Posted on 10/18/2004 5:13:16 AM PDT by runningbear
Defense begins presenting case Monday in Scott Peterson trial
SAN FRANCISCO Scott Peterson's murder trial is scheduled to resume today in Redwood City, California.
The defense may call experts to say the fetus Laci Peterson was carrying when she disappeared on Christmas Eve, 2002 was born full term. Her due date was February tenth, 2003. Scott Peterson was under police surveillance at that time.
Legal experts agree that if Peterson's team can convince jurors the fetus was carried to full term, Scott Peterson could be acquitted.
Prosecutors allege Peterson killed his pregnant wife, then dumped her body into San Francisco Bay. The bodies of Laci Peterson and her baby washed up about four months after she was last seen.
Defense lawyers claim someone else abducted........
Peterson drilling for possible testimony
REDWOOD CITY, California (CNN) -- Lawyers for Scott Peterson are scheduled to begin presenting his defense to double murder charges Monday, with Peterson preparing for a possible appearance on the witness stand.
A source close to the defense says no decision has been made about whether Peterson will testify. But attorney Michael Cardoza has held mock question-and-answer sessions with Peterson to prepare him for a possible cross-examination by prosecutors, the source said.
Cardoza, a frequent guest commentator on CNN's "Larry King Live," said he has met with Peterson three times, most recently on Sunday afternoon. He would not discuss details of those meetings.
Peterson, 31, is charged with the murders of his pregnant wife, Laci, and the couple's unborn son, whose bodies washed up separately along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in April 2003. He faces a possible death .......
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Did anchor cause judge to postpone defense?
On Tuesday, after a week off from testimony, the defense was slated to start its case in the Scott Peterson murder trial.
Quite unexpectedly, after almost 25 minutes of discussion in chambers, Scott Peterson and court reporter Linda Swanner disappeared into chambers for another 10 minutes. When the prosecution, defense, court reporter, the judge and Peterson emerged from chambers, Judge Al Delucchi dropped the bomb on the jury and the courtroom: “We’ve got some problems that have arisen here. It’s going to take some time to sort these matters out.” With that statement, the trial was halted for a week. Jurors fell back in their seats and rolled their eyes. The audience left the courtroom in shocked disbelief.
Speculation from the media and commentators ranged from late discovery issues from the defense, an unexpected witness or new photos. All may be true, but Delucchi rarely invokes this type of delay without grave cause. Delucchi certainly had one, if the following is true.
This story may be preposterous, and it is based on conjecture and hearsay from some e-mail correspondents, but it might give insight into why a conservative judge like Delucchi postponed the trial for a week.
Six supporters of Scott Peterson, and members of an Internet message board, “TalkAboutIt.us,” planned a trip out to the Bay Area to watch the trial and lend support to Peterson. The trip was planned a month ago, and travelers came from the Bay Area and Sacramento, but ......
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Experts: Peterson Likely Won't Testify, and for Good Reason
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--The witness stand can be a dangerous place for a defendant.
Objections from defense lawyers can be seen by jurors as an attempt to hide something. Cross examination can be brutal, exposing the alleged perpetrator to a host of vulnerabilities. Personality and demeanor often overwhelm the actual testimony.
"Even innocent defendants can look guilty on the witness stand," said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.
It's a chance Scott Peterson's attorneys likely won't take.
In nearly 19 weeks of trial on charges of killing his wife and the fetus she carried, Peterson has already become his own worst witness. Jurors have seen and heard him lie repeatedly to his mistress, to reporters, to police, and to friends and family members on wiretapped phone calls and videotapes.......
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Repost
The getaway driver in a burglary across the street from Laci Peterson's Modesto home said he had nothing to do with her Christmas Eve 2002 disappearance.
In his first interview since becoming entangled in a mystery that has drawn nationwide attention, D. Glenn Pearce on Friday said he passed a lie detector test about the pregnant woman's fate shortly after police arrested him in connection with the burglary at her neighbors' house.
Lawyers for Scott Peterson, whose double-murder trial began June 1, have suggested that his wife could have been abducted while interrupting the crime.
"My answer to that is, I didn't have nothing to do with it," Pearce said. "I never knew she was gone. I never even heard of her till all this s--- happened."
Peterson's attorneys are scheduled Monday to begin calling witnesses. In addition to the burglary theory, the attorneys have said vagrants in Dry Creek Regional Park might have abducted Laci Peterson........
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LITTLE ACTION IN REDWOOD CITY
Scott Peterson's attorney Mark Geragos eats lunch daily at Bob's Court House Coffee Shop. Television networks rent space on the roof of the Redwood Law Center. Journalists pack the Vino Santo Bistro on Broadway. And the modest Good Nite Inn rents around a dozen rooms to out-of-town reporters.
