Laci Peterson family seeks items from home

Laci Peterson family seeks items from home
Relatives hire lawyers to retrieve wedding dress, baby crib, other personal belongings.

MODESTO -- Laci Peterson's family has hired attorneys in an attempt to retrieve her wedding dress, a baby crib and other personal items from her Modesto home, according to a statement released Wednesday.

In the murder case against her husband, court documents made available Wednesday assert the defense team's contention that investigators violated the law by monitoring privileged communications and that Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso "misled" defense attorneys and the judge about it. Scott Peterson, 30, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the deaths of his 27-year-old wife and their unborn son, Conner.

Scott Peterson's parents and his attorney have prevented his wife's family from entering the couple's Covena Avenue home and retrieving personal items, according to the statement from attorneys Adam J. Stewart and Albert G. Clark.

The statement came with a 22-point list of items that family members want, including Laci's diplomas and journals, and a watering can that says "Laci's Garden." But family members said that being inside the home that Laci decorated and lived in was more important than retrieving personal items.

According to the statement, lead defense attorney Mark Geragos wrote a letter in response to the request for access. The Laci Peterson family attorneys, in their statement, say that Geragos said it would be "unthinkable to allow anything to be moved or disposed of" until his team had completed its investigation.

Meanwhile, the newly available court documents show that defense attorneys have requested a closed hearing to question prosecutors about wiretaps used to intercept calls between Scott Peterson and his defense team.

The defense drafted the documents before Superior Court Judge Al Girolami on Tuesday ordered prosecutors to turn over "all calls intercepted involving defense counsel or the defense investigator." Also, the defense has asked for a transcript of a Jan. 17 wiretap discussion among Judge Wray Ladine, prosecutors and investigators, the documents reveal.

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MODESTO — A Modesto law firm says it has been hired to help Laci Peterson's family visit their daughter's house and collect her wedding dress, jewelry and other mementos.

Lawyers Adam Stewart and Albert Clark say they were hired after Scott Peterson's family prevented his in-laws from entering the house the couple shared before Laci Peterson vanished just before Christmas.

Scott Peterson has pleaded innocent to murdering his wife and unborn son. The remains of the 27-year-old pregnant substitute teacher and the infant they planned to name Conner were found on the shore of San Francisco Bay last month.

Defense lawyer Mark Geragos says he has worked out an agreement to let Laci Peterson's family visit the house and remove her journals, a food processor and a watering can that said "Laci's Garden."

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(05-27-2003) - The judge overseeing the murder case of Scott Peterson ordered Tuesday that police records of telephone calls made between Peterson and his lawyer and investigator be turned over to his new defense attorney.

Prosecutors had not contested the release of the conversations, which they said they had not heard or seen and had ordered sealed when they realized police investigators had been listening to or recording calls.

At least two of the 69 calls between Peterson and Modesto attorney Kirk McAllister were included in the widespread monitoring that also taped Peterson's calls with reporters. Police also listened in on a call between Peterson and a private investigator.

Peterson's new attorney, Mark Geragos, said he expected to receive the police records Tuesday afternoon.

"Once we see exactly what was taped, we'll file the appropriate motions," the Los Angeles attorney said.

Peterson, 30, is accused of killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and unborn son, Conner, last Dec. 23 or 24. Stanislaus County prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Peterson, arrested April 18, maintains his innocence, saying he last saw his wife when he left for a Christmas Eve fishing trip.

Stanislaus County prosecutors this month notified McAllister, private investigator Gary Ermoian and 64 other people that their conversations were intercepted from Jan. 10 to Feb. 4 under a court-ordered wiretap to gather evidence in the Peterson investigation.

Police are not supposed to listen to talks between attorneys and their clients, which are considered privileged conversations. McAllister said earlier this year he was skeptical of claims that police recording equipment was turned off when it became clear that Peterson was talking with his lawyer.

But John Goold, a chief deputy district attorney for Stanislaus County, told reporters Tuesday that prosecutors have never seen or heard anything from the Peterson-McAllister calls monitored by police.

Also Tuesday, Judge Al Girolami said he was also considering a gag order on lawyers in the case to prevent leaks fueling news stories, and indicated he would wait until July to decide whether to unseal court records reporters are seeking.

