Peterson's ex-girlfriend testifies today

The National Post ^ | 11/12/03 | Julie Smith

[maggief]

http://www.ktvu.com/news/2632328/detail.html

Back To The DNA At The Peterson Trial

POSTED: 11:48 AM PST November 12, 2003

MODESTO, Calif. -- An FBI scientist on Wednesday defended the forensic evidence offered by a co-worker that linked Laci Peterson to a hair found in a boat her husband said he took fishing the day she disappeared.

FBI scientist Bruce Budowle was called by prosecutors to rebut testimony from a defense expert who had criticized the DNA techniques used by FBI lab workers to analyze the hair, found in pliers in Scott Peterson's boat.

Budowle said the DNA sample wasn't contaminated, as the defense has suggested, and said the defense misrepresented the way the FBI went about its analysis.

He also defended the database the FBI used to determine the probability that the hair could have been from Laci Peterson, the 27-year-old Modesto woman who disappeared on Christmas Eve.

"The ideal size database would be the entire world population," Budowle said. "If we had a larger database, we could have greater confidence."

But he said the FBI database was large enough that scientists there were confident of their findings.

The hair has become the most time-consuming element in the preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to try Peterson in the slaying of his wife and unborn son. Wednesday marked the seventh day of testimony in the preliminary hearing.

A witness called by the defense last week said the DNA testing technique, called mitochondrial DNA, was less reliable than other methods.

Scott Peterson's lawyer, Mark Geragos, also renewed his request Wednesday to subpoena FBI surveillance tapes taken outside the Peterson household after Laci Peterson was reported missing.

He said his efforts have been met with resistance from the FBI.

"The FBI is basically telling me to go pound sand," Geragos told the judge.

Scott Peterson, 31, a former fertilizer salesman, told police he was fishing on Dec. 24 in the Bay Area and discovered his wife missing when he returned that evening.

The bodies of Laci Peterson and her unborn son washed ashore in April, about three miles from where her husband said he was fishing.

[Canadian Outrage]

Good point. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here. Your right, this is a Preliminary Hearing NOT the trial!! Geez, surely the Feds wouldn't deliberatly let a wife murderer go free just to make a drug case. If he's convicted in this case about Laci, his sentence would take care of the drug violations.

[xrp]

Dunno...did I? Did you?

[mewzilla]

Did Lacy have a cell phone? If so, where did that end up?

[Yaelle]

Could it be that Jimrob's font was not large enough

Now, now, Miss Orange Cheese. That is hardly polite! Insult a man on his own website?

[Canadian Outrage]

Laci's cell phone was found in her car. Her mother or sister said she would never walk without her phone, if I remember correctly. They made that statement on the MSNBC special that they did.

[Yaelle]

I agree with you that his worrying about his car door and his boss finding out about the boat are not good evidence in the case. However, they are clearly not the responses of a desperately worried husband.

A worried husband would actually be almost physically unable to care about lesser things. I know when we were waiting for medical test results on my little son recently, I reflected in the hospital corridor on how all my "other" problems were NOTHING compared to that one. Thank G-d all is well with him, but I use that as an example. If Snott had been the loving husband he was pretending to be, he would not have cared one iota about those things.

[mewzilla]

In the car? Let me see if I've got this straight. So according to the philandering hubby, A 7/8 mo. pregnant lady goes for a walk without her purse, wallet, any ID, or even her cell phone?! Yeah....riiiiiight.

[Canadian Outrage]

I have always said that too Yaelle. IF Snot Peterson was a young husband in love with his wife, about to have his first child, A SON, he would have been out of his mind with worry? I would have been a total basket case in a situation like this. His demeanor was so odd as to be bizarre. He was happy!!

[Yaelle]

Does anyone else think it's weird that he might have a better case if he had been super clever and had actually admitted, crying (we know he can turn on those croc tears), right at the start, "I've been a terrible husband to Laci! I've been living a LIE! (sniff sniff) I've cheated, I've kept things from her, I wasn't very excited about the baby! (sob sob) But I never wanted this to happen!!! I feel so ba-a-ad!(wracking phony sobs)"???

