Caffeine found in Peterson's body

Laci Peterson had caffeine in her system when she died, a toxicology report shows, while her unborn son, Conner, did not, a source familiar with the tests said. Toxicology documents also show that police specifically asked medical examiners to test Peterson's remains for the "date rape" drug GHB, and that none was found.

"Toxicology testing performed on skeletal muscle is positive only for caffeine and PEA (decomposition product)," according to a report from the Contra Costa County coroner's office, the agency that performed the autopsies.

The presence of caffeine in Peterson's body and not in her unborn son's does not, however, indicate that Conner was outside his mother's womb when she was killed, forensic analysts said.

Attorneys for Scott Peterson, who is charged with murdering his wife and son, may try to use the toxicology tests to raise questions about the circumstances of the deaths, experts speculated.

Prosecutors maintain that Peterson murdered his wife on Dec. 23 or 24, when she was nearly eight months pregnant, and then pretended she was missing while a massive search ensued.

Laci's and Conner's remains were found in mid-April about a mile apart along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, within four miles of the spot where Peterson told police he launched his boat for a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve.

Peterson's defense team maintains that authorities mistakenly targeted the 30-year-old fertilizer salesman, floating theories that include cult members and a suspicious van -- and casting doubt on whether Peterson killed his wife in the days before Christmas.

Evidence suggesting that Conner was born before he was killed would aid the defense, said Stephen Schoenthaler, a criminal justice professor at California State University, Stanislaus.

That is because Peterson would appear to have had little opportunity to kill while under the police and media scrutiny that developed soon after he told family members that his wife was missing.

"It all comes down to how much (caffeine) was in her, and was it a reliable measure," Schoenthaler said.

Three forensic experts said it would be uncommon to find measurable amounts of caffeine in the body of an unborn child even if its mother consumed large quantities of it. That would suggest that the Peterson test results are meaningless.

"Trace amounts can get through, but trying to find it for a toxicology (report) is an exercise in futility," said forensic pathologist Dr. Harry J. Bonnell of San Diego. "The odds of it passing into the fetus are minimal to nil."

Dr. Mary Case, chief medical examiner in St. Louis County, Mo., and an expert in child death, frequently reviews toxicology reports on fetuses whose mothers are suspected of substance abuse. She said she has never seen an unborn child with measurable amounts of caffeine.

"In the usual amount of caffeine that people have, it just wouldn't show up (in a fetus)," Case said.

Dr. Richard T. Mason, forensic pathologist for the Santa Cruz County coroner's office, said the placenta is more effective in blocking out caffeine than other chemicals, such as cocaine.

Caffeine can stay several days in the body of an adult after consumption, Bonnell said. Common sources are coffee, tea, sodas, chocolate and some over-the-counter medication.

Laci Peterson, a 27-year-old substitute teacher, enjoyed coffee but avoided the beverage -- and its caffeine -- when she was pregnant, said a friend who asked to remain anonymous.

"She had tried to limit or stop drinking caffeinated drinks," the friend said. "She did drink coffee before she became pregnant."

Bonnell acknowledged that members of Peterson's defense team could attempt to show that Laci consumed something with caffeine after giving birth.

"The world could also end tomorrow," Bonnell said. "They can blow smoke with it, but the fact that it was not in the baby certainly is not proof that the baby had to have been born."

Mason also noted that Laci Peterson would have had multiple opportunities to ingest something with caffeine in it.

"If she was home alone and had a cup of coffee or cup of tea, who's to say?" Mason asked. "I'd be hard put to make something out of that."

In asking for the GHB test, police investigators sought evidence of the depressant that can render people unconscious, particularly when mixed with alcohol.

In low doses, gamma hydroxy butyrate produces a high or euphoric feeling as inhibitions are depressed, making it a popular drug in the club scene.

Mason said that if the drug had appeared in this case, it could have been an indication that Peterson had been drugged in an attempt to subdue her before she was killed.

"That would be the obvious inference," Mason said. "I don't know why they looked for that, unless they had some indication that he had access to it."

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In the space of 19 months, two nationally watched tragedies emerged from Modesto with the disappearances of Chandra Levy and Laci Peterson.

Now some supporting cast members from both dramas are appearing together in Modesto night spots.

Murder suspect Scott Peterson's lead attorney, Mark Geragos, won't say why he's been sharing drinks and cigars with Cadee Condit, daughter of former Rep. Gary Condit, other than that she's a client.

Geragos represented the congressman during the media frenzy surrounding Levy's disappearance. The 24-year-old Modestan had just completed an internship with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons when she vanished in Washington, D.C., in spring 2001.

Her remains were found just over a year later in Rock Creek Park in the nation's capital, and the coroner there declared the case a homicide. Condit has not denied reports of an affair with Levy. No arrests have been made and no suspects named.

