Cross Examination of Lead Detective in Peterson Murder Trial Continues
KCBS/AP) - Scott Peterson defense attorney Mark Geragos focused this morning's cross examination of Modesto Police lead detective Craig Grogan on drugs and paint chips, in an effort to disprove two prosecution theories.
KCBS reporter George Harris at the courthouse in Redwood City says one theory that had been dismissed already was the possibility that Laci Peterson may have been drugged before she was murdered.
Prosecutors first began looking into that theory in an effort to determine why there were no signs of struggle at the Peterson home. ........
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Investigators Once Theorized Laci Was Poisoned
Defense Exploits Abandoned Theory
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Investigators in Laci Peterson's disappearance once considered the possibility the pregnant schoolteacher was poisoned to death by her husband to explain the absence of a bloody crime scene, according to testimony Tuesday.
According to testimony, Modesto police searched the Peterson home extensively with two separate warrants and found very little forensic evidence. So, they came up with the theory that maybe Scott Peterson poisoned Laci.
Investigators abandoned the theory after tests came up negative for drugs in the house or in Laci's body. But Scott Peterson's defense decided to bring up the theory during Tuesday's trial to show the jury all the police theories that didn't pan out.
It's not clear whether the strategy will work.
"Mr. Geragos criticizes the police for following up on thousands of leads," said legal analyst Dean Johnson. "He criticizes them for exploring different theories. And then he wants it the other way. If they didn't explore these theories, he'd say they .........
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volunteer search at the Berkeley Marina on Saturday and Sunday did not uncover anything, organizers said. Kimberly and Joshua Collier of Stockton asked volunteers to meet at the Berkeley Marina this pre- vious weekend to search for “missing anchors” or other evidence that might reveal the truth about the death of Laci Peterson and her un- born son, Conner.
Scott Peterson told author- ities he went fishing near the Berkeley Marina on Christ- mas Eve 2002 and could not find his wife when he returned home. The bodies of Laci and Conner Peterson were found in April 2003 along the bay’s......
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REDWOOD CITY — Whoever killed Laci Peterson might have mistaken her for someone else, Scott Peterson’s lawyer suggested Monday, a day that also featured new glimpses at two earlier affairs.
A violent criminal and his wife had threatened his Merced County prosecutor — a pregnant woman living in the Peterson’s Modesto neighborhood, said defense attorney Mark Geragos.
The prosecutor had features similar to Laci Peterson’s and walked her dog before her child was born in October 2002. That was two months before Scott Peterson said his wife, eight months pregnant, vanished while walking their golden retriever, McKenzie. The Merced County prosecutor’s dog also was a golden retriever with the same name.
The Merced County prosecutor, identified in court as Michelle D., “took these threats extremely seriously” and altered her dog-walking routine as a precaution, Geragos said. When details of her neighbor’s holiday disappearance commandeered news reports........
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WHAT'S NEXT
Grogan will remain on the stand today being cross-examined by defense attorney Mark Geragos. The prosecution is now expected to rest early next week, before turning it over to the defense. Judge Alfred Delucchi said the jury should begin deliberating by the end of October......
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Peterson defense works to create doubt with multiple theories, alleged police failures
REDWOOD CITY – Investigators in Laci Peterson's disappearance once considered the pregnant schoolteacher might have been poisoned by her husband and that's why police were unable to find a bloody crime scene, according to testimony Tuesday.
"One of the theories at some point was maybe Laci Peterson had been drugged, is that right?" asked defense lawyer Mark Geragos.
"Yes, we looked into that," said Modesto police Detective Craig Grogan, who has been on the witness stand for more than a week.
Grogan, the lead detective assigned to the case, said police considered the poison theory because they were unable to find any signs of a struggle and found none of Laci Peterson's blood in the couple's Modesto home, where prosecutors allege the murder took place .......
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Earthquake halts Peterson trial
Detective says Peterson's affairs nothing new
REDWOOD CITY, California (CNN) -- The double murder trial for Scott Peterson, who's accused of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, was adjourned early Tuesday after an earthquake rumbled through the region, shaking jurors and the judge.
The prosecution this week is winding up its case after several weeks of testimony.
The lead detective in the case riveted jurors Monday when he testified that Scott Peterson had been cheating on his wife since the first year of their marriage.
During questioning by defense attorney Mark Geragos, Craig Grogan revealed that one girlfriend, who didn't know Scott Peterson was married, burst in on the couple while they were in bed........
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Geragos Attempts To Create 'Reasonable Doubt'
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Investigators in Laci Peterson's disappearance once considered the pregnant schoolteacher might have been poisoned by her husband and that's why police were unable to find a bloody crime scene, according to testimony Tuesday.
"One of the theories at some point was maybe Laci Peterson had been drugged, is that right?" asked defense lawyer Mark Geragos.
"Yes, we looked into that," said Modesto police Detective Craig Grogan, who has been on the witness stand for more than a week.
Grogan, the lead detective assigned to the case, said police considered the poison theory because they were unable to find any signs of a struggle and found none of Laci Peterson's blood in the couple's Modesto home, where prosecutors allege the murder took place on or around Dec. 24, 2002.......
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Earthquake, but no earthshaking testimony from Peterson detective
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's capital trial was briefly disrupted Tuesday by an earthquake that rattled the courtroom windows and shook the jury box.
The 6.0 tremor, centered 200 miles to the south in Parkfield, rumbled through the San Mateo County courthouse at 10:22 a.m. and provided the lone moment of excitement in a day of dry, slow-paced testimony that had some jurors struggling to stay awake.
The day consisted almost entirely of defense lawyer Mark Geragos reading excerpts of police reports and then asking lead investigator Craig Grogan if they were accurate. The detective, testifying for a sixth day, then sorted through his case files for the police report, read it to himself, and then leaned forward toward a microphone on the witness stand and said, "Yes," "Correct," or sometimes, "That's right."
The reports concerned sightings of Laci Peterson and other leads that the defense claims police failed to pursue as they investigated her disappearance, and Geragos is expected to weave them together in his closing argument to suggest a rush to judgment.
Story continues ........
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Peterson Defense Offers Explanations For 'Suspicious' Behavior
Sept. 28 (AP) — Investigators in Laci Peterson's disappearance once considered the pregnant schoolteacher might have been poisoned by her husband and that's why police were unable to find a bloody crime scene, according to testimony Tuesday.......
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