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Peterson prosecutors claim wiretap was legal
USAToday ^ | June 6, 2003

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of those journalists want those calls blocked from evidence under a state law that protects reporters from revealing unpublished work.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..........

---------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.......

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 ................

--------------------------------------------------------

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 ........................

----------------------------------------------------------------------

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....................

--------------------------------------------------------------

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........

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: lacipeterson
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To: cyncooper
LOL, I melted when I saw that thread.
561 posted on 06/06/2003 6:03:06 PM PDT by Velveeta
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To: alexandria
The coincidences in this case with dates in particular is rather unnerving besides being heartbreaking.

And so damn cosmically WRONG - I even question God on this (And I hope He doesn't get too annoyed with me for it)and I have no personal feelings towards these people. I mean, how much can one family endure?

562 posted on 06/06/2003 6:04:09 PM PDT by CAPPSMADNESS (custom made smarmy, sanctimonious taglines created while you wait!!)
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To: Velveeta; All; jdontom
Plane Crash breaking news video

Plane Crashes Into Apartment Building Crash Ignites Huge Blaze

POSTED: 3:56 p.m. PDT June 6, 2003
UPDATED: 5:42 p.m. PDT June 6, 2003

LOS ANGELES -- A small plane nosedived into an apartment complex Friday, setting the three-story building ablaze.

Fire officials have confirmed at least one fatality. Authorities say the victim was someone on board the plane, however it is unclear how many people were onboard the plane.

Plane Crashes Into Apartment Building Officials say they are treating the scene as a crime scene until they have more details.

There was a massive, immediate response by police and fire crews and the investigation was expected to take a long time, according to officials.

Fire crews evacuated nearby residents and news crews due to a possible chemical hazard.

At least seven people were treated for injuries. Five of the victims were critically injured, said Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Franco. At least one person was seriously injured.

The plane that crashed orriginated from Santa Monica Airport, according to FAA officials. The plane had the capacity to hold four people, but it is unknown how many people were onboard.

Victims have been transported to Cedars-Sinai and Midway hospital.

At least 75 firefighters battled the flames while treating victims in a makeshift triage unit.

The number of casualties was not known, police Officer Jason Lee said.

The plane apparently hit the top of the building and plunged straight through to the ground floor.

The crash ignited an intense blaze. The smoke could reportedly be seen for miles. Eyewitnesses said the impact was intense and the smoke was very thick and black.

The crash reportedly occured on Spalding Street, just south of Melrose Boulevard, and about a block away from Fairfax High School.

Police and firefighters helped stunned residents from the structure that had at least 30 units.

A resident of the area told reporters that the plane went into the buildng about 3:50 p.m.

"I looked up and saw the plane just do a nosedive," Aaron Hooker said. "It didn't seem real."

A Federal Aviation Administration duty officer said she knew only that a small plane had crash.

"The impact of the plane blew my windows out," said witness Jeff Harris.

Harris said he saw other residents with burns and injuries as he ran to rouse his landlord.

"You couldn't see anything it was all just flames," Harris said.

"There was a man who jumped from the second floor to the concrete. He hit the concrete and they carried him off. The first ambulance arrived probably five minutes after the crash. I saw a couple of secret service agents," said eyewitness Chris Hoffman.

Hoffman said residents were running around after the crash and trying to account for their neighbors.

An eyewitness said he heard the aircraft and looked up and saw the small aircraft engaged in a spiral nosedive. The witness believed the aircraft was plummeting at several hundred miles. He said he saw a huge fireball upon impact. "There's no chance anyone could have gotten out of that," the unidentified witness told NBC4.

STREET CLOSURES: Melrose Boulevrad is closed from Fairfax to Gardner.

563 posted on 06/06/2003 6:05:35 PM PDT by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: alexandria
Sounds very logical to me.
564 posted on 06/06/2003 6:05:55 PM PDT by Velveeta
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To: CAPPSMADNESS
Capp it isn't hard to find GHB in the system of someone who just died. The minute they die and the blood flow elimination system stops it will be held in the tissues. It would have had to circulate enough to put her out first. It is disgusting either way. We just had a death in my small City last year of a 17 year old girl who drank too much and died.
565 posted on 06/06/2003 6:05:55 PM PDT by Canadian Outrage (All us Western Canuks belong South)
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To: cyncooper
Somebody better show Geragos the way his client is looking at him so he can make sure security is extra tight.

That's for sure! That is the most evil, hateful look! I wonder what he was thinking.
566 posted on 06/06/2003 6:07:08 PM PDT by fxrdeb
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To: clouda
I am beginning to think someone let part of the cat of forensic out of the bag....
567 posted on 06/06/2003 6:08:33 PM PDT by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: uvular
Thanks for the heads up, Uvular!
568 posted on 06/06/2003 6:08:48 PM PDT by melodie (Phew!!! Now I know why people call this place Humidston.)
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To: fxrdeb
Don't make me put hotpepper on my hankie to rub my eyes again!
569 posted on 06/06/2003 6:09:20 PM PDT by MEG33
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To: alexandria
Laci and Connor's memorial on her birthday, May 4 is another..
570 posted on 06/06/2003 6:09:36 PM PDT by Jackie-O
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To: MEG33
True, true, true...

I was saying something similar on a thread not too long ago about a guy who killed his kids and then himself while his wife was "out with friends" for the night(she discovered the scene when she came home the next morning), as they were getting divorced.

If people would just walk away and give themselves a few months out of the arena of their passion play to regroup and get some perspective ... spouse-killing, suicide, all that....it doesn't have to happen.

571 posted on 06/06/2003 6:10:13 PM PDT by Yeti
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To: Canadian Outrage
Uh, CO, there is alot of us with GHB searches on our puters now!LOL
572 posted on 06/06/2003 6:10:30 PM PDT by melodie (Phew!!! Now I know why people call this place Humidston.)
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To: cyncooper
Geraldo pronounces a conviction unlikely.

Does Geraldo get his $50.00 from Geragos now?

573 posted on 06/06/2003 6:10:50 PM PDT by Velveeta
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To: brneyedgirl; hergus
Thanks..Hergus did ya hear that, john and ken have been viewing your site.... ;o)
574 posted on 06/06/2003 6:11:44 PM PDT by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: MEG33
LOL!
575 posted on 06/06/2003 6:12:08 PM PDT by fxrdeb
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To: Yeti
No it doesn't.Look at the misery for everyone concerned and the loss.Selfish!
576 posted on 06/06/2003 6:12:41 PM PDT by MEG33
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To: Jackie-O
Laci and Connor's death certificates were released about one hr ago..
577 posted on 06/06/2003 6:12:47 PM PDT by Bella
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To: Rusty Roberts
Geraldo changes his mind more often than he changes his underwear

Fair and balanced act again???

578 posted on 06/06/2003 6:13:13 PM PDT by Jackie-O
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To: runningbear
tacky suits.
579 posted on 06/06/2003 6:14:27 PM PDT by Queen Jadis
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To: Bella
Posted: June 6, 2003 at 5:13 p.m.
MARTINEZ (AP) -- The death certificates of Laci Peterson and her unborn son have been released in Contra Costa County. But they shed little light on the case.

Laci Peterson's cause of death is listed as "undetermined." The manner of death is listed by the coroner as "homicide." The fetal death certificate for Conner Peterson does not list a cause or manner of death.

The certificates were released in Martinez just before 5 p.m. Friday.

580 posted on 06/06/2003 6:14:27 PM PDT by kcvl
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