2 Sep 2003
Prelim postponed until Oct 20
At a
hearing previously set to identify what evidences and witnesses would be
presented at the preliminary hearing, Geragos asked Judge Girolami to
postpone the preliminary hearing because of the "volume of
discovery" the defense has received from the prosecution and
because of a scheduling conflict he has with another case in its trial
phase. Girolami set the new preliminary date for October 20. Geragos also indicated that he plans to challenge four specific
evidences the prosecution plans to present at the preliminary
hearing: cadaver and scent-tracking dogs, witness hypnosis,
mitochondrial DNA, and GPS tracking devices.
6 Sep 2003
24-hr protection for Amber
Ron Frey
informed the Modesto Bee that Amber feared for her life. She is now being protected by private guards and lives in a gated
community with round-the-clock protection by private security guards. In late September, a source confirmed that Amber's increased security
was linked to Cory Carroll's account of neo-Nazi gang members who
possibly were plotting with Scott to kidnap Laci. However,
Frey's move to the gated community seems to pre-date the earliest
efforts by Carroll to report the alleged plot.
10 Sep 2003
Scott's 7 affairs
KOVR-13
reported that Scott had 7 affairs during his 5-year marriage with Laci,
the first in 1997 while Laci worked on Prunedale as a wine distributor
and Scott was in San Luis Obispo, living with a roommate. Laci found
out about this affair on a surprise visit. While she gave Scott the
silent treatment during dinner with another couple that night, she
did not tell anyone about it.
10 Sep 2003
Road map of Mexico
OTR reported a map was found in Scott's car when he was arrested.
The map was a road map of Southern California and Mexico. This map
had directions on how to get from San Diego, and safely across the
border to Mexico. It had directions to a remote area in Mexico where
experts believe Scott was planning on hiding out & living at a camp
site, after he fled the country. This new evidence could prove to be
very damaging to the defense. Panel discussion was mixed in
reactions to the significance of the map.
12 Sep 2003
Brocchini interviewed Kristin
Reed
Brocchini testified that he interviewed Kristin Reed
about the van she thought she saw across the street from 523 Covena
the morning of Dec. 24. Kristin told Brocchini that Laci told
her she had stopped walking because of some fainting spells, but
because she had gained so much weight in her pregnancy she was going
to start walking again. Brocchini asked if she was still going
to the park, and Kristin she did not remember specifically, but Laci
always took McKenzie with her as a safety feature. Laci always
kept McKenzie on the leash because she could not control him like
Scott could. When asked by Distaso, Brocchini said he did not
believe Laci went walking on Dec 24 in the park and Kristin's
information contradicted what he believed happened. Brocchini also
said he asked Kristin if she had been talking to the defense, and
she said she had talked to McAllister.
19 Sep 2003
Investigators returned to Bay
Modesto
police and a dive team provided by Contra Costa Sheriff's department
returned to the Richmond area of San Francisco Bay.
20 Sep 2003
Cory Carroll revealed kidnapping plot
The Fresno
Bee obtained a copy of the polygraph given to Cory Carroll regarding
his accusation that Scott discussed a kidnapping scheme with Dirty and
Skeeter, two members of a neo-Nazi gang. The polygraph asked
specifically about the discussion of kidnapping, but not about any
intent to murder Laci. Carroll said he was unaware of Laci's
kidnapping and murder because he was jailed in December through July and
was in a lockdown situation. He also says that he was approached
twice after is release in July and told to "keep his mouth shut. "Carroll was jailed again in
August. Over
the next two weeks, Carroll revealed more details about the deal struck
between Scott and the two neo-Nazis. According to Frank Muna,
Carroll's attorney, Scott "offered Skeeter and Dirty $3,000 apiece
to kidnap Laci and $8,000 apiece to get rid of her -- to kill her. "Muna
suggested Scott failed to pay the money after he came under intense
police scrutiny and Laci Peterson died while being held. The
disgruntled kidnappers could have dumped the bodies where
Peterson said he went fishing to implicate him, Muna said. As of
October 3, Investigators have not contacted Diane Jackson to see if
she recognized him or others as the men near the mysterious van
parked directly across the street from the Covena home, a source
close to the investigation said.
25 Sep 2003 Phone log becomes public knowledge
The
ModBee published and analyzed a phone log for the 60-day period
from December 14, 2002 to January 14, 2003. The article provides no
explanation for the 14 calls from Amber to Scott on December 26. KTVU
reported that investigators served search warrants on five cell phone
companies trying to determine if Amber called Scott at his home in
the days before Christmas Eve.
26 Sep 2003
Imposition of Constructive Trust
Sharon
Rocha filed a lawsuit in Stanislaus County to prevent Scott, and any
current or future agent, from profiting from Laci's and Conner's deaths.
Any profits derived are to be put into a trust for the
benefit of Laci's beneficiaries. Beyond its financial impact on
Scott and the Petersons, the lawsuit could test whether a recently
revised California law places unconstitutional limits on free speech by
allowing victim's families to block perpetrators from profiting from
their crimes.
26
Sep 2003
Dalton left the defense team
The ModBee
reported that Matthew Dalton left both the defense team and Geragos' LA
law firm. Dalton is the one who raised a public fuss when the
Rochas removed items from the Covena home. He also is the one who
violated the gag order by discussing elements of the case with Drs. Lee
and Wecht in the presence of a news reporter.
29
Sep
2003 Bones found
Lori Krestian, Richmond CA, called the Modesto police to report she had
found some bones near where Laci washed ashore "weeks ago." On
October 2, the Contra County coroner's facility reported that the
bones were from an animal.