(06-28) 10:12 PDT REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) --
The judge in the Laci Peterson case admonished the Modesto Police Department on Monday for violating a gag order by publicly criticizing the defense.
Under cross-examination Thursday, defense attorney Mark Geragos got Detective Allen Brocchini to admit he deliberately deleted from his report a witness account that could be favorable to Scott Peterson, on trial in the death of his pregnant wife, Laci.
On Friday, Modesto police Sgt. Ed Steele told The Associated Press that Brocchini omitted the material because it is in other police reports provided to the defense.
"It's Geragos' spin," Steel told the AP.
All parties in the case are bound by the order that prevents them from talking.
Judge Alfred A. Delucchi called a Modesto police captain from the gallery Monday to stand before him.
"This has to stop," Delucchi said. "Go tell the chief that he's going to have to sit on his folks ... or there's going to be trouble."
After the admonishment, Geragos resumed his cross-examination of
Doesn't that just piss you right off??? I haven't heard the Judge say ONE word to the flapping, yapping, Peterson's!!
This makes me INSANE!
Got him to admit? Brocchini handed over his notes AND his audiotape.......how is that "getting him" to admit?
And nowhere did Brocchini say he DELIBERATELY deleted them; he just said he didn't put them in there.
It was Geragos and the press who said he did it on purpose.