The 45-year-old celebrity lawyer from Los Angeles and Condit, who turned 28 Sunday, have been reported together four times in recent weeks, according to several sources, including employees of the establishments.

They were seen Aug. 20 having drinks in Cheroot Lounge, a 10th Street cigar lounge. Geragos and Condit were joined by Gary Condit, who now lives in Arizona.

The next day, Geragos and Cadee Condit shared drinks and appetizers at the Harvest Moon restaurant on I Street, and later that night were spotted at Cheroot. The two were seen at the lounge again Sept. 10.

Condit stood by her father during his unsuccessful re-election campaign last year, appearing on national TV on his behalf.

Geragos visits Modesto periodically in connection with the Peterson case. Peterson faces the death penalty on charges that he killed his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.

Geragos' predilection for cigars was documented when he celebrated with a smoke at a post-trial party for Susan McDougal. He represented her when she was found not guilty of an obstruction of justice charge brought in connection with the Clinton-Whitewater case.

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Police divers returned to San Francisco Bay on Friday, about five months after the bodies of Laci Peterson and her unborn son came ashore there, according to a report in the Modesto Bee.

"We were at the bay today," Modesto Police spokesman Doug Ridenour told the newspaper. He also noted that police went to a marina in Richmond, across the bay from San Francisco, but he would not say what detectives were doing there.

"That's all I can say," Ridenour said, referring to a gag order in the Peterson case. Ridenour did not return calls to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Laci Peterson, who was then pregnant, disappeared from her Modesto home Christmas Eve. In April her body and that of her unborn baby were found along the shore of San Francisco Bay south of Richmond, where Scott Peterson said he was fishing when his wife vanished.

Scott Peterson, 30, has been charged with two counts of murder in the case, and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Earlier this month, the preliminary hearing in Scott Peterson's trial was postponed until October to give the defense more time to review .....

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Police have a possible new witness in the Laci Peterson murder case: a jailbird who claims Scott Peterson talked to neo-Nazis about kidnapping his wife a month before she was slain.

The Fresno Bee reported yesterday that Cory Lee Carroll, 34, passed a lie detector test about his November encounter with Peterson - who is charged with killing his wife and unborn son last Christmas Eve.

Carroll's lawyer contacted the authorities, who interviewed the inmate last week, the Bee reported. Prosecutors and lawyers for Scott Peterson declined to comment on the development, citing a gag order in the case.

By Carroll's account, he ran into Peterson at a Fresno, Calif., strip club and went with him to a local bar and fast-food joint.

After learning that Carroll had a criminal record, Peterson asked if he knew anyone who could steal his wife's car for an insurance scam, Carroll claims. For $300, Carroll said, he introduced Peterson to two men nicknamed Dirty and Skeeter, members of a neo-Nazi gang.

When he overheard something about a kidnapping, Carroll said he left. When he got back, Dirty and Skeeter were telling Peterson they would take care of something, Carroll said. Carroll .....

The family of Scott Peterson (search) has disputed an inmate’s claims that the accused killer plotted the kidnapping of his pregnant wife weeks before she disappeared.

Janey Peterson told Fox News that she was with Scott Peterson and his wife, Laci, in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 29, the day Cory Lee Carroll claimed he met with her brother-in-law in Fresno. The meeting was detailed in a report published Saturday by the Fresno Bee.

Carroll, a parolee jailed since August after missing a court date, told investigators that he first met Scott Peterson last November at the City Lights strip club in Fresno. After a conversation in which Carroll revealed he had been in prison, Peterson asked for help in finding someone to steal his wife’s car as part of an insurance fraud scheme, according to the Bee report.

Carroll told investigators that he was paid $300 to set up a meeting with two men known as Tony, aka “Dirty,” and Anthony, aka “Skeeter.” The men were both members of a neo-Nazi prison gang known as the Nazi Low Riders (search).

Carroll claimed he and the two men met with Peterson in a northeast Fresno restaurant on Nov. 29. The four went on to a nearby motel where the subject of a kidnapping plot came up, the Bee reported.

But Janey Peterson claims she, her husband, and Scott and Laci Peterson (search) were together in San Diego Nov. 29, two days after a baby shower had been held there for the pregnant 27-year-old.

Calling Carroll’s claims in the Bee report “all lies,” she told Fox News that it would have been impossible for Scott Peterson to have left San Diego midday, driven more than seven hours to Modesto, dropped his wife and presents off at their home, then have driven another hour-plus to Fresno for the alleged meeting. Peterson said she was trying to confirm the exact time Scott and Laci Peterson left San Diego that day.

Carroll’s attorney, Frank Muna, told Fox News that his client disclosed his story only after recognizing Scott Peterson on television after his April arrest for the murders of Laci Peterson and their unborn child, Conner. Muna said he notified law enforcement after his client passed a polygraph test administered by a former Fresno police lieutenant.

Polygraph examinations are not admissible in court. However, a memo summarizing the test obtained by the Bee shows Carroll correctly identified the model of Peterson’s Ford F-150 pickup. In addition, the van like the one Dirty and Skeeter owned was described by a witness as having been across the street from Laci Peterson’s home the day of her Dec. 24 disappearance. Police have since played down reports of a so-called suspicious van.

Carroll said he walked out of the Nov. 29 meeting for 45 minutes once he heard one of the three men say something about kidnapping. His attorney told Fox News that his client had nothing to gain by coming forward, and hinted that his life may now be in danger as a result.

Investigators would not comment on Carroll’s claims to the Bee due to a court-imposed gag order.

The Modesto Bee reported that police divers returned to San Francisco Bay on Friday, where the bodies of Laci and Conner Peterson......

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FRESNO -- A jail inmate here says Scott Peterson, during a November meeting with two members of a neo-Nazi gang, broached the idea of kidnapping his wife.

Laci Peterson, 27 and pregnant, disappeared from her Modesto home just before Christmas, and her remains washed ashore in San Francisco Bay in mid-April. Her 30-year-old husband is charged with the murders of his wife and their unborn son.

Inmate Cory Lee Carroll's information led Modesto police and district attorney's investigators to the Fresno County Jail to interview him this week, said his attorney, Frank Muna.

The attorney said he contacted authorities after Carroll's account checked out in a lie detector test administered by Muna's private investigator.

Detective Doug Ridenour, police spokesman, said a gag order prevents him from talking about the Peterson case.

In general, he said, law enforcement has a duty to follow up all leads: "It doesn't matter where or what time, if it has a potential connection to a case, we're going to investigate it."

The district attorney's office did not respond to inquiries, but in the past has referred to the gag order when questioned about potential evidence.

Peterson's lead attorney, Mark Geragos, also cited the gag order. "Unfortunately, I can't comment," he said. "I would love to, but unfortunately, I can't."

Peterson has pleaded innocent in his death penalty case. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 20 to let a judge determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial. Lie detector test results are not admissible in court.

The 34-year-old Carroll's statement is detailed in a memo summarizing his lie detector exam. The examiner, Melvin W. King, a former Fresno police lieutenant, wrote the memo; The Bee obtained a copy on Friday.

Muna said the memo was identical to one that he received from King. The memo's writer said: "I can't confirm or deny anything. It's been made very clear to me, I'm under a gag order."

He met Peterson in November at the City Lights strip club in Fresno. Peterson, who had discovered that Carroll had spent time in prison, asked whether Carroll knew anyone who could steal his wife's car. Peterson wanted to report the theft for insurance purposes.

Peterson agreed to pay Carroll $300 to set up a meeting with two men known to Carroll as Tony, who goes by the name "Dirty," and Anthony, also known as "Skeeter," members of the Nazi Low Riders gang.

Peterson met with Carroll and the others Nov. 29 at Chili's Grill & Bar in Fresno, and the four continued talking at a motel.

Carroll heard "Peterson mention to Dirty and Skeeter something about kidnapping Laci," and left because he did not want to get involved. He returned 45 minutes later and said he heard the gang members say they were going to take care of something.

Carroll said Dirty and Skeeter often lived in a beige van with orange and red stripes. A witness in the Peterson case said she saw a van across the street from the Peterson home on the day Laci Peterson disappeared. The van's description is similar to Dirty and Skeeter's van.

Police have discounted reports of a suspicious van, saying it belonged to landscapers.

Yes, (sigh), his cheery presence will be sorely missed. To quote an Andy Griffith episode,

"We will meet, but we will miss him...
There will be one vacant chair,
He will linger in our minds' eyes,
As we breathe our morning prayer..."

I don't see anything new today, except I notice that Maggie May, in response to a post from Spunky, has documented why we should believe that it was Amber who called Scott on Dec. 23, and not the other way around.

It gets me thinking of, perhaps, Scott wanting to incite a big blow-out with Laci, maybe as a way of getting her off-balance and making her somehow vulnerable. It's not that I think Amber was in on that; I don't. But I could see where Scott could probably get Amber to call him whenever he wanted, by perhaps leaving her a message. She would then call at whatever number he'd have left, and perhaps Scott might have made sure Laci would be near that particular phone.

I'm thinking of some sort of set-up, maybe like the famous set-up of Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather". Do you remember that?

I don't see anything new today

Haven't seen anything new today either, but I thought Greta's program last night was informative, if not clarifying. She had that former LE officer, King, who administered the LD test to Carroll on. He confirmed on her program a couple of things I had mentioned earlier. Made me feel a little better about getting the facts straight.

Actually, I'd look forward to the MD and Scott, Ma and Pa Peterson show.

Now that you say it...so do I! Aside from the obvious facts of the case, th defense side could be damaged if Geragos leaves. IMO Geragos has a "likeability" factor as far as how he might come across to jurors. Unlike Dalton who has zero charisma.

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