Scott PetersonPosted on 04/21/2003 5:42:12 AM PDT by runningbear
Peterson courtroom under tight control
Peterson courtroom under tight control
By PATRICK GIBLIN
April 20, 2003
Security will be tight and access to the courtroom where Scott Peterson is expected to be arraigned will be strictly controlled, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department announced Sunday.
Peterson, accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner, could appear at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Judge Nancy Ashley's courtroom, said sheriff's spokesman Kelly Huston. But, he warned, that could change at a moment's notice.
"We want to make sure that everyone has access to see what's going on, but the final decisions will be made by the judge," he said. "We will meet with courthouse employees (Monday morning) to go over security and access and see what their preferences are."
Police blocked off several streets near the courthouse Sunday night.
There are 56 seats in Ashley's courtroom, Huston said. If the judge approves, 10 to 15 of those will be reserved for the general public on a lottery or on a first-come first-serve basis, Huston said.
Some of the courtroom seats will be reserved for members of Scott and Laci Peterson's family. The rest will be assigned to the media.
It's not known if Judge Ashley will allow newspaper photographers or television cameras in the courtroom during the arraignment. If she does, only one of each - plus a radio reporter - will be allowed in and they will be required to share their footage and photos with the rest of the press, Huston said.
Cameras will not be allowed in the hallway outside of the courtroom because of fire and safety concerns, he said.
"Security will be very tight in the courthouse, more so than usual," Huston said. "Obviously there are a lot of emotions over this case and a lot of people have been expressing their opinions."
If there are any disruptions during the arraignment, Huston said, the procedure will be stopped and rescheduled.
During an arraignment, the charges will be read and Peterson will have an opportunity to enter a plea. District Attorney Jim Brazelton said Friday that Peterson will be charged with two counts of murder.
Huston said Peterson met with his attorney, Kirk McAllister, Saturday night. Peterson was arrested in La Jolla, north of San Diego, on Friday morning, just hours before the California Department of Justice announced that two bodies found in the San Francisco Bay were Laci and Conner Peterson.
Scott Peterson Awaits Arraignment in Isolation
Scott Peterson
Scott Peterson Awaits Arraignment in Isolation
Scott Peterson is scheduled to be arraigned in Modesto Monday morning and formally charged with the murders of his wife and unborn son.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney said Peterson will be charged with two counts of murder. In California, a double murder is considered a special circumstance, meaning a conviction could result in the death penalty.
Peterson is in seclusion in the Stanislaus County jail because other inmates have reportedly threatened him. "There are folks who have an unfavorable opinion of him and, therefore, we've provided him with protection," said jail spokesman Kelly Huston.
Peterson was arrested Friday morning in San Diego. He had dyed his hair, grown a goatee, and was carrying $10,000 in cash, authorities said.
Peterson's family spoke to Time magazine and tried to defend Peterson's actions. "It's another smear on him that he was going to run into Mexico," said Peterson's father, Lee. "And how ridiculous. The kid lives here. They ran him out of Modesto. He can't use his home. They've got his car. Where's he supposed to go? He came to us and he was not running."
Peterson's parents told the magazine they believe their son is innocent and accuse the Modesto Police Department of ignoring evidence that doesn't fit the scenario in which Scott Peterson killed his wife.
Peterson Set to Answer Charges
Excerpted:
Scott Peterson, the Modesto fertilizer salesman who is suspected of killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay, is scheduled to appear before a Stanislaus County Superior Court judge today to answer to charges of murder, authorities said Sunday.
Peterson, who authorities say was planning a run for the Mexican border, was arrested Friday with about $10,000 in cash and other evidence that reportedly suggested a flight risk, according to law enforcement sources. Authorities declined to comment on that evidence Sunday, but they handed out a booking photograph of the 30-year-old Peterson showing that he had dyed his hair a lighter color and grown a goatee.
Peterson 'cooperative,' apprehensive in jail
Excerpted:
Peterson 'cooperative,' apprehensive in jail
Kelly St. John, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, April 21, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modesto -- Scott Peterson, suspected in the death of his wife, Laci Peterson, and his unborn son, is scheduled to be arraigned here today on murder charges.
He spent most of Easter Sunday alone in his 6-foot-by-9-foot cell in the Stanislaus County Jail in Modesto. His only visitor, aside from members of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, was his attorney, Kirk McAllister.
Sheriff's spokesman Kelly Houston said Peterson has been "rather quiet" during his stay in jail and has "been courteous to the staff."
However, consistent with what Houston said was the normal behavior of a first-time prisoner, Peterson "has shown a certain amount of apprehension." But Peterson is not on a suicide watch.
When moving outside his cell, Peterson is "shackled, belly-chained and escorted by two deputies," Houston said. He said Peterson "has been very cooperative. He has actually complimented us on the professionalism of the deputies."
He may be relatively popular with his jailers, but other inmates have made vague threats against Peterson, and on Sunday, several motorists drove past the jail and shouted things like "Murderer!" or "Hang him!"
For the most part, though, Modesto was peaceful on Easter Sunday. Churches were packed, and on Covena Avenue, many people gathered outside Laci Peterson's house and knelt at the shrine that has been built in her memory.
Peterson’s parents dispute allegations
NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES
MODESTO, Calif., April 20 — The parents of Scott Peterson, who was arrested Friday in connection with the death of his wife and their unborn son, disputed police accounts and assertions made in the press in an exclusive interview with NBC News. Lee Peterson, Scott Peterson’s father, went so far as to say “the police have bungled this investigation from day one.”
Lots of video clips on this page.
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxnews.com ...
Excerpted
Peterson due in court
By PATRICK GIBLIN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: April 21, 2003, 05:40:14 AM PDT
Security will be tight and access to the courtroom where Scott Peterson is expected to be arraigned will be strictly controlled, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department announced Sunday.
The Modesto man, accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner, could appear at 1:30 p.m. today in Judge Nancy Ashley's courtroom, said sheriff's spokesman Kelly Huston. But, he warned, that could change at a moment's notice.
"We want to make sure that everyone has access to see what's going on, but the final decisions will be made by the judge," he said. "We will meet with courthouse employees (this morning) to go over security and access and see what their preferences are."
Police blocked off 11th Street between H and I streets in front of the courthouse at 10 p.m. Sunday. It is expected to remain closed today; only news trucks will be allowed in front and, as a precaution, they will be required to park across the street, Huston said.
There are 56 seats in Ashley's courtroom, Huston said. If the judge approves, 10 to 15 of those will be reserved for the general public on a lottery or on a first-come, first-serve basis, Huston said.
Some of the courtroom seats will be reserved for the families of Scott and Laci Peterson. The rest will be assigned to the media.
I guess Jackie forgot what she said on Saturday.
"I'm not talking until they resolve this whole thing,"
Excerpted:
Scott Peterson waits in jail to be arraigned in pregnant wife's death
By JIM WASSERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Published: April 21, 2003, 12:28:40 AM PDT
MODESTO, Calif. (AP) - Arrested because detectives feared he might try to flee the country, a jailed Scott Peterson waited quietly and courteously to be arraigned, probably Monday, on charges that he murdered his wife and their unborn child.
Alone in a 6-by-9 maximum-security cell in the Stanislaus County jail, Peterson spent the weekend talking to his lawyer and making some phone calls, said Kelly Huston, a spokesman for the sheriff's department.
"He has been treated much like any other maximum-security inmate that we have here," Huston told reporters gathered Sunday outside the jail. Peterson, who wore shackles and a belly chain whenever he was taken from his cell, was "rather quiet" and "very courteous" to his jailers, Huston said.
Although authorities said the proceeding could be delayed for a day, Peterson was expected to be arraigned Monday afternoon on charges that he killed his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. Prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty.
Scott Peterson, 30, has maintained that he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance, and was fishing in San Francisco Bay when she vanished just before Christmas. Last week authorities found the bodies of Laci Peterson and the baby on the shore of the bay.
Investigators had long declined to name Scott Peterson as a suspect, but even before DNA tests identified the bodies, Modesto police arrested Peterson Friday near San Diego because they feared he might flee to Mexico, according to Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden.
When he was arrested, Peterson had dyed his hair and grown a beard, and had $10,000 in cash with him in his car, according to a law enforcement source. Hours later, investigators learned of the DNA results.
In the jail, Peterson was segregated from other inmates and placed in the jail's maximum security section because of the nature of the charges he faces, and because prisoners have made threats against him, Huston said. The inmates "definitely have some unfavorable opinions of him," the sheriff's spokesman said.
Peterson declined all interview requests, authorities said. His attorney, Kirk McAllister, talked with Peterson Saturday night, but made no public comment on the case.
Oh, we definitely need to know the opinions of these folks. I'm sure there are some people there of whom we, too, might have "unfavorable opinions."
Now didn't Scott elude to her being kidnapped and didn't want to stay in the house because it was 'unsafe'? Anything his parents said can be blown away in court, and perhaps they should shaddup already.
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