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In closing arguments, Scott Peterson prosecutors use alibi against him
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) Scott Peterson's own claim that he was out fishing near where his pregnant wife's body later turned up is proof enough to convict him of murder, prosecutors said Monday in closing arguments.
Desperate to escape a ''dull boring married life with kids,'' Peterson strangled or smothered Laci Peterson and dumped her body in San Francisco Bay, prosecutor Rick Distaso said.
Distaso showed jurors an aerial photograph of the bay, pointing with a laser to the rocky beach where Laci's body washed up with that of her fetus, a boy the couple planned to name Conner.......
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November 2, 2004 -- REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — To achieve his fantasy of being free from responsibility, Scott Peterson started planning the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci, two months before she disappeared, a prosecutor told jurors yesterday in closing arguments.
Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso showed photos of Peterson, 32, nuzzling his sultry blond mistress, and played wiretap recordings of their flirtatious chats in the days after Laci's Dec. 24, 2002, disappearance.
"This is the life that Scott Peterson wanted," Distaso said. "Not necessarily ......
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Prosecutor's closing called compelling
Scott Peterson killed his pregnant wife because he feared having a child would cramp the ``freewheeling bachelor'' lifestyle he really wanted, Prosecutor Rick Distaso told jurors Monday in a searing closing argument.
After five months of often disjointed evidence presented during the double-murder trial in Redwood City, Distaso stunned even his most ardent critics, weaving together a compelling story of how and why he believes Peterson killed his wife, Laci Peterson, and threw her into San Francisco Bay.
``He mocked Scott Peterson and treated him like a cowardly killer,'' former San Francisco prosecutor Jim Hammer .........
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Peterson trial divides media
Forget Bush-Kerry. What about Scott-Laci?
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 1 - The story has dominated cable television, employed an army of talking heads and gone on for what seems like an eternity. And this week it is coming to a close.
Not the election -- the Scott Peterson trial.
The story of how the pretty and pregnant Laci Peterson went missing on Christmas Eve 2002 and her fertilizer salesman husband was charged with murder after her body and that of her unborn son, Conner, were found in San Francisco Bay is probably known to every sentient being in America. As is the fact that Scott Peterson's phone conversations with his former lover were recorded.......
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Prosecutor fires up court
Spirited Distaso hits hard on betrayal, list of 'coincidences'
REDWOOD CITY — In a passionate argument, his voice sometimes edged with anger, Stanislaus County prosecutor Rick Distaso on Monday blasted Scott Peterson as a calculating killer who murdered his pregnant wife and unborn son to further a fantasy life of money, travel and women.
"I think that's the biggest part of this case, the betrayal aspect of Scott Peterson," Distaso told the jury as he projected onto a massive screen a picture of Laci Peterson, round with pregnancy, sitting at a Christmas party. She attended the party while her husband cozied up to his girlfriend miles away.
"She had no idea what was coming," Distaso said. "She probably trusted him more than anybody else. … Here is where she would end up."
The screen split, juxtaposing the smiling mother-to-be with a picture of her white, largely skeletal remains along the San Francisco Bay shore.
A murmur ran through the packed San Mateo.......
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Prosecutors: Peterson Sought Bachelor Life
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- With just a day to summarize their case against Scott Peterson, prosecutors painted a picture of a man so desperate for freedom from domestic drudgery that he turned to murder as his only way out.
"He wants to live the rich, successful, freewheeling bachelor life. He can't do that when he's paying child support, alimony and everything else," prosecutor Rick Distaso told jurors Monday in closing arguments.
The defense was to begin its closing arguments Tuesday, with jurors expected to begin deliberations as early as Wednesday. The trial is in its 23rd week after testimony from 184 witnesses.
Peterson is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his wife, Laci, and the fetus she carried. Prosecutors claim he killed her on or around Christmas Eve 2002, then dumped her weighted body into San Francisco Bay. Defense lawyers claim someone else abducted and killed Laci.......
