Posted on 11/20/2004 6:23:36 AM PST by LouAvul
It was where she planned to start a family, and where prosecutors say he killed her.
And now that a jury has convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his pregnant wife and unborn son, questions swirl around what will become of the couple's Covena Avenue home in Modesto.
Once the site of media stakeouts, 24-hour police surveillance and impromptu shrines for Laci Peterson and the son the couple planned to name Conner, the house now lies at the heart of a legal morass involving criminal convictions, lawsuits and a loan.
The single-story 1,770-square-foot home in the La Loma neighborhood was the joint property of two people once described as the perfect couple.
It normally would have gone to Scott Peterson after his wife's death. But under the state law, someone who murders a co-owner "has no rights by survivorship."
Following his murder convictions, Peterson retains his stake in the home, but his wife's half transfers to her mother, Sharon Rocha, attorneys specializing in probate and real estate law said. Last year, a judge appointed her administrator of Laci Peterson's estate.
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
Geez, but who would want to buy THAT house? It would be like living in the Amityville Horror.
How can both statements be true?
It's appraised at $199,000
The house is half his. They are referring to Laci's half. He retains interest in HIS half, but he is not granted her half of it.
Make sense?
Oh the memories of that book! Wow!
Yes, it does. I also have twins, BTW. Isn't it the most fantastic thing!
Because, contra the feminist-inspired claptrap in the headline, the house wasn't "hers" ... it was "theirs". And foul, convicted murderer or no, he still holds half ownership of the house in his own right. What's at issue is the disposition of her half ownership.
I say the house and all Lacis property should automatically go to Lacis family. End of story.
Perhaps the mother should sue Scott for civil damages, get a judgement, and take his half that way.
On one hand, living in a haunted house can be interesting. On the other hand, at times it scares the he** out of you.
(I grew up in a haunted house - HONEST)
Do I care? This Peterson, Kobi, OJ stuff is a waste of bandwidth. Just a bunch of pathetic soap operas.
in san diego county the mass suicide of that cult prompted one community member to buy the house + bulldoze it.
That is my understanding of the law in my state as well. However, I expect Mark "I don't do Fridays" Geragos to fight tooth and nail for every cent he can get out of this.
I don't know but with a coat of paint, new carpet and some airing out, it might be a great bargain. I guess I must not believe in lingering evil because that kind of thing would not bother me at all.
No doubt Geragos has first dibs on any profit from the sale.
When my wife and I were first married we lived in a little rental house that was one of about ten little two-bedroom rental places in a modest street in Dover, Delaware. Several years earlier, a young man had been murdered--shot dead--in the closet of one of those houses, although we didn't know exactly which one it was. Ironically (or perhaps not, depending on your perspective) I had known the young man growing up, although I'd never associated with him after high school.
In the living room of this little house I had a bookcase with about sixty or seventy books, covering various subjects. One night my wife had gone to bed early, and I thought I'd do a little reading. I went to the bookcase and selected a book, walked back to the sofa, which stood opposite the bookcase, then sat down to get comfortable.
About twenty seconds later, a little white Bible that stood in the bookcase came shooting straight out and landed on the floor about eighteen inches away. It didn't drop out. It literally leaped out, as if someone had tied a string to it, and given the string a yank.
It's been nearly 30 years, and I still get the willies whenever I think of it.
I like my houses boring, personally. Quiet. Boring. No gruesome history. No weird noises or smells. No one driving by and pointing.
Without being uncharitable to Californians, let me just say that finding a buyer will be no problem.
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