Girolami said he would rule by the end of the week whether to unseal police reports and arrest warrants, as well as autopsy results of Laci Peterson and her unborn son.

But the Modesto judge told Charity Kenyon, a Sacramento lawyer representing The Modesto Bee and four other California newspapers, that he would most likely order that the documents remain impounded until a July 15 preliminary hearing, held to determine whether Peterson should go to trial.

Girolami wondered aloud, given the great amount of publicity in the case, whether 12 fair jurors could be found anywhere in California if the information was unsealed.

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Sure thing...

link here
COPY
ABOUT LACI

Never said he loves Laci (IN PUBLIC), only said "she knows how much she's loved
Said he was loading umbrellas into his truck, wrapped in a blue tarp
Said Laci was mopping the floor that morning. She was? When the maid had just mopped it the day before??
Said his marriage was nothing but "glorious." Apparently not. If it was, why was he cheating?
Said Laci didn't open the blinds that morning because she wanted to keep the heat in
Sold Laci's car
Tried to sell the house

ABOUT FISHING
Bought the boat as a surprise(for who?)
fishing for sturgeon
Said he washed his clothes immediately to get salt water off. Um, yeah, Scott.

ABOUT AMBER
Said he told the police about Amber, police say no, Amber called them
Said he wasn't having an affair.
Told Amber he was single
Wore a hat to disguise himself when Laci first went missing, so Amber wouldn't recognize him
Feb 10th was Amber's birthday
Said he told Laci about the affair, but then continued to see Amber
Told Amber he'd be visiting (nonexistent) family in Maine, then going to Europe.

ABOUT HIS NEW CAR
Car Purchase Raises Questions In Peterson Case
"NBC11 news has learned more information about the car Scott Peterson was driving when he was arrested last week in San Diego. He paid cash for a 1985 Mercedes about a week ago for $3,600. But sources say Peterson gave a Florida driver's license number and claimed his wife's name was Jacqueline when he bought the car. Jacqueline is his mother's name. ..."
source

MISC.
playing golf and drinking with co-workers at a bar, instead of searching for Laci
Hair and beard changed colors in a swimming pool.
Said he talked to Marc Klass.
A friend said Scott would tell them he was off to put up posters about Laci, then the friend found out he was actually going off to play golf.
Said he was going to seriously take the search effort to L.A. or San Diego, then when they were given hotel space there, he didn't even stay the whole time.
Said the cement bags were left by the pool contractor; pool contractors says they definitely weren't.
ERRORS REPORTED BY THE MEDIA
AMBER DENIES MAKING PHONECALL
Click (Modesto police focused on bay SLAYING CLUES LED TO WATER, CHIEF REVEALS: Mercury News 4-24-03)
Amber Frey, 28, has not talked publicly since appearing at a news conference with Modesto police in January, although she has been offered $100,000 to tell her story.
``Amber called me this morning at 5:30 and said she didn't sleep all night,'' Frey said. ``She said people are reporting that she talked to Laci the night before Christmas Eve. It just upset her.''
Frey, who said he has been ``a buffer for Amber'' against the onslaught of media requests, said, ``All she did was come forward. She was a good kid to come forward. Now just because she doesn't want to give interviews or talk, they're making stuff up.''
Peterson's declared bankruptcy.
No salt water in the boat motor.
Nobody saw Scott at the marina.
Body was missing head and LEGS.
Also, regarding Marc Klass and whether he talked with SP or not, SP said later he just had Marc mixed up with that other guy (Welsh?) that he HAD talked to.
SOURCES
SOURCE PAGE: all pages are under construction (thanks to Clouda for her source gathering..bravo).
The boat source. (There are others)
Laci's family says what they find strange is that Scott Peterson never told Laci about the boat. And he told them later that he was saving the boat as a surprise for Christmas Day.
The Boat

DUE DATE
Grantski also corrected another misconception that came out of last week's barrage of media interviews by Scott. Laci's due date, he said, had been confirmed by medical officials to be Feb. 10 -- not Feb. 16 as Scott has said.
At the beginning Laci's dute date was on are about Feb 10. When the affair news came out Scott started saying it was the 16. It was confirmed that Amber's birthday was the 10.
Due Date

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