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The Peterson Case: Quotes from prosecutor Rick Distaso
"I don't think there's a single person in this courtroom who really believes that, except maybe him" -- on Peterson's televised claims that he told police about his affair immediately after Laci Peterson was reported missing "'Well, yeah, I expect people to believe that. I'm Scott Peterson. I expect people to believe anything I say.'" -- mimicking the defendant
"I don't know anyone who ever caught a fish with the lure still in the package" -- on evidence showing Peterson never opened lures he said he had used
"I'll tell you where the rest of it is. It's in those anchors at the bottom of San Francisco Bay." -- on the remainder of a 90-pound bag of concrete mix, part of which Peterson used to make a single concrete anchor found in his boat
"He's a good liar. He comes up with them pretty quick, much quicker than me. If I tell a lie, you can see it all over my face; not this guy."
"That was an embarrassment to me personally. … I was wrong." -- about Distaso's June 1 opening statement claim that meringue was not mentioned on the "Martha Stewart Living" show that appeared Dec. 24, 2002
"That man confused Modesto with Paris, Brussels, France and everywhere else" -- on Peterson's lies about traveling in Europe
"He was kind of.......
PINGING....... DEFENSE CLOSING ARGUEMENTS FOR TODAY!
PINGING....... DEFENSE CLOSING ARGUEMENTS FOR TODAY!
PINGING....... DEFENSE CLOSING ARGUEMENTS FOR TODAY!
REDWOOD CITY — Prosecutor Rick Distaso's closing argument Monday was "beautiful," "wonderful" and "extremely powerful," legal analysts said outside court. "I think it was moving, passionate, emotional and strong," former San Mateo County prosecutor Chuck Smith said of Distaso's performance, echoing a consensus of many commentator-attorneys observing the trial.
Smith compared Distaso to a "hellfire and damnation" preacher effectively condemning Peterson for "moralistic" sins.
One analyst, however, noted that seasoned, savvy defense attorney Mark Geragos didn't get to throw counterpunches. He'll have that chance today.
"The fact that (Distaso) is putting together a case for guilt doesn't mean Geragos can't come back," Bay Area defense attorney Daniel Horowitz said.
Monday's court session was a radical departure from the plodding, methodical presentation the prosecution had adopted while questioning witnesses during five months of trial.........
"prosecutor says parenthood pushed Scott Peterson to kill"
Then the moron shouldn't have ever married, married a woman he had unprotected sex/conceiving a child with, married a woman who obvioulsy wanted to have a family. Death row Scott = Darwinism at work.
all I need is a Bush win, a Peterson conviction....and that lamp...that's all I need :)
I'd like to see this asshole fry.
As for Distaso not mentioning the meringues, the topic had not been mentioned by the time Scott claimed to have left.
This is a small point, but having the blinds closed to me is a clue. Maybe it's a male thing. My husband just doesn't seem to notice the blinds -- he squints or has the lights on. However, I open them the first thing in the morning. I can't imagine being during the day with the blinds closed.
Finally something for us guys: the reverse post-partum paternity defense massacree. At least it takes my mind of the election.
Oh, yes yes yes! Distaso shows pic of smiling pregnant Laci, then says "here is where she would end up" and shows all that was left of the poor soul when the murderer got done with her!
Reminds me of a prosecutor who held up a picture of a middle-aged, kindly-looking lady smiling. Of the defendant, he said, "He turned this (nice picture) into THIS (held up picture of lady bleeding to death in parking lot where she was shot dead over the theft of her purse.)
Very effective, I think!
I want to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU and a GREAT BIG GOD BLESS YOU to both of you, for all you've done to keep us up with this trial!!!!! You saved us from "Peterson case withdrawal" many, many times!!!
Can't wait for the guilty verdict!!
click — SNAP — Zzzaa Zzzaaa Zit!
I watched Dateline the other night and they did a mock jury of this trial, picking people that closely resembled the actual Peterson jury. What struck me is one of the women who voted "not guilty" said she couldn't come up with the motive. I was thinking "HUH???" and the thing I thought of was exactly what this prosecutor said. I figured he was able to live his little stud life very easily without children but once the baby came he wasn't going to be able to run around so easily because Laci would need him around to help with the baby. I thought it was soooo obvious. That lady struck me as an ignorant fool. I hope the real jury is smarter. I think the motive is quite apparent.
Hey rb looks like things are getting interesting now with the jury asking to see the boat. I'm betting it's over in a few days with a guilty verdict of second degree.
weak motive in my opinion....my wife is gonna be angry if he walks....I told her early on that circumstantial even if damning was tough to run on alone in the face of serious legal defense.