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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You mean SP was part of a gang rape, too? LOL
Maaaaaatttttt, your village called....
Another witness saw dog
A high school teacher says he may have seen Laci Peterson and her dog in East La Loma Park on Christmas Eve -- the day family members reported her missing.
Mike Chiavetta, a neighbor of Peterson's in the La Loma district of Modesto, said he told police that he clearly remembers seeing the golden retriever, McKenzie, at about 10:45 a.m. as Chiavetta played catch with his own dog. That time is about a half-hour after another neighbor says she returned McKenzie to Scott and Laci Peterson's back yard.
Chiavetta, a history teacher and water polo coach at Modesto High School, described McKenzie's long hair and said: "It's a pretty distinctive dog."
He said he cannot be sure, but someone may have been walking the dog along a fence next to an orchard. "I remember looking over, and, in my mind, I see a woman with a big white smock and black leggings."
Reward posters noted that Peterson was last seen wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants.