Peterson seen driving to marina 3 times

Peterson seen driving to marina 3 times
Amber Frey not expected to testify at Modesto hearing

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Modesto -- Scott Peterson drove rental cars to the Berkeley Marina three times in the days after his pregnant wife disappeared, gazing at the water before returning home to Modesto, a detective testified Thursday.

Peterson spent only a couple of minutes each time at the marina, where he had told police he went fishing the day his wife, Laci Peterson, disappeared on Christmas Eve, Modesto police Detective Al Brocchini said. Officers who tailed the double-murder suspect saw him driving erratically at one point, as if trying to elude them, the detective said.

Peterson, 31, a former fertilizer salesman, has pleaded not guilty in the slayings of his wife and their unborn son, whose bodies washed ashore in April in Richmond, a few miles north of the marina.

Laci Peterson's body was clad in tan maternity pants and a 12- to 18-inch- long piece of duct tape was "attached to the groin area," Detective Philip Owen testified Thursday.

Also on Thursday, attorney Gloria Allred said her client Amber Frey, a Fresno massage therapist who was romantically involved with Peterson, will not testify at the preliminary hearing to determine whether Peterson is tried.

"I think that if she had been called to testify at this preliminary hearing, that the defense might have chosen to re-victimize her," Allred said.

Peterson visited the marina on Jan. 5, 6 and 9, Brocchini testified Thursday, and "stared out toward the bay" each time. While driving back to Modesto on Jan. 6, Peterson "began doing countersurveillance," making U-turns and stopping on the side of the road, Brocchini said.

But during cross-examination, defense attorney Mark Geragos asked the detective if he was aware that a Modesto newspaper had reported that divers were searching for Laci Peterson in San Francisco Bay on the same days Peterson visited the marina.

Geragos also noted that Peterson's truck had been impounded by police and suggested that his client had been driving in a way to shake off reporters. "You'd rather just come to the conclusion that it's suspicious because he's returning to the scene," Geragos said.

Brocchini also testified that Frey was introduced to Peterson after a friend of Frey's met the defendant at an agricultural conference in Anaheim. After the friend discovered that Peterson was married, she confronted him on Dec. 6. Sounding tearful, he said, "Look, I'm not married. I lost my wife. Let me break it to Amber," according to Brocchini. ..........

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By Harriet Ryan
Court TV
Thursday, November 13, 2003 Posted: 9:44 PM EST (0244 GMT)

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MODESTO, California (Court TV) -- Two weeks after his pregnant wife went missing, Scott Peterson made three suspicious trips to the bay where her body was ultimately found, a detective testified Thursday morning.

Modesto Police Detective Al Brocchini, the lead investigator in the disappearance of Laci Peterson, said surveillance teams tailed Peterson to the San Francisco Bay January 5, 6 and 9.

On each occasion, Peterson parked at the Berkeley Marina and "stared into the bay" for a few minutes before driving away, the detective told Superior Court Judge Al Girolami.

Peterson never took his own SUV on the trips and on two occasions rented vehicles immediately before setting out for the hour and a half-long drive, the detective testified. He also said that, when Peterson discovered police were following him as he returned from the Bay January 6, he began "driving erratically" in an effort to lose them.

Peterson is accused of killing his wife in their home and then dumping her body in the bay December 24. Her remains and those of the couple's unborn son washed up on the bay shore in April. Peterson insists he was on a fishing trip in the bay when his wife vanished and had nothing to do with her murder.

The description of Peterson's brief and strange bay visits was not the only damaging testimony the detective offered Thursday, his third day on the witness stand at Peterson's preliminary hearing.

The detective also related the account of Shawn Sibley, a business associate of Peterson and the matchmaker for his extramarital relationship with masseuse Amber Frey. Sibley told the detective that, when she met Peterson at an agribusiness conference in October, he told her he was single and begged her to set him up with one of her friends.

On December 6, a few weeks after Frey and Peterson began the affair, Sibley learned from a colleague that Peterson was married and confronted him, the detective testified.

"He said, 'Look, I'm not married. I lost my wife. Let me break it to Amber,'" Brocchini said. Sibley recalled Peterson sounding "extremely upset like he was crying," the detective said.

He later called back and said he had told Frey the truth: that he was a widow, the detective said.

Brocchini also cast doubt on the efforts of Peterson and his family to search for his wife. His parents and siblings established a separate tip line after becoming frustrated with the direction of the police investigation. Peterson, however, promised to turn over tips from the line to investigators. .......

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Amber Frey, right, who acknowledged an affair with Scott Peterson, will not testify at his hearing. By Jerome T. Nakagawa, AP

MODESTO, Calif. — Scott Peterson's former mistress won't testify at a hearing to decide whether he will stand trial for the murder of his wife and unborn son.

Massage therapist Amber Frey, who taped her phone conversations with Peterson for police after he became a suspect, had been the most eagerly awaited witness after eight days of testimony. She was on the prosecutors' witness list, but her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said late Thursday that prosecutors told her Frey won't be called.

Prosecutors apparently want to spare her from early cross-examination by Peterson's lawyers. She is certain to testify if Peterson goes to trial next year as expected.

Allred's bