Posted on 08/02/2004 5:34:48 AM PDT by runningbear
The Peterson Trial Week In Review
Last Updated: August 2, 2004, 05:05:51 AM PDT
JULY 26
Judging by gear found in his boat, Scott Peterson was ill-equipped to fish for sturgeon or bass on Christmas Eve 2002, author and commercial fisherman Angelo Cuanang testified.
Questioned by Peterson's attorney, Cuanang acknowledged that people nearly drove sturgeon to extinction about 1900 -- using methods far inferior to those of today recommended by the expert.
Financial planner Brian Ullrich said he helped Scott and Laci Peterson set up life insurance policies worth $250,000 each.
On cross-examination, Ullrich acknowledged that he had recommended a $100,000 policy for Laci Peterson with her husband as beneficiary, but she insisted on bumping the value to $250,000. Also, Ullrich said he called Scott Peterson -- not the other way around -- to set up their first financial planning session.
TUESDAY...........
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Jury to see Peterson's television interviews
Article Last Updated: Monday, August 02, 2004 - 3:37:02 AM PST
Jury to see Peterson's television interviews
Defendant's most notable appearance is with ABC's Diane Sawyer
By Jason Dearen, STAFF WRITER
REDWOOD CITY -- Jurors soon will be asked to decide between two starkly different portraits of Scott Peterson: the tearful husband who missed his wife or the shifty philanderer who lied about both his affair and, perhaps, his role in Laci Peterson's disappearance. This question will be posed to the jury without the spin of attorneys or witness testimony when they watch a number of televised interviews -- most notably, a 11/2 hour sit-down with ABC's Diane Sawyer.
It's the murder suspect in his own words, and while legal experts' opinions differ as to the interviews' import, it could be a big boost for prosecutors in the case. .........
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SCOTT'S AMBER CRAVE
By HOWARD BREUER
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August 2, 2004 -- REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — As he pleaded for the country to help find his missing wife, Scott Peterson phoned mistress Amber Frey relentlessly — much more than previously revealed, The Post has learned. Prosecutors have said that Peterson and Frey exchanged 241 calls from the time they met in November 2002 until three months later, when Frey told him to stop calling.
But sources and other phone records obtained by The Post indicate that there were at least 100 more calls and that the cheating hubby didn't give up calling Frey until April 18, 2003, the day police arrested him in the murder of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son.
"He wouldn't stop," said a source close to Frey.
The calls, which the prosecution now has records of, could prove to be one of the biggest weapons in the DA's arsenal, suggesting that Peterson was obsessed with Frey and that he killed his pregnant wife so the pair could be together.
The defense says Frey was just another notch in Peterson's bedpost and that the two only dated four times. Preliminary-hearing testimony from one DA investigator suggested there weren't calls between Frey and Peterson on Valentine's Day, 2003.
But The Post has obtained additional .......
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AMBER ASKED COP TO PROBE PETERSON
AMBER ASKED COP TO PROBE PETERSON
By HOWARD BREUER
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August 1, 2004 -- REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's mistress, Amber Frey, began confiding in a Fresno detective because she was growing suspicious of her two-timing lover — even before his wife went missing, The Post has learned.
Frey, expected to take the stand in the next two weeks to give critical evidence against Peterson, met Detective Richard Byrd on Christmas Eve 2002 — the evening Laci was reported missing, sources said.
The prosecution also is expected to call Byrd as a witness to recall for the jury how Frey phoned him days earlier, soliciting his help in learning more about her mysterious beau.
Peterson lawyer Mark Geragos asked about Frey's relationship with Byrd during the testimony of Frey's friend, Shawn Sibley, who claimed not to know anything.
In the weeks before Laci's disappearance, Amber knew only what Peterson told her: that he was a wealthy widower with homes in San Francisco and San Diego and an expensive car that always happened to be left at the airport in San Francisco.
In reality, Peterson was a fertilizer salesman from Modesto with a pickup truck and an adoring wife who was eight months pregnant. .......
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Peterson Defense Asks Court For Cash
Peterson Defense Asks Court For Cash
POSTED: 11:51 am PDT July 31, 2004
MODESTO, Calif. -- Scott Peterson's lawyers are requesting public funding to subsidize his defense against charges he murdered his pregnant wife.
Slideshow: Scott Peterson's Day In Court
The request is being considered by two judges in Stanislaus County, where Scott and Laci Peterson lived until she vanished in December 2002, the Modesto Bee reported Friday.
State law lets indigent defendants in capital cases seek public money to pay investigators and expert witnesses.
Stanislaus County Court Executive Officer Michael Tozzi told the paper that Mark Geragos met Tuesday with the judges in a closed-door hearing at the defense lawyer's request. Tozzi did not disclose the reason for the hearing, and state confidentiality laws prevent court officials or defense lawyers from discussing public funding requests.
The newspaper reported that such hearings before two-judge panels are the typical way public funds requests are considered in Stanislaus County.
Peterson hired a topflight legal team for his trial, which began more than two months ago in the San Francisco Bay area........
