Modesto Police '99% Sure' Scott Peterson is Prime Suspect, Getting Forensic Evidence to Arrest

FOX News ^ | January 24, 2003 | Rita Cosby

[ewing]

Modesto Police is '99% convinced' that Scott is the suspect they are looking for in the homicide of Laci and her unborn child, but do not have enough evidence to make an arrest.

Scott was definitely having an affair with at least one woman (the PE teacher from Fresno) and possibly several others.

[ewing]

Go Rita!

[Yaelle]

Well, it's not a surprise, but if the media is now saying that Modesto police are calling him their prime suspect, isn't he going to try to flee? How much surveillance is he under, I wonder, and can they actually legally stop him if he tries to leave the country?

I wonder when the evidence will come back from the lab. Where is Gil Grissom (from CSI) when you need him? His machines spit out DNA results faster than a cash machine spits out $20s!

[ewing]

ping

[ewing]

Did six plainclothes officers visit his home the other day? On a burglary investigation...

[Prof Engineer]

I haven't been following very closely, has her body been located?

[FreePaul]

I hope their crime lab is more reliable than the one in Houston. Now some four hundred convictions in Houston are under question because of the disaster that is the HPD crime lab.

[Devil_Anse]

I have some feeble hope that maybe they DO have enough evidence in hand to make the arrest, but are perhaps lulling him into a false sense of security by publicly saying that they are still waiting.

[ewing]

They've searched a bunch of lakes, I'm just getting into this case myself.

[nicmarlo]

They do have forensic evidence already in hand that implicates Scottt

Interesting.....

[Devil_Anse]

Check out this story:

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/5973709p-6932333c.html

It seems to say that what some people took for plainclothes detectives were members of the Tradecorp firm, or business guests of some sort.

[shezza]

How much surveillance is he under, I wonder, and can they actually legally stop him if he tries to leave the country?

Superbowl Sunday in San Diego, a one-day "search" for Laci, probably to see if her captors try to take her to the stadium (which, as someone pointed out earlier, is a mere eight miles from the border)... uh huh. Might want to check and see if Lee ships any deluxe containers to Belgium this weekend.

[Devil_Anse]

Nope, no body found that we know of.

[Yaelle]

I hope there is enough evidence now too, at least to hold him. Let's see how smug and arrogant he will be in handcuffs.

[shezza]

After a month, no, not yet.

[ewing]

I thought they were going to move in and make the 'tag and bag' right then a couple of days ago.

[Devil_Anse]

Hey, maybe one of those terrorists they said sneaked into the country in a container, could sell his container to our alleged fugitive-to-be, when the terrorist hits our shores and doesn't need his deluxe container-apartment any more!

[ewing]

This is strong stuff for the cops to be telling Rita Cosby.

You think that they are trying to make Scott do something stupid, destroy evidence or run for the border?

[Devil_Anse]

Maybe it is their dream to do it during his San Diego road show!

[hillsborofox]

No wonder he's been hiding from cameras ("I want to stay behind the scene to keep the focus on Laci"...my @ss.) How many California women have seen his face on the TV news and said: Hey, that's my boyfriend!

[nicmarlo]

This is strong stuff for the cops to be telling Rita Cosby. You think that they are trying to make Scott do something stupid, destroy evidence or run for the border?

I agree, very strong statements (surprisingly strong, IMHO). And very possible it's a tactic to make Scott do something/react out of concern of getting caught now....let's hope he does.