Posted on 06/06/2003 5:30:02 AM PDT by runningbear
Peterson prosecutors claim wiretap was legal
Posted 6/6/2003 7:30 AM
Peterson prosecutors claim wiretap was legal
MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — The judge overseeing Scott Peterson's murder trial will be asked Friday to dismiss the prosecutors assigned to the case and to toss out the results of two wiretaps that monitored thousands of Peterson's calls after the disappearance of his pregnant wife, Laci.
During the court-approved wiretaps, the first of which began two weeks after Laci Peterson vanished when investigators thought they had exhausted normal evidence-gathering techniques, police logged 3,858 phone calls made to her husband, according to court papers.
Some of those conversations will be questioned by defense lawyers who claim prosecutors engaged in misconduct because police eavesdropped on protected conversations between Scott Peterson and his lawyer.
The hearing Friday will also cover requests by more than 20 reporters who want to listen to tapes of their own wiretapped conversations with Peterson. Most of those journalists want those calls blocked from evidence under a state law that protects reporters from revealing unpublished work.
Judge Al Girolami will also consider issuing a gag order to prevent evidence leaks in the case and he may decide whether to release autopsy results of Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Prosecutors have said they support some form of a gag order, while defense lawyer Mark Geragos said in court paper that he opposes any effort to curtail discussions about the case.
Peterson, 30, has pleaded innocent to two counts of murder for allegedly killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. The pregnant part-time teacher disappeared just before Christmas.
Prosecutors said in papers filed Wednesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court that detectives acted in good faith during the wiretaps. Any portions of conversations recorded between Peterson and his lawyer and a private investigator will not be used in court, Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso said.
A judge approved the wiretap of Peterson's phone Jan. 10 after prosecutors showed there was probable cause to believe a crime was committed and the wiretap would help them gather evidence they had not been able to find through normal means.
They discontinued the surveillance Feb. 4 after it no longer produced results.
A second wiretap was started April 15 after the remains of a woman and fetus, later proven to be Laci Peterson and her unborn son, washed ashore in San Francisco Bay near where Scott Peterson said he was fishing the day his wife vanished.
"It's not unusual to show a change in circumstance and put a wiretap back up," John Goold, a chief deputy prosecutor, said Thursday.
Among the thousands of calls captured in the wiretaps were 69 conversations Peterson had with his previous lawyer, Kirk McAllister, and three he had with private investigator Gary Ermoian. The defense claims police improperly listened to more than 50 privileged conversations with McAllister and one with Ermoian..........
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GOLF DATE IS HOLE IN SCOTT'S ALIBI: LACI'S SIS
Recap:
GOLF DATE IS HOLE IN SCOTT'S ALIBI: LACI'S SIS
By DAVID K. LI
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June 3, 2003 -- LOS ANGELES - Scott Peterson told a family member he planned to go golfing last Christmas Eve, possibly blowing his fishy alibi for the day his pregnant wife, Laci, vanished, it was reported yesterday.
The Modesto, Calif., fertilizer salesman and murder suspect has always maintained he went fishing in Berkeley on Dec. 24, the day Laci Peterson disappeared from their home.
But on Dec. 23, Scott Peterson told Laci's sister, Amy, that he had firm golf plans for the next day, according to the Fox News Channel.
Peterson went so far as to say he had a tee time Christmas Eve - and even offered to run an errand for his sister-in-law, who works in a Modesto beauty parlor, on the way home, Fox reported.
Peterson was arrested shortly after the decomposed remains of his wife and unborn son, Connor, washed ashore in San Francisco Bay in April.
Peterson's lawyers insist their client is innocent and claim to have several leads on the real killer. They say they are now looking for a man named "Donnie."
Defense sources told Fox that "Donnie" could have ties to drugs, including methamphetamines, and may be the mystery man in a brown van reported in the neighborhood the day Laci disappeared.
Yesterday, the defense also called for sanctions against the Stanislaus County DA's office for tape-recording phone calls between Peterson and his lawyer, Kirk McAllister
The district attorney admitted last week to having tapes of two phone calls Peterson made to McAllister, and a judge ordered them turned over to the defense.
In court papers, lead defense lawyer Mark Geragos said the DA should be punished for the allegedly ethical lapse.......
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Peterson Wiretap Hearing Friday
Peterson Wiretap Hearing Friday
Friday, June 06, 2003
MODESTO, Calif. — The judge overseeing Scott Peterson's (search) murder trial will be asked Friday to dismiss the prosecutors assigned to the case and to toss out the results of two wiretaps that monitored thousands of Peterson's calls after the disappearance of his pregnant wife, Laci.
During the court-approved wiretaps, the first of which began two weeks after Laci Peterson (search) vanished when investigators thought they had exhausted normal evidence-gathering techniques, police logged 3,858 phone calls made to her husband, according to court papers.
Some of those conversations will be questioned by defense lawyers who claim prosecutors engaged in misconduct because police eavesdropped on protected conversations between Scott Peterson and his lawyer.
The hearing Friday will also cover requests by more than 20 reporters who want to listen to tapes of their own wiretapped conversations with Peterson. Most of those journalists want those calls blocked from evidence under a state law that protects reporters from revealing unpublished work.
Judge Al Girolami (search) will also consider issuing a gag order to prevent evidence leaks in the case and he may decide whether to release autopsy results of Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Prosecutors have said they support some form of a gag order, while defense lawyer Mark Geragos (search) said in court paper that he opposes any effort to curtail discussions about the case.
Peterson, 30, has pleaded innocent to two counts of murder for allegedly killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. The pregnant part-time teacher disappeared just before Christmas.
Prosecutors said in papers filed Wednesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court (search) that detectives acted in good faith during the wiretaps. Any portions of conversations recorded between Peterson and his lawyer and a private investigator will not be used in court, Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso said.
A judge approved the wiretap of Peterson's phone Jan. 10 after prosecutors showed there was probable cause to believe a crime was committed and the wiretap would help them gather evidence they had not been able to find through normal means.
They discontinued the surveillance Feb. 4 after it no longer produced results.
A second wiretap was started April 15 after the remains of a woman and fetus, later proven to be Laci Peterson and her unborn son, washed ashore in San Francisco Bay near where Scott Peterson said he was fishing the day his wife vanished.
"It's not unusual to show a change in circumstance and put a wiretap back up," John Goold, a chief deputy prosecutor, said Thursday.
Among the thousands of calls captured in the wiretaps were 69 conversations Peterson had with his previous lawyer, Kirk McAllister, and three he had with private investigator Gary Ermoian. The defense claims police improperly listened to more than 50 privileged conversations with McAllister and one with Ermoian.
But prosecutors said investigators ................
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WITNESS IN PETERSON TRIAL REPORTEDLY RAPED BY CULT
WITNESS IN PETERSON TRIAL REPORTEDLY RAPED BY CULT
(06-05-2003) - Scott Peterson's defense team has been touting a mystery woman as a key to proving that he's innocent of killing his wife and son. So far the woman's identity is still unknown to the prosecution, but they are taking a closer look at defense claims that a satanic cult kidnapped and killed Laci.
Who is this mystery woman with vital information on the Peterson case and what do we know about her? According to prosecutors, not much.
It appears the defense team may be keeping their star witness a good distance from the prosecution.
Chief Deputy DA, John Gould says he’s asked repeatedly to meet with this woman, but the defense team has yet to bring her forward.
According to the woman, the week before Laci disappeared, she was a victim of a satanic assault by a group driving around in a brown van.
But prosecutors say this mystery woman never filed a police report, and after checking that van thoroughly, investigators never found evidence of a rape.
The woman’s attackers told her they would commit a killing on December 24. And the defense believes the groups next victim was Laci Peterson.
After police tracked down the van on Friday, they sent it to a crime ........................
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Peterson Defense Wants Wiretaps Nixed
Peterson Defense Wants Wiretaps Nixed
MODESTO, Calif. (AP)--The judge overseeing Scott Peterson's murder trial will be asked Friday to dismiss the prosecutors assigned to the case and to toss out the results of two wiretaps that monitored thousands of Peterson's calls after the disappearance of his pregnant wife, Laci.
During the court-approved wiretaps, the first of which began two weeks after Laci Peterson vanished when investigators thought they had exhausted normal evidence-gathering techniques, police logged 3,858 phone calls made to her husband, according to court papers.
Some of those conversations will be questioned by defense lawyers who claim prosecutors engaged in misconduct because police eavesdropped on protected conversations between Scott Peterson and his lawyer.
The hearing Friday will also cover requests by more than 20 reporters who want to listen to tapes of their own wiretapped conversations with Peterson. Most of those journalists want those calls blocked from evidence under a state law that protects reporters from revealing unpublished work.
Judge Al Girolami will also consider issuing a gag order to prevent evidence leaks in the case and he may decide whether to release autopsy results of Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Prosecutors have said they support some form of a gag order, while defense lawyer Mark Geragos said in court paper that he opposes any effort to curtail discussions about the case.
Peterson, 30, has pleaded innocent to two counts of murder for allegedly killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. The pregnant part-time teacher disappeared just before Christmas.
Prosecutors said in papers filed Wednesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court that detectives acted in good faith during the wiretaps. Any portions of conversations recorded between Peterson and his lawyer and a private investigator will not be used in court, Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso said....................