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Analysis: Utah family's waiting game
Analysis: Utah family's waiting game
Published 8/1/2004 11:19 PM
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The vigil for a missing Utah woman became a waiting game Sunday after Lori Hacking's loved ones released a statement implying that her husband, Mark, had come forth with the dreaded confirmation that she was indeed lying dead in an undisclosed location.
The proverbial other shoe appeared to be dropping Sunday when Lori Hacking's family members said there was no longer a reason for the public to look for the missing woman; however the police remained silent Sunday night about the chances that homicide detectives would be putting the cuffs on Mark any time soon.
"The primary person of interest, Mark Hacking, remains at a local medical facility and has not been in the custody of the police," police said in a written statement Sunday afternoon. "We continue to follow-up on all leads in this case."........
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Peterson money decision a secret
Peterson money decision a secret
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By GARTH STAPLEY and JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Last Updated: July 31, 2004, 04:51:00 AM PDT
REDWOOD CITY -- Two judges decided Friday whether tax money will help defend Scott Peterson against murder charges, but by law the ruling remains confidential. And it's possible no one will ever know, outside of a few key players.
Mark Geragos, Peterson's attorney, and court officials continued to cite state law guaranteeing confidentiality when seeking public money for indigent defense.
"Look, if I did file, I couldn't tell you," Geragos said Friday. "If I didn't file, I still couldn't tell you."
Stanislaus County Superior Court Judges Roger M. Beauchesne and Linda McFadden met with Geragos behind closed doors Tuesday and sent him their decision Friday, court Executive Officer Michael Tozzi confirmed.
But Tozzi refused to elaborate..........
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
Pinging...........
Pinging...........
Pinging...........
ROFLOL!!!
Something unfortunate usually happens to
insurance benefactors.
Why is that?
So... according to the Post, he didn't stop trying to call Amber until his arrest?
And he "had an expensive car which always seemed to be parked at the San Francisco airport?" ROFL!! That's a beaut. Wonder what the fantasy car was.
Bwaaaaahaha! In one of the articles, that stringy old bird Cardoza opines that the showing of the Sawyer interview will "help" the defense.
I'd just like to ask the old f*rt one question: if the Sawyer interview "helps" the defense, why did Scott's counsel earlier move to keep it out of evidence? I'm talking about pretrial motions, b/f Scott's counsel tried the next best thing, which was trying to get outtakes included.
"She was amazing... she IS amazing..."
If the articles are accurate, and Scott continued to call Amber right up until they put the cuffs on him, that would mean that he persisted in this course of conduct for TWO MONTHS after his last conversation with Amber.
Another case of Scott's refusal to accept reality--just like the time he looked at the pics of himself cuddling with Amber and said, "Is that supposed to be me in those pictures?"
Peterson is one fortunate guy, all the publicity got him a good lawyer. If it had been anyone else they would have only had a public defender, but Geragos saw the dollar signs. After this case he'll be one of the most sought after attorneys in the world.
I read rumors he continued the calls..but this story indicates more than I thought...
only if Scott wins, will Geragos be a demanding (sought) after attorney... If he loses, one more lost case against him, and I think that would be enough to where people won't feel at ease with his tactics anymore.
So, really wouldn't know, except maybe the Post found a good zinger for the prosecution?
and it just goes to show how scooty, didn't give a hoot about the loss of Laci and Conner.
Pinging to myself to read later.
That's very true, a lot will depend on whether Peterson is acquitted. And it could be this particular attorney enjoys the attention and limelight more than the money.
Thanks for the ping and updates, rb!!
Peterson Debt Mounting Before Laci's Disappearance
POSTED: 10:43 am PDT August 2, 2004
UPDATED: 11:43 am PDT August 2, 2004
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Scott Peterson's finances came into question Monday as a prosecution witness presented evidence that might support a motive for his wife's murder -- he was going broke and getting deeper into debt in the months before his wife was killed.
Slideshow: Scott Peterson's Day In Court
Prosecutors called Gary Nienhuis, an interna auditor for the city of Modesto, where Peterson lived with his pregnant wife, Laci. Nienhuis said he examined tax returns, payroll records, credit card statements and other financial records kept by Peterson.
His conclusion: Peterson's debt payments compared to his take-home pay rose considerably from 2001 to 2002.
"The payments that that required were high in relation to the cash flow," Nienhuis told jurors.
He said that in 2002, Peterson was paying out nearly 70 percent of his income -- an average of $3,694 a month -- to cover credit cards bills and other fixed debt, not including everyday expenses such as utilities or groceries.
A year earlier, Peterson was paying out 58.7 percent of his cash flow -- an average of $4,335 a month -- to make debt payments, Nienhuis said.
Prosecutors have suggested that in addition to his affair with a massage therapist being his motive for murder, Peterson's finances were faltering and he hoped to gain from a $250,000 life insurance policy taken out on Laci Peterson more than a year before she vanished.
However, an expert who testified for the prosecution last week acknowledged that if no body was found, Peterson would not have been able to collect the benefits for seven years.
Prosecutors also sought to show Monday that Peterson's business, an American subsidiary of a foreign fertilizer company, was going broke........
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