LOL, I guess it's a good thing she did leave the leash on him. Because if she hadn't, Scott's claim that McKenzie got loose while Laci was abducted while walking him would look even more implausible.
The perpetrator wanted that dog to be found with his leash on, and Karen, being in a hurry, unknowingly played right into his hands.
Frankly, if Karen Servas hadn't SAID she left the leash on the dog, I wonder if Scott would have gone with that story.
I did a Google and read several articles about Karen's testimony. Here is one of them. Under questioning by prosecutor Rick Distaso, neighbor Karen Servas said she delayed her plans to run errands, and instead got out of her car and grabbed the dog by its leash, which was covered with moist leaves and grass clippings. Servas, who put the time at 10:18 a.m., said Laci's car was parked in the Petersons' driveway, but the gate was locked, so she went to another gate at the side of the house and locked the dog in the yard........................................................... Servas said Scott Peterson called her at 8:30 that night to tell her that Laci was missing. When she told him that she had found their dog wandering the neighborhood, Scott handed the phone to a detective, she said...................................
Neighbor Testifies
In none of the articles does it say she left the leash on the dog when she put him in the back yard. They don't state one way or the other.
Do you have an actual transcript where she says she left the leash on when she put him in the yard, because these articles only say she found him with the leash on. If she didn't actually say that she left the leash on in her testimony and Scott stated he found the dog with the leash on then he made another boo-boo. Karen did say the leash was moist and the dog dry.
But now I am wondering for another reason as to what kind of neighbor she is. She says Scott called her at 8:30 that night to tell her Laci is missing. Now if it was me and I found a dog in the street with the leash on and knew who it belonged to after running my erronds I would have been worried about what happened to the neighbor who would have been walking the dog. I would have been on the phone and if no answer leaving messages like crazy to see if the neighbor was home yet. If I got no response after all this time I would have called the police to express my concern.
In fact a month ago I saw a dog that I was pretty sure I recognized running loose. It didn't have a leash on. I tried to follow it but couldn't find it. So I called the neighbor who I thought it belonged to and left a message. Shortly afterwards the neighbor called back and said she had been over to her rental house with the dog and it took off.