Such are the few glimmers of gold for businesses in Redwood City since Peterson's double-murder trial geared up with jury selection eight months ago. But the nuggets are few and far between. The prosecution rested its case after four months of testimony, the defense is expected to start this week, and anticipated throngs of free-spending visitors have barely materialized. Most businesses have seen nary a blip in their sales......
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Will Scott Peterson Take The Stand?
Trial Resumes Monday
The witness stand can be a dangerous place for a defendant. Objections from defense lawyers can be seen by jurors as an attempt to hide something. Cross examination can be brutal, exposing the alleged perpetrator to a host of vulnerabilities. Personality and demeanor often overwhelm the actual testimony.........
PINGING.......
PINGING.......
PINGING.......
One of the things that really got me was Scott taking the video of Laci waving at his camera and asking "Why" he was taking it? He must have insisted. His answer was "His state of Mind". Who would even dream of using Usama as the reason. This was early in her pregnancy. I believe his plan was already starting, at least in his mind.....
The concrete? The body remains indicate that she was weighted at the neck and the feet. Unless we find one of the sunken anchors, the concrete testimony, except the BIG MESS at the warehouse is little more than rhetoric proving Scott lied...and lied...and lied.
Framing Scott? You don't sink a body. You leave it where it can be found IN SCOTT'S FOOTSTEPS, i.e., near the bay...not WEIGHTED IN the bay.
Were they following the right person? When the bodies were found, it almost seems that Scott had "early notice". Did one of his faithful relatives call him and warn him? Do any of them have a police scanner? Did Scott? or did someone tell Scott that sooner or later, the bodies would emerge.
Scott specifically condemned the waste of time of 82 policemen searching the bay saying "She's Not there".
Scott wanted two things out of life.. "Freedom AND Money". EVERYTHING WAS FOR SCOTT.
Bet they fill the morning with hearings and motions.
Thanks for the pings, rb.
Sound logic on all points, Sac.
I've given up trying to anticipate any thinking on the defense side. Just an interested observer from this point out.
Did you guys read the stuff about Scottisinnocent.com and misfitting.com? It's the article about the anchor. Weird stuff. Geragos is creating a whole new circus.
Be back this afternoon to see what happened. :-)
Pinz
Thanks, bear. This anchor story and now maybe Scott testifying. Exciting news! I hope both come true because the anchor would be some 'concrete' proof and because we would all like to see Scott worm his way around on the witness stand. These few weeks should be interesting. (How long do they think this part will be? Did I miss it?
This and the election. Oh my.
I wonder if Geragos feels like saying Forget it, you really should plead guilty and see what you cana get. I can't do anything for you. I guess his head may be too big for that but it might be doing Scott a favor. More than defending him with nothing to us.
Thanks, RB.
Anchors...aweigh? LOL
Since juries are reluctant to impose death penalties, hw would likely only get life anyways AND I don't think Gregaros cares either way. He simply can't eliminate Scott's activities by speculation. He just wants the case on the books WITH HIS NAME.
I can hear Scott the Martyr now: "There has been enough death in this family. It was my responsibility to take care of Laci and when she needed me the most, I was not there. I feel the guilt of those hours everyday and feel as guilty as the real person who killed my beautiful wife and child. I therefore plead guilty".
Of course, he left out a few parts...like the baby would have been Laci's heir which everyone fails to think about. With both Laci AND Connor out of the picture, Scott would have it all IF THE BODIES HADN'T SURFACED!!!
Good questions and the answers lead to who else - SCOTT PETERSON. The utter foolishness of the framed Scott defense is almost embarassing. Nobody, like you say, that was framing Scott, would so meticulously HIDE the evidence. There was a good possibility that that evidence might NEVER surface. NO, the reasonable conclusion here, is that Peterson himself had the mean, motive and opportunity for this crime and HE was the only one to benefit from it!!!!!!
Did I miss something Vel?? I had absolutely NO time all weekend to even look at the computer. Has something come up about the anchors???? Anybody?
That's what you or I, or the rest on this board would do (setting aside for the moment the argument that we wouldn't murder our spouses in the first place!).
But Geragos has done nothing decent up to now, why would he start at this point???
I can't get my mind twisted enough to follow his arguments as he lays them out; I certainly can't anticipate his particular brand of bs. lol
I think my popcorn consumption will go up this week! ;-)
Pinz
Gotta go home now...Bookmark BBL
Oct. 18, 2004, 12:22PM
Judge won't dismiss charges in Peterson case
Associated Press
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- A judge today denied a defense motion to dismiss the charges against Scott Peterson, saying the evidence presented so far in his murder trial was enough to justify a conviction if the jury so decides.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2853459
There's an article up above that RB posted about the "scottisinnocent" crew vs. the misfitting.com crew.
I was gone all weekend too and it's the first I heard of the story.
Hi Jackie. Any news on Cardoza being a shill for Geragos?
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