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TV can't resist woman in distress
TV can't resist woman in distress
By Tara Weiss | National Correspondent
Posted June 6, 2003
Flip on any of the network morning shows or a 24-hour cable news channel during prime time, and chances are someone is discussing the Laci Peterson slaying.
The coverage has reached such a fever pitch that the judge in the case is considering a gag order that would prevent each side's attorney from speaking to the news media.
But open a daily newspaper outside the San Francisco area -- the victim lived in Modesto, Calif. -- and chances are the story isn't mentioned at all.
The Laci Peterson story is a case study in the difference between how print and electronic media treat stories of women in peril.
On television, the women speak from the grave in home videos and touching snapshots. TV news anchors dissect each detail and vie to interview family members.
In print, though, most of the developments in these stories are dealt with in short news briefs.
The case is particularly enticing for the morning news shows and cable, although People magazine has featured Peterson on its cover, as have the New York tabloids........
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The media: often bitten, still not shy
Richard Jewell
June 6, 2003
TELEVISION / HOWARD ROSENBERG
The media: often bitten, still not shy
By Howard Rosenberg
TV's Beavises and Butt-heads are at it again. So why bother trying Eric Robert Rudolph? Waste of time and money.
You sense in the urgency of this week's TV coverage bouncing back and forth myopically between the Laci Peterson case and Rudolph that he is surely guilty of those bombings in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta for which he is charged, most famously the blast in Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics.
And piling on, Court TV tonight reruns its "Eric Rudolph: Man Most Wanted" special that "examines the forces that may have driven him to violence" that authorities charge included a 1998 fatal abortion clinic attack in Birmingham.
A reputed menacing zealot, Rudolph was a fugitive for years before his capture Saturday in the forested mountains of North Carolina. And some obsessive media types are staying up nights wondering if anyone helped Rudolph slip through the dragnet that had targeted him for five years.
He may be guilty. He probably is guilty. Bet the farm on this guy being guilty. Yet ...
Remember Richard Jewell?
Cable's rambunctious all-news channels don't, apparently, as they fit Rudolph with a noose like one they tightened around murder victim Laci Peterson's husband, Scott, before he hired an attorney able to spin media opinion to his advantage......................
(Excerpt) Read more at usatoday.com ...
Another radio talk radio KNEW910
Another radio talk radio KNEW910
Another radio talk radio KNEW910
Autopsy, wiretap, gag order issues on tap in Peterson case
By JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: June 6, 2003, 05:51:24 AM PDT
Attorneys on all sides of the Peterson double-murder case are set to be busy in Stanislaus County Superior Court today arguing issues that include autopsy reports, wiretaps and a potential gag order.
Prosecutors are expected to ask Judge Al Girolami to unseal the autopsy reports for Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner.
Peterson's husband, Scott, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.
Girolami today also is scheduled to hear arguments regarding wiretapped calls between Peterson and his defense team and between Peterson and journalists. The judge also is scheduled to consider whether to impose a gag order on participants in the case.
And Girolami is expected to hear a request from the Contra Costa County coroner's office for permission to file death certificates for Laci and Conner. The coroner also is seeking clarification on Girolami's order sealing the autopsy reports.
The bodies of mother and son washed ashore in mid-April about a mile apart along the eastern shoreline of San Francisco Bay. Peterson's arrest came days later.
Girolami last month ordered the coroner to keep any reports involving the bodies under wraps. He allowed the reports' release only to prosecutors, who would give copies to the defense.
Evidence on 'real killers'
Judge Roger M. Beauchesne has scheduled a closed hearing this afternoon to review defense arguments favoring continued sealing of eight prearrest search warrants.
Defense attorneys have said they will present evidence pointing away from Peterson and toward the "real killers." It was not known Thursday whether defense attorneys would object to prosecutors sitting in.
Prosecutors also want the warrants to stay sealed. The Bee and other newspapers, along with television stations, are seeking to have the warrants opened -- which is the norm in other cases.
In Girolami's court, the defense is seeking a closed hearing to question investigators and prosecutor Rick Distaso about the wiretaps.
Investigators have said they mistakenly monitored one call and portions of two others between Peterson and members of his defense team. The investigators contend that information monitored during the calls was "not substantive."
In court filings, defense attorneys indicated that they may seek a range of sanctions against prosecutors, including asking the judge to have the district attorney's office removed from the case.
Prosecutors maintain they followed the law when intercepting 3,858 calls over about 30 days. Further, prosecutors have said that they have not listened to the tapes.
The prosecution is asking Girolami to review all the recordings, which are being kept under seal at the court.
Twenty-two journalists have filed requests to listen to their ......................
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For updated reports on radio,, via listen live on the net, KFBK
Don't know when they start but I suspect it will be early like all the others. (It's just after 6am here in CA). Coverage live from Modesto has begun sporadically from Modesto on CNN.
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