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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of those journalists want those calls blocked from evidence under a state law that protects reporters from revealing unpublished work.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: redlipstick
ACK - I spoke too soon. Here's geraldo!
81 posted on 06/06/2003 8:03:39 AM PDT by EllaMinnow
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To: Howlin
Think maybe today he'll produce "the real killer" he promised us? (trying to keep a straight face here...)
82 posted on 06/06/2003 8:05:06 AM PDT by MizSterious (Support whirled peas!)
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To: redlipstick
Make it a quick email because Geraldo is interviewing Mark Geragos tonight, suppose to be "exclusive". Watch out for Geraldo and Greta when it concerns Geragos. They are his enablers. Both of them helped get Susan McDougal released by interferring in the trial. They make me sick.
83 posted on 06/06/2003 8:05:16 AM PDT by kcvl
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Comment #84 Removed by Moderator

To: MizSterious
**(massage therapists are not the same as the untrained massage parlor doxies**

Thank you, Miz. Sad that this has to be repeated so often.

85 posted on 06/06/2003 8:10:06 AM PDT by homeschool mama
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To: Howlin
Crier on now. Very pro-defense. She really believes the cult theory and is trying to convince Nancy Grace. Brought up the plastic bag again.
86 posted on 06/06/2003 8:10:57 AM PDT by clouda
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Comment #87 Removed by Moderator

To: allyoop77
"(per FR rules, this list cannot have a name, LOL)"

Perfect example of passive/aggressive posting..

sw

88 posted on 06/06/2003 8:15:25 AM PDT by spectre (spectre's wife (Look up thread the jackal rules, alley)
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To: Tapu
The media Or drug dealing. Nothing in this case would surprise me.
89 posted on 06/06/2003 8:15:33 AM PDT by BonneBlue
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To: clouda
What IS her deal with the baby being in that plastic bag? Isn't she the only one saying that?
90 posted on 06/06/2003 8:17:01 AM PDT by Howlin
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To: homeschool mama
I just read this from CTV board. Anyone see the Ted Rowlands report this morning about this new angle?

7:30am PST KTVU Update

This is basically a reiteration of the 7am report:

1. The prosecution's main theory is that Scott drugged
Laci with GHB prior to strangling her in the early of
hours of Christmas eve IN THE PETERSON HOME.
2. Info about GHB was found on Scott's computer.
3. This is called a "soft kill" because it leaves behind
little evidence.
4. It is unclear if any GHB was found in the Peterson
home.
Driveby
91 posted on 06/06/2003 8:17:06 AM PDT by melodie (Phew!!! Now I know why people call this place Humidston.)
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To: melodie
Sorry HSM, this was for all!
92 posted on 06/06/2003 8:18:12 AM PDT by melodie (Phew!!! Now I know why people call this place Humidston.)
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Comment #93 Removed by Moderator

To: melodie; All
Prosecution: Laci Was Drugged And Strangled

POSTED: 7:18 a.m. PDT June 6, 2003
UPDATED: 7:21 a.m. PDT June 6, 2003

http://www.ktvu.com/news/2253590/detail.html

MODESTO, Calif. -- Police believe Scott Peterson drugged his pregnant wife with the growth hormone and date rape drug -- GHB -- and then strangled her in the couple's Modesto home, numerous sources revealed to KTVU Channel 2 on Friday.

Sources on both sides of the case told KTVU's Ted Rowlands that the prosecution's theory of the crime had been pieced together using information salvaged from a computer taken from the Peterson home.

The murder, one source said, was being classified as a 'soft kill' -- meaning there was very little evidence of the crime at the couple's home. The leaks came just hours before a series of hearings were take place in Modesto.


Weeks of courtroom maneuvering and spin control hurled toward a climax in those hearings into Christmas Eve murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner.

And like most major developments in the case, the day promised to be bigger than life. Not one, but two Stanislaus County Superior Court judges were scheduled to hash out a laundry list of legal items.

Among those will be whether a gag order will be issued by Judge Al Girolami to plug the leaks and out-of-the-courthouse rhetoric that has characterized the case for the last few weeks.

The judges will also decide if search and arrests warrants issued in the case and their supporting documentation would be released to the public and whether the district attorney's office should be removed from the case because of its handling of wire taps on Scott Peterson's phones.

The issue at the center of the dispute is whether or not prosecutors listened to any of the 69 phone calls tapped between Peterson and his Modesto attorney Kirk McAllister. Also intercepted were two calls between Peterson and a private investigator working for McAllister.

"They (the defense team) need to make the motion, it's the responsible thing for the defense to do at this point," Fox News legal expert Mark Garcia told KTVU. "The judge will not grant that request. It's clear that Kirk McAllister has been around the area for a long time. The defense investigators and prosecution both know him well…They know his voice."

(snip)
94 posted on 06/06/2003 8:18:32 AM PDT by clouda
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Comment #95 Removed by Moderator

To: allyoop77
If this guy's time is correct, the dog had been returned to the Peterson yard already.

Thank you! I knew something was *wrong* with that little tidbit.

96 posted on 06/06/2003 8:18:56 AM PDT by Howlin
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To: clouda
Thanks Clouda!! I guess the report is true!
97 posted on 06/06/2003 8:20:05 AM PDT by melodie (Phew!!! Now I know why people call this place Humidston.)
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To: allyoop77
3, Matt Dalton
98 posted on 06/06/2003 8:20:38 AM PDT by Velveeta
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To: melodie
I heard somebody mention that drug last night; it would have been either on Fox or MSNBC.
99 posted on 06/06/2003 8:20:57 AM PDT by Howlin
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To: MizSterious
Don't wait up.
100 posted on 06/06/2003 8:21:27 AM PDT by Howlin
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