MODESTO False alarm near ex-Peterson home

sfgate.com ^ | 6/23/04 | Charlie Goodyear

[runningbear]

MODESTO False alarm near ex-Peterson home

MODESTO False alarm near ex-Peterson home

Charlie Goodyear
Wednesday, June 23, 2004

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When a group of children reported hearing screams and seeing a woman's body in a creek not far from the former home of Scott and Laci Peterson, police in Modesto geared up for the worst Tuesday night.

A short time later, authorities, using a helicopter and searchers on the ground, found what had prompted the scare -- a large beaver.

The false alarm came in around 8:30 p.m. with disturbing details. The children, at least one of whom was 11 years old, said a dark-haired woman's body, clothed in a ripped white shirt, was floating in Modesto's Dry Creek........

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Peterson's account of events is attacked
His wife's pregnancy ended her walks in the park, friends testify.

Peterson's account of events is attacked
His wife's pregnancy ended her walks in the park, friends testify.

By John Cote and Garth Stapley -- Modesto Bee
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, June 22, 2004

REDWOOD CITY - A string of prosecution witnesses testified Monday that Laci Peterson frequently complained of fatigue and had pledged to give up exercise walks in the weeks before her disappearance. Scott Peterson claims his wife planned to walk the couple's dog the morning he left for a solo fishing trip and returned to an empty home.........

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Juror dismissed from panel

Juror dismissed from panel

By Jason Dearen

Snip it:

"Breaks in the case

The major break for detectives came in late December, when Amber Frey called the Modesto Police Department's tip line. "I was standing behind the clerk's desk; she was typing in a claim from someone claiming to be his girlfriend," Brocchini said.

Brocchini and another detective drove to Frey's house to check her story. Moments later they were at a Radio Shack, purchasing a recording device for her cell phone.

"I told her not to tell (Peterson) you are working with the police. Just let him keep talking to you ..." Brocchini said. Distaso asked how long it took for Frey to record a call.

"She recorded a conversation while we were there," he said.

The other break came while studying a photograph of Scott Peterson's boat two months after it was taken. For the firs time, Brocchini noticed a pair of pliers with a hair attached resting on the boat's bottom. The hair discovery "was kind of an exciting moment for us," said Brocchini. That hair has not been identified as Laci's, but has been excluded by DNA testing from belonging to Peterson.

At one point in the video, Brocchini tried to confuse Peterson but had the tactic backfire. Peterson said he made two calls to Laci from the marina that day, one at 2:17 p.m. and another on his way home around 4:30 p.m. "I have a couple of concerns. One is from the cell phone call at 12:17, you said 2:17 but the time stamp (on Peterson's cell phone) says 12:17," Brocchini says in an accusatory tone.

Peterson grabs the cell phone and checks the time stamp. After checking he tells Brocchini he mixed up the times. "You said it," Peterson said. With a slight pause to look at his notes, Brocchini admits, "Yeah, you're right."".....

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LACI JUROR AXED

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Juror No. 5 removed, motion for mistrial denied

Justin Falconer, previously known to the world as Juror No. 5 in the Scott Peterson murder trial, speaks with the media after he was kicked off the jury Wednesday.
JOHN GREEN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Snip it:

"Falconer said he would not vote to convict Peterson of murdering his wife, Laci, an unborn son, Conner, from the testimony so far presented. Speaking to a media throng outside the courthouse, he declined to comment on whether other jurors felt similarly. "

[juzcuz]

Wow --Liz from your link: PsN

This pawn shop incident happened on December 14, the day
Scott left Laci to go to a Christmas party alone while he partied and spent the night with Amber in Fresno. Does it not give anyone else an uneasy feeling that before he runs off to Amber, he has Laci in a pawn shop getting money? She also went to the pawn shop, selling items on December 10. The very next day, Scott went to Fresno to take Amber to Shawn Sibley's birthday party. I am left with the uncomfortable notion he was making Laci finance his "courtship" of Amber.

OOOOOO this really makes me angry.... I never put the dates together like this amazing ....What a

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Snott is....

[MEG33]

Broncchini is being discussed as a spreader of rumors(life insurance policy bought recently reported in the media and he had Scott's friend read the article though Broncchini knew the insurance was bought a year and a half earlier..(They were looking for a secret insurance policy , I know.

They had a witness say he saw Scott at warehouse on 24th, though the word was out that it was the 23rd or 24th Poor Scott has been lied about by Broncchini and who would find guilt with this kind of underhanded shenanigans by the police...says the TH Attorney Lichman.

Did the prosecutors already know Geragos would do this?..Should Prosecutor have brought it up on direct?Yes, they say..take the air out of AHA! moment.

[pinz-n-needlez]

Thanks, liz.

Very insightful and reasonable explanations. She makes my earlier point that Geragos no doubt has Thursday 'treats' planned for the entire duration of the trial. No need to get our stomachs in knots every week, just see his shenanigans for what they are.

I sure hope Distaso has some emotional, strong speaking advisors on his staff to counsel him on how to win over jurors with more than simple logic. Do they teach classes at law schools on how to communicate with gluttinous, ignorant half wits? (And I sincerely hope #5 isn't representative of our nation's jurors.)

Gotta get some sewing done. See you all on the other side of the weekend.

Pinz

[Jackie-O]

Nice catch about the other LE that did the report on the "warehouse sighting."
And I also saw that Crier chronology of Snott's romance with Amber with the call list. I thought I heard her say that he called Amber , "it sounded like the shower was running" on the 24th, WHILE his wife was missing.
I was saying last night that I would like to see Distaso whip that tape out in his redirect of Brochinni to contrast the lovey message that MG played yesterday, message to Laci about the basekt for Papa...if I'm not mistaken, they are from the same day, the 24th.

[Jackie-O]

That was my understanding of what Crier said yesterday.
I wonder if I can find transcripts. BRB.

[Jackie-O]

The first link here is the discussion about the phone calls,
the second is a good synopsis of the case thus far.
http://board2.courttv.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=135834

http://www.courttv.com/trials/peterson/prosecution/index.html

[Jackie-O]

ping to today's posts...

[Howlin]

Here we go:

Geragos flashed an enlargement of the transcript on a projection screen and then began playing the original tape. At first the transcript followed Brocchini's words exactly. But the transcript abruptly stopped tracking with the tape when the detective began discussing a woman at the warehouse who reportedly let Laci Peterson use her restroom Dec. 23. It picked up again several sentences later when he moved on to another subject.

As jurors stared intently at the document across the darkened courtroom, the missing sentences appeared on the screen.

"Once they were outside, [the agent] pointed out a neighboring building, a neighboring warehouse and advised [former defense attorney Matt] Dalton and [defense private investigator Bill] Pavelic that [a female tenant] had allowed Laci to use the restroom on 12-23-02," the omitted section read, in part.

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When Geragos pressed Brocchini about who had edited the transcript, he said, "I guess I did. It's not on that page."

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Prosecutors are sure to question the detective further about the exclusion Monday when testimony resumes. In his answers to Geragos' narrow questions, Brocchini implied that other detectives had questioned the female tenant and written their own reports. The missing section concludes, "[The tenant] told [the agent] she had already been interviewed by law enforcement."

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The omission does not appear to be a serious violation of evidence rules because the defense independently knew of the woman's story, had the tape and presumably the other police reports.

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http://www.courttv.com/trials/peterson/062404-pm_ctv.html

[Jackie-O]

Thanks Howl...I wish the TH's would talk about this instead of reporting that LE redacted out exculpatory evidence. I actually heard a report at about 5:30AM on ABC news that said exactly that. Sheesh. If that were the case, Snott would not be on trial right now.

[runningbear]

thanks Howlin....

[Canadian Outrage]

You know what's interesting about this RG - Geragos KNEW this information as far back as the Preliminary Hearing. I believe one of two things, either the boat was not kept at THAT storage unit OR she was NOT in the warehouse. I mean what's this about it being a surprise about then and now recently it's a surprise for Ron Grantski??? The thing that is irritating me the most is the MEDIA. They are ALL truly pathetic. All I hear is LEAD DETECTIVE DELIBERATELY LIED ABOUT KEY EVIDENCE. I watched a cooking show this morning getting ready for work instead of CTV because I couldn't stand it!!

[Canadian Outrage]

Scott told the world that the boat was a "surprise" Meg. I don't think Distaso will have any problem rehabilitating this witness on Monday. Too bad it has be hashed over and over all weekend tho.

[Howlin]

There were 3 reports and a tape. The statement was left out of ONE report. All reports and the tape were handed over in discovery. There was no lie and no cover up.

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However, a Modesto police spokesman told The Associated Press on Friday that the witness account is included in another detective's report that was given to defense attorneys. The witness is a woman who recalled seeing Laci Peterson at the warehouse where her husband stored his small boat.

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But Modesto police Sgt. Ed Steele offered an explanation Friday, adding that he hoped prosecutors would alert the jury when the trial resumes Monday. "It's Geragos' spin," Steele said in an interview. "The information he's alluding to was not omitted. It was already reported. The information is actually documented in a report by another detective. That's why (Brocchini) left it out of his report."

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_062504_peterson.html

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Regarding the meringue:

According to reports, the brief segment was aired at 9:48am and Scott says he left the house at 9:30 a.m. Geragos was so fast to get the show out he didn't realize that HE contradicts his own client's alibi and time line tale.

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And it's being reported that Geragos is refusing to hand over all the paperwork he did in the Michael Jackson case to the new attorney!!! Didn't we hear something about Geragos being in trouble for conspiracy in that case???

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