Good Morning RG... ;o)
The Petersons' home on Covena Avenue is attracting lots of attention now, but real estate agents question the level of interest if it's put up for sale.
DREW FLEMING/THE BEE
Anthony Marin, 5, of Modesto came with his mother, sister and cousin on Saturday to pay respects to Laci Peterson.
DREW FLEMING/THE BEE
Street barricades limit vehicle access to Covena Avenue, where the Petersons' home is located. Neighbors say they expect such measures to continue to be necessary until the trial of Scott Peterson is no longer in the media spotlight.
TED BENSON/THE BEE
Neighbors weary of the spotlightNeighbors weary of the spotlight
By JULISSA McKINNON
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: April 27, 2003, 06:13:18 AM PDT
Since Laci Peterson was reported missing on Christmas Eve, her neighbors on Covena Avenue have been under siege. Four months of reporters ringing their doorbells, requesting interviews, clicking cameras and asking to use their restrooms.
Four months of listening to the buzz of news truck generators that keep them awake late at night.
In the beginning, when hope was high that searchers would find Peterson, neighbors said they did not mind the noise and inconveniences of being in the national spotlight. Anything to find her, they said.
But now that her remains have been found, they just wish the news trucks would go home and that their doorbells would stop ringing.
It is bad enough, some said, to lose Peterson, the young lady known for her radiant smile and green thumb. But they have grown tired of discussing her loss with reporters.
They expect to grow more tired.
Laci Peterson's husband, Scott, has been charged with murdering his wife and their unborn son. His journey through the court system is just beginning.
A handful of neighbors said they do not expect the door knocks to stop. Orange cones will continue blocking off their street, lest there be a traffic jam, some said.
"You're the 35th reporter to ring my doorbell," Melville Ikerd told a Bee reporter who came to the door.
"Now when we hear the doorbell ring, we know it's not a visitor, it's a reporter," the retired Modesto police officer said with a chuckle.
But while Ikerd still answers his door to chat, other neighbors have posted signs on their property. Some read, "Do not disturb." Others are more blunt: "No reporters."
Amy Krigbaum, 28, who lives across the street from the Petersons' house, said she no longer answers her home phone. Anybody who needs to reach her knows her cell number, she said, standing outside her home as a television reporter tried to convince her to go before the camera.
But Krigbaum said the media barrage is the least of her concerns regarding the deaths of Laci Peterson and her unborn child. Every time she looks outside her window, she is reminded of Peterson's absence by the dead grass in the front yard of 523 Covena Ave. She recalled how Peterson meticulously cared for her lawn and garden.
"Life can't be normal when we look out our window every time we wash the dishes and see a memorial," she said.
Krigbaum added that even after the last television satellite truck leaves Covena Avenue, life will never return to normal.
SNIP IT....