Homicide victims usually know killer

The Modesto Bee ^ | Posted: January 28, 2003 @ 04:50:10 AM PST | Patick Giblin

[runningbear]

Homicide victims usually know killer

Homicide victims usually know killer

By PATRICK GIBLIN
BEE STAFF WRITER

If Laci Peterson has been killed, statistics say she was likely slain by someone close to her.

Police still hold out hope for the pregnant, 27-year-old woman's safe return, but veteran investigators know that with each passing day since her disappearance on Christmas Eve, the chance diminishes.

"For much of our search, when we're looking in places under water, we're looking for a body," Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden said earlier this month.

According to the California Department of Justice, more than 63 percent of the people who were arrested in California on homicide charges in 2001 knew their victims.

That's why detectives usually start investigating family members when they suspect a homicide has occurred, said Mike Van Winkle, spokesman for the department's Division of Law Enforcement.

"About three years ago, we had a female agent who didn't show up for work," he said. "The husband said she left in the morning, but our detectives took a look at him anyway. Pretty soon, he told us where to find the body."

It makes sense statistically why police are increasingly focusing on Laci Peterson's 30-year-old husband, Scott Peterson. According to the California homicide figures:

Approximately 46 percent of victims were related to the killer in some other way.

Nearly 7 percent of victims were killed by their spouses.

About 7 percent of the victims were killed by a parent or child.

About 4 percent of the killers had an "other" relationship with the victim. That could mean they were dating or roommates, for example.

About 36 percent of the victims did not know the person who killed them.

But just because Scott Peterson is the husband does not mean he's guilty of anything, Van Winkle cautioned.

Neither does the news that he had a romantic relationship with a Fresno woman he met in late November, a criminal justice expert said Monday.

Jeanette Sereno, a lawyer and assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice with California State University, Stanislaus, warned that Scott Peterson's reported liaison doesn't make him guilty of homicide.

"In fact, just because he (might be) a suspect doesn't automatically make him the defendant," she said.

According to several studies on marriage -- including a 1998 study by the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California at San Francisco -- nearly one-fifth of spouses will have affairs during their marriages. Yet few end up in homicide.

Laci Peterson's case has another factor -- she's pregnant. Their son is due on Feb. 10.

According to a 2001 study by the American Medical Association, the leading cause of death for pregnant women is homicide. The study randomly looked at the cases of 247 pregnant women who died and found that 50 of them were murdered.

The other women died from heart problems, car accidents, previously unknown medical problems or complications from the pregnancy.

"Typically, pregnant women don't participate in risky activities such as hiking, mountain climbing or drinking in bars," Sereno said. "They are eating well and seeing their doctors, so their deaths normally would be something out of their control."

Bee staff writer Patrick Giblin can be reached at 578-2347 or pgiblin@modbee.com.

Posted: January 28, 2003 @ 04:50:10 AM PST

[Space Wrangler]

now=not. Dang it!!

[suzyq5558]

i would too, but im ready to settle in for the long haul on this one.
i followed the green river case all these years and only just last year did they finally get an arrest ,its tough some of these cases,but most of the time the perp is caught finally.

[landerwy]

Come on, Devil! You and I both know what they meant when she said she had a romantic relationship!

[bonfire]

Being raised in a religious family, she may NOT have told anyone about the affair. Although I doubt seriously that he ever told her. How many men freely admit they are having an affair? Knowing what we know about Scott, he would deny, deny, deny. He has no problem with lying.

[Devil_Anse]

I'm glad you mentioned that. It also crossed my mind--when I was picturing just how gruesome it would be to murder a woman who had an almost full-term baby moving around inside her. (Not that any murder wouldn't be gruesome.)

It occurred to me...ugh...that when whoever it was, was killing this poor little lady, that the violence might cause labor to begin. For that reason, I think there might possibly be blood at the murder scene, even if the killer strangled her.

This is HORRIBLE. Really horrible.

[alexandria]

Scotty boy tells her earlier in the day about his plan to go fishing Christmas Eve. She may have thought it legit until either Amber calls on his cell phone and

And Laci goes thru the recent / missed calls or phone book and sees the number and calls Amber. I think the "going fishing" story MAY have started to become suspect long ago.
I ALSO think that she would go BALLISTIC if he admitted to an affair (remember the Portugese temper) she HOSPITALIZED a girl in a fight over a boy long ago. To me that shows that under extreme emotional conditions Laci was one who has a type of "blind rage" and cannot control it.

Do not take any of this as my "talking down" Laci. I am merely stating that there are some who when extremely angry actually "black out" and do not remember what they do.

Scott being the self-centered egotistical "I never do anything wrong" man would NOT be able to accept Laci screaming about what a low-life he is. Yes he deserved everything I think she said to him, but rather than accept the CONSEQUENCES of his actions I think he would do whatever it took to shut her up.

[Freedom2specul8]

""Scott was a battered husband."
"

That was a good one! lol

[bonfire]

Reading backwards here. Thanks for your up close and personal comments on Laci.

[Devil_Anse]

ROFLMAO!!!

How true, how true!

[texasbluebell]

#233--So true, all of it. Her mother yesterday made just such an appeal, that if anyone knows anything to please contact the MPD.

Guess Scottie didn't think of that.

[texasbluebell]

For that reason, I think there might possibly be blood at the murder scene, even if the killer strangled her.

Not to mention other fluids, like amniotic.

[Devil_Anse]

Yeah--Geraldo can tell Manson "I could kick your ass" while the cameras were rolling and Manson was locked up tight!

If Geraldo and Manson ever met while Manson was free, we'd have seen Gerry with a shaved head, an "X" carved into his forehead, living on the Spahn Ranch and helping Charlie strip stolen cars!

[twigs]

I thought the same thing, but w/the publicity and her poor family.. it just doesn't seem likely

I agree with you both. I just like to keep an open mind. I think Scott is probably responsible, yet I do keep reminding myself that adultery does not necessarily mean murder (though I think it increasingly points to it this time; I just don't think that's the main motivation).

[Devil_Anse]

LANDERWY! Why, I'm astonished at you!

[Devil_Anse]

deny deny deny

Plausible deniability, anyone?

[Arthalion]

You sure remember a lot of details about her..

Like I said, I had a crush on her in high school. When you trail someone like a puppy dog for the better part of a school year, you do tend to remember certain details (hey, I was 15 years old). Besides, I've spent a bit of time thinking about her over the past month, and quite a few old memories have been jogged. I specifically remember the cross and her religion because I'm a practicing Catholic myself, and I'd hoped to use that as an advantage to get to know her better. Sadly, there was no hope for us geeks.

And you asked me in another post about knowing her. I looked up my posting history as well, and couldn't find it either, but I'd swear I mentioned it in one thread or another. Just to clarify what my relationship to her was: I was not a friend of Laci Rocha, more of an old high school acquaintance. We lived in the same neighborhood, but I didn't meet her until high school. I can go over all the details of our meeting if you want, but it's mostly pretty boring. I developed a crush on her (we walked home the same way and she looked really cute in her cheerleader outfits), but there was zero chance of anything developing from it. Still, during my sophmore year, we had several classes together and I managed to have a few conversations with her (I later found out that she knew about my crush, and thought it was "cute"). I lost interest in her after the school year ended, but she and I still occasionally bumped into each other at Downey and had brief conversations. On one occasion, she and I bumped into each other as we were walking home, and we walked together for a few blocks talking about now forgotten things.

And that's it. I wouldn't characterize myself as a friend, but I knew her well enough to understand her personality. I knew her and ogled her for long enough to understand what she was like, and how she responded to things. I knew her well enough that, when I learned she was missing, I devoted two days of my personal vacation time to helping search for her. And I knew her well enough to know that the story Scott Peterson gave this morning was a complete and utter lie.

[Freedom2specul8]

To have an open mind is the best way to be.. It's really hard sometimes though. I completely agree..I've said before that if sp is only guilty of cheating.....he's really paying for it now.

[wimpycat]

Shoot, I don't know Scott Peterson from Adam, and I can tell he's lying through his teeth.


BTW, I believe you.

[Spunky]

The Laci Rocha I knew would have beat the crap out of him with blunt objects, screamed at the top of her lungs for hours, and then thrown him out of the house

Only she never got a chance to throw him out of the house.

Scott never told her about the affair. She found out through a cell phone call, cell phone bill, or credit card statements. Then the above personality of Laci you describe above happened and Scott ended up killing her in a fit of rage.

[Freedom2specul8]

Thanks so much for explaining a little more of your history w/her. It's not too often that we find someone who actually knows more than what the media/police reveal.

I can very well understand how much you noticed things because of your crush. I can't imagine how this must have affected you. :( Remembering that little necklace about broke my heart. Helping with the search had to have been so hard.

I hope you are doing ok...