By pretending to be the great guy at all times, even when it's obvious he wasn't, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a big fat liar.

[Canadian Outrage]

Don't think the guy could have squeezed out any tears even if he wanted to. He ONLY cares about himself and probably felt relief at being rid of his "problems".. He's clearly a narcissist of the tallest order. He CAN't FEEL guilt or pain about others.

[nicksaunt]

I just wished she had gotten a glimpse into the souless wonder she married. Laci clearly never KNEW the man she married.

Scott's obvious narcissistic behavior didn't materialize over night. I believe that at the least, verbal abuse had been going on for some time. Laci may have been too ashamed or too embarassed to share with her family any verbal and/or physical abuse Scott may have inflicted on her.

My gut feeling is that she did know or have a strong inkling as to the kind of man Scott really was. Laci was young, madly in love and strong willed; she may have thought she could handle it without telling her family and that Scott would ultimately change.

Unfortunately for Laci and this is really heartbreaking part, until the last few moments of her life, I am sure regardless of what he may have done to her in the past, she never thought he would actually kill her.

What a sad, sad story

[Canadian Outrage]

Yes it is very very sad. But both Laci's girlfriends and her family said that Laci was far too fiesty to take any abuse. But it could have been little things at first, verbal for sure, but I doubt she ever thought he would or COULD kill her.

[hergus]

Thanks so much! I'll work on it tonight.

Laci Peterson Disappearance

[hergus]

"Martha Stewart Recipe? Probably have to tenderize the old bird, but some Fava beans and chianti would probably go well with her."

ROFLMAO.....you may be a 'drive-by verbal sniper' on our crime threads, but that was funny.

I loathe Martha...my daughter worships her...where did I go wrong? {G}

Since she probably is a bit tough, maybe we should give her neighbor a chance to tender her up some by rolling over HER with HIS car.

[hergus]

LOL, you've got the hiccups...common problem around here some days. ;-)

[Sandylapper]

I don't know, CO, if they felt there was a international connection to a huge drug ring (meth), that they would want to jeopardize their case for a "domestic" situation in a "state murder" case. I believe they would take the position that local LE needed to prove their case while they (Feds) worked to stop an international drug connection. That's strictly my opinion.

[FreePaul]

An FBI scientist on Wednesday defended the forensic evidence...

I hope this "FBI scientist" is better than the one they called in the OJ trial. Remember that guy didn't have a clue as to how to calculate the area within a circle. Even so he kept saying "I'm a scientist." Some witness.

[Spunky]

"Those 3 windows without blinds I think were overlooking the "backyard" or "garden"--whatever they might call it in CA."

Sandy, those 3 windows are facing the front yard (towards the street) like I have always said they were. The only thing I didn't realize was there was a fence going across the front so you couldn't see those windows from the street, until I finally saw a picture of the green hedge and gate inclosing that part of the front yard in, making it a courtyard not seen from the street.

Technecally the backyard is where the bedroom wing is and no doors go out that way. The french doors and the door from the converted garage are on the North side of the house.

I have always said the front door is inside that courtyard just to the left of those 3 windows.

I know you saw the map at #27 and #36. Take a look again and you will see those 3 windows are not facing the back yard and never were. That is now the dining room, which used to be the living room.

In my posting #79 I was responding to the incorrect placement of the mop buckets by whoever drew up that graphic for the Modbee. They showed the mops and bucket clear outside the courtyard in front of the converted garage, now living room and there is no door there and there never was and that is definately in the front yard in plain view of the street.

As we discussed before, the house sits lengthways on the lot. North is where the pool and driveway are which is one side of the house.East is where the converted garage now living room face the street. The 2 bedrooms face west which is considered the backyard or back of the house. The master bedroom and the dining room are on the southside of the house.

[Sandylapper]

Thanks, Spunky! You're probably right! I thought I saw something in the layouts this a.m. that confused me again. So, the dining room does overlook the pool? Wonder why the mattress? Isn't that (the 3 windows) where it was? Were people sneaking in the gate to get a peek?