted on 02/09/2004 10:56:16 AM PST by Velveeta
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To: Jackie-O
just talked to work "I T" member...states that it was someone with cell phone passing by on the street, and not to worry about it, hacking.... Told me further about some stories, such as people's webcams broadcasting all of a sudden in someone's TV....and other funny stories of all the world of electronics gizmo's we are accommodating ourselves with. ;o)
42 posted on 02/09/2004 10:58:06 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: Velveeta
thanks

Peterson Judge Orders Witness List Sealed

Peterson Judge Orders Witness List Sealed

Monday, February 09, 2004

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — The judge presiding over Scott Peterson's (search) double-murder trial has ordered witness lists and the names of potential jurors to remain confidential, despite a plea from a media attorney that the names be released to the public.

At a hearing Monday, Judge Alfred A. Delucchi (search) told attorneys he wants the jury selection process to begin in two weeks. Prosecutors have already developed a questionnaire to screen potential jurors, which they have shared with Mark Geragos (search), Peterson's lead defense attorney.

Delucci ruled that the voir dire process, in which potential jurors are queried by lawyers to detect bias before they are selected for trial, will be open to media coverage under the condition that the potential jurors' names not be released.

Another hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, where lawyers will review a motion concerning the global positioning device (search) that police placed on Peterson's truck in order to track his movements before his arrest last spring.........

43 posted on 02/09/2004 11:07:01 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: All
Peterson lawyer seeks trial immediately

Peterson lawyer seeks trial immediately Monday,
February 9, 2004 Posted: 2:18 PM EST (1918 GMT)


Mark Geragos, who is defending Scott Peterson, is also leading the defense for Michael Jackson.

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REDWOOD CITY, California (CNN) -- The parties in the Scott Peterson double murder trial were in court Monday to consider a number of issues, including sequestering the jury.

Reports from the courtroom indicate the defense favors that move, while the prosecution opposes.

With estimates the trial could last more than six months, sequestering a jury could cost more than $1 million, officials said.

Judge Alfred Delucchi said he would begin Wednesday to hear arguments about the admissibility of certain evidence in the trial, with jury selection to begin in two weeks.

Late Thursday, defense attorney Mark Geragos filed notice that he is ready to proceed "immediately."

In a brief notice filed by fax with San Mateo Superior Court, Geragos stated, "Please take notice that Mr. Peterson's counsel, Mark J. Geragos, is not currently engaged in trial before any court and is prepared to proceed to trial immediately."

Last month, Geragos had sought a delay until February 17, citing other cases, but last week he amended his request to one week.

The high-profile defense attorney is involved in at least three other cases, including a murder trial in southern California and singer Michael Jackson's defense against charges of committing lewd acts upon a child.

44 posted on 02/09/2004 11:34:07 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: runningbear
Wasn't the language barrier the pits? It's frustrating enough having the problem alone??
45 posted on 02/09/2004 11:36:01 AM PST by Jackie-O
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To: Velveeta
I discovered that baby monitors do the same thing. When I was babysitting my first grandson in a different house, every time I set the monitor up in my bedroom, we could hear a couple fighting and vulgar language and little kids in the background and the whole bit. I have no idea which house it was but it was very interesting, to the say the least.
46 posted on 02/09/2004 11:55:31 AM PST by Canadian Outrage (All us Western Canuks belong South!!)
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To: Jackie-O
LOL - that's what puppies do.
47 posted on 02/09/2004 11:57:31 AM PST by Canadian Outrage (All us Western Canuks belong South!!)
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To: runningbear
Geez in answer to your post #39 - Geragos is looking for a Jury with Peterson's morals - NONE!! May the Judge make quick work of this nonsense.
48 posted on 02/09/2004 12:01:00 PM PST by Canadian Outrage (All us Western Canuks belong South!!)
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To: runningbear
Someone in your area has a CB pushing a GOOD signal. It happens to me when my neighbor keys his up. As a matter of fact it even halts my wireless mouse while he's talking.
49 posted on 02/09/2004 12:02:20 PM PST by alexandria
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To: alexandria
Wish we could "tap" into Gerago's cell phone!! LOL I'll bet that would be interesting!
50 posted on 02/09/2004 12:06:08 PM PST by Canadian Outrage (All us Western Canuks belong South!!)
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To: Canadian Outrage
I still have a scanner that picks up alot of cell phone activity in the 800hrz range. problem is you'd have a hard time picking up the right scumbag
51 posted on 02/09/2004 12:11:15 PM PST by alexandria
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To: alexandria
True!
52 posted on 02/09/2004 12:16:54 PM PST by Canadian Outrage (All us Western Canuks belong South!!)
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To: Jackie-O
yep.. makes you want to hang up! ;o)
53 posted on 02/09/2004 1:40:40 PM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: alexandria
LOL... at first that is what I thought... But oh well, just keep monitoring it.... lol..
54 posted on 02/09/2004 1:42:06 PM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: Devil_Anse
San Mateo Prison Guard's Note To Self: If Inmate Peterson is wielding a gun, sniff it for a minty fresh scent before opening cell.
55 posted on 02/09/2004 1:53:37 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle
ROFLMAO!!!

(Love that minty fresh scent!)
56 posted on 02/09/2004 1:59:54 PM PST by Devil_Anse
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To: All
What do you all know about the movie coming up on Friday? Do they hint at Scott's guilt? Are they allowed to show a "murder scene" if he is only alleged to be the killer? Is it a campy charade or do they try to get close to the case as "we" know it from the media? And is the guy who played Mr. Wilson on Dennis the Menace playing Geragos?
57 posted on 02/09/2004 2:01:30 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: Constitution Day
Looks like a good site; I've bookmarked it to read later b/c I'm betting those people are fans of the great Ed Wood!

When we went to see the Johnny Depp movie about Ed, we were the only 2 people in the theater. We know another couple who also went, and they were the only 2 people in the theater THAT time. How tragic that we couldn't have been in the theater all at once... we could have done fun things like tell them, "Shhh! Please be quiet so we can hear!"
58 posted on 02/09/2004 2:05:33 PM PST by Devil_Anse
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To: Reaganwuzthebest
A MISTRIAL?? Sheesh!

I don't even know what to say...
59 posted on 02/09/2004 2:06:58 PM PST by Devil_Anse
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To: Spunky
That is a fascinating story, Spunky! I love weird stuff like that!

When you started talking about a black and white TV, I got all Twilight Zone-ish... I remember reading one of those books about "uncanny phenomena"... it was called "Strangely Enough." It had one article about how TV signals (this was in the early days of TV) would spin out in space and later appear inexplicably on someone's TV. I wish I remembered more about the article. But I do remember that someone would be watching TV, and they would suddenly pick up a signal of some broadcast that was long over and done with. Not the same thing as what you and RB described, but just as weird!

Oh, more along the lines of what happened to you, I was told by a sheriff's deputy here that he and his partner were once sitting on top of a mountain, and they started getting radio signals referring to a unit number that was the same as their own. Long story short, some other police hundreds of miles to the north were broadcasting THEIR signals, and somehow these guys were picking it up!
60 posted on 02/09/2004 2:13:23 PM PST by Devil_Anse
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