Laci Peterson family seeks items from home

The Fresno Bee ^ | Published Thursday, May 29, 2003, 4:15 AM | John Cote'

[runningbear]

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.

By John Coté
The Modesto Bee

(Published Thursday, May 29, 2003, 4:15 AM)

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.

Defense attorneys have a Friday deadline to file a motion on the wiretap issue.

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Laci Peterson's Family Hires Lawyers to Collect Mementos

Laci Peterson's Family Hires Lawyers to Collect Mementos

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."

Copyright © 2003 KABC-TV and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Last Updated: May 28, 2003

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DEFENSE LAWYER TO GET PETERSON PHONE LOGS

DEFENSE LAWYER TO GET PETERSON PHONE LOGS

(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.

"Our requirement is to not listen in on privileged phone calls," Goold said.

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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Another Peterson trial

Nurse becomes seventh member of Peterson jury

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[Velveeta]

Amber is what she is; until she does something outrageous -- and we have PROOF of it -- the trashing needs to stop.

Respectfully, here's where we disagree. Amber is a part of this sad tragedy. People here have formed opinions one way or another....or down the middle....

Anyone here should be able to state their own views without having others' opinions imposed on them.

[Sandylapper]

Per Gloria Allred, Amber has not received an offer from Playboy.

Good gracious....give it a rest. She said Amber had NEVER been contacted for ANY deal with Playboy. That's enough.

There are two sentences above--I read the first, and anyone with a fifth grade education can see that they say two entirely different things.

Howlin, this is the second time you have attacked me. Please don't post to me again. If you don't bother me, I won't bother you, but I'm going to post on these threads if I want to!

[BunnySlippers]

Thank you. Everything else bounced back!

[Howlin]

If you consider it a personal attack to ask you to acknowledge the facts as stated on a thread, fine.

[Velveeta]

You only reported what Abrams *did* say. No guilt necessary ;-)

[spectre]

YES! It's all their fault.

ED, Steve and Brian.. you guys are bad, bad, bad!

Howlin, send them your "dead horse" award, I love it!

sw

[BunnySlippers]

Apparently they have taken away poor Dan's email address too! This is what I got:

Thank you for your note regarding The Abrams Report.

Although the one hour program hosted by Dan has been cancelled, Dan himself will continue to be a big part of MSNBC. Dan will continue his work as NBC News Chief Legal Correspondent; aditionally he will show up all over the channel as a news anchor and as our top correspondent on most legal and crime stories. Dan will anchor during the day and report in primetime, and his future remains bright as ever.

For what's on MSNBC check out

Find MSNBC on your TV
<>

:: MSNBC_Auto_Response ::

[Velveeta]

Dead horse, I agree...glue...in fact!

[Howlin]

She's a girl who probably didn't have the same kind of upbringing most of us did. That doesn't make her a bad person or a liar. And she's not the devil incarnate.

But it honestly looks like some people on here wish there would be some really bad stuff coming about her; then maybe she would be totally discredited in those people's minds and she couldn't testify at all. I can't figure out why.

I know that there isn't one of us who hasn't done something in their lives that they wouldn't be ashamed of if became national news, so I'm not going to be casting any stones at her.

As far as I can tell since she went to the police, she's conducted herself honorably.

[Velveeta]

Nope

[Howlin]

Well, maybe we should both go stand in the corner for 30 minutes and, having been properly chastened, move on. :-)

[spectre]

Oh please...just be quiet.

sw

[Velveeta]

As far as I can tell since she went to the police, she's conducted herself honorably.

I also think she is truly very sad for the Rochas. She's never failed to mention their loss and see seems completely genuine to me in that regard.

[Sandylapper]

"I was thinking maybe Conner was put in one of those large Glad plastic trash bags with the plasitc yellow strip woven in it to tie is shut and perhaps the bag finally fell apart and Conner got tangled in the yellow plastic strip."

I wondered about a Glad plastic draw string, too, but then there are two things wrong with our thinking: (1)It dispels the "coffin birth", and (2) it doesn't give all the forensic experts enough TV time. Too simple. Go back and think of something complicated.

[Velveeta]

I can't! My keyboard doesn't reach that far.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Anyone here should be able to state their own views without having others' opinions imposed on them.

I agree,in part. Everyone has the right to express his/her opinion. Opinions that don't agree are of equal value.

No one's opinion is "imposed" on anyone. One is stated and the other is stated.

You imply that an opinion that disagrees is an imposition. If that's the case, all of FR is one person imposing on another.

In the context of disagreement, people also state why or how they think the other is wrong.

I'm not being contrary. I'm just not sure what you expect. And please do remember that it was one who aligns himself with you that took to writing nasty freepmails for the precise purpose of excoriating people for their beliefs; not arguing with the belief itself.

It went downhill from there, but most differing views, however emotionally expressed, are just that.......differing views.

[Howlin]

It's a PUNISHMENT, Vel. We HAVE to go without the keyboards.

[Howlin]

It's such a sad thing to see the damage that this one creepy man has subjected all these people to. Now and for years to come.