Theories unfold as hearing nears in Peterson case

The Contra Costa Times ^ | Oct 12, 2003

[Velveeta]

Good luck!!

[Devil_Anse]

Merlin is a cadaver dog??!!? Are y'all sure??! And he had "hits" while searching for Laci way back in the first few days??!

[Devil_Anse]

If it is shown that Laci's scent (fresh) was hit on by dogs at the warehouse shortly after they started looking for her, would that mean Scott would have to give some sort of "innocent" explanation for why?

IMO, yes--as you said. But would he have to testify to give said "innocent" explanation? IMO, no. Suppose the dog handler gets up there and says, "My dog scented Laci at Scott's warehouse." The defense would cross-question the handler, of course. Maybe the defense couldn't get the handler to go back on that statement.

At that point, if the defense didn't want Scott to testify, it seems to me that the defense could just save its refutation for its argument. At the end, the defense counsel could say, "You heard that the dog scented Laci at Scott's warehouse. But they can't say with certainty when that scent the dog found was put there. They can only say that it had to be fairly recent for the dog to pick it up. It's quite possible that Laci's scent WAS at her own husband's warehouse. She went there with him sometimes. Some possessions of theirs which she had handled were taken there from time to time. This doesn't give any positive proof that Laci was at that warehouse on Dec. 24, and even then, what if she was? She had a vehicle. She had access to keys to Scott's warehouse"...etc., etc.

[Canadian Outrage]

Two things" If Merlin is a Cadaver dog as I seem to remember, that's BAD for Snott; and 2)Was the "scent" picked up in the "other" secured rental unit? I don't believe Laci knew about the other one.

[Sandylapper]

The document says in part......."the forensic mitochondrial DNA typing results produced in the instant case which establish the victim, Laci Peterson, as a potential contributor of a hair seized as evidence from the boat the defendant took to the bay on 12/24/02. The mitchonchondrial testing has eliminated the defendant as the source of the hair."

CO, Greta had Ted Rowlands tonight. He reviewed/discussed what Rita Cosby had reported earlier. His opinion was much like yours--that once a jury hears the glaring discrepancies in the interview with Diane Sawyer vs. what he told Amber about his feelings for her, that said jury will be astonished.

Got your freepmail. Thanks a lot! Will get back to you.

[Devil_Anse]

HOWEVER, nothing is stopping her from testifying about those calls.

Exactly! Of course, when someone is testifying that they talked to so-and-so on the phone, the side who puts that someone on as a witness first has to go through foundational questions to show that the witness was sure of who it was they were talking to. Also, the side who puts that person on as a witness can then, in this case, show the actual phone records (just showing this number called that number) to back up what their witness is saying: that she received a phone call on such-and-such date, that it was Scott Peterson, that she knew it was Scott Peterson's voice, etc.

[Sandylapper]

Okay, okay...I'm slow, and trying to find the article about Merlin (tracking dog) and Trimble (cadaver dog) at the bay. Would someone please point me to it?

[Canadian Outrage]

Your Know it Girl!!

[Devil_Anse]

Oh, I hope you get that job! We have so many people we need you to check out extensively! Cory Carroll, Doug Maderas, Scott, Amber, and, hey, I'm sure you can find something for us on Skeeter, can't you?

[Velveeta]

---->Pointing -----> Starts on page 15 line 19

http://www.pressupdate.info/pdfs/peterson/101403/DA_Points_&_Authorities_in_Support_of_Evi.pdf

[Canadian Outrage]

Thanks for digging that up Sandy. OOOH can this Prelim PULEEZE get going!!

[Devil_Anse]

Wow, now if they picked up her scent at that OTHER (secret) warehouse, wow, that's really starting to look bad for Scott, IMO!

[Devil_Anse]

I don't have the article, but I remember in January we heard that they had cadaver dogs riding with them in the boats while they were searching the bay and sending down divers. We could see the dogs in the footage shown of the searches. Sorry I can't be of more help on this.

I remember that they explained that these dogs could detect scents even over water.

[Sandylapper]

Mind if I chime in here? What if Scott did take Laci by the warehouse, say on the 23rd? What if there was someone at the warehouse (do they have other workers there?) who saw Laci with Scott? Possible?

[Canadian Outrage]

Exactly!! I'm thinking that it probably was THAT one because he had the one for his "work" supposedly for a while and Laci could have easily been there. But the "other secured" one is a horse of a differnt color. IF it was the Cadaver Dog that picked up her scent at the "other" rental unit - That's DYNAMITE!

[Canadian Outrage]

I don't know Sandy. But it occurs to me that IF that point was leaked it was probably the secret warehouse unit and probably picked up by a Cadaver Dog. Otherwise it wouldn't really be news worthy . Besides, Snott says that when he left in the morning Laci was getting ready to walk the dog. She certainly wasn't going anywhere with him ACCORDING to him. IF it was THAT one and If it was a Cadaver Dog - then Peterson is screwed, blued and tattooed!! Imo

[Sandylapper]

So, how do I get to page 15, line 19, Miss Smarty? I tried to scroll down and my computer locked down.

[Devil_Anse]

He may not be going so far as to accuse them of deliberately lying, but it appears he is accusing them of playing fast and loose with the facts stated in their affidavits. Do we have a copy of this argument by Geragos? It would be easy to get a copy of that Supreme Court case--those things are online, if you want it--but frankly, it sounds like he's making some pretty standard challenges here.

As for the hair, as everyone here can see, it appears that Geragos is accusing the two detectives of carelessly mixing the hairbrush (known to contain Laci's hair) with THE hair from the pliers, and he is obviously going to say that they let a hair from the hairbrush fall into that bag, and that that's why THE hair tested as "probably" being Laci's under the mitochondrial DNA testing--because it WAS hers, a hair from her hairbrush, not really from the pliers.

Yes, I saw that bit about "high probability" or whatever, that THE hair was Laci's. I am assuming that they phrase it that way, instead of just saying "tests showed it was Laci's", b/c even with DNA testing, they are STILL dealing only in probabilities. (But the probabilities in some of that DNA testing are things like, a billion to one, or something like that.) I mean, when they do a DNA test for paternity, it is still stated as something like, "there is a 99% chance that he is the child's father", and that is considered a hit, of course. But I might just be totally off the wall with this.

[Sandylapper]

I have an interesting URL (ModBee article) from the 27th of December last year. It stated that some tracking dog/s picked up Laci's scent and went to a dumpster behind a winery in/near the Peterson's neighborhood. It also mentioned that someone reported hearing a woman screaming in that area on the 24th.

[Velveeta]

That happens to me sometimes too. Wait for the whole document to load and then try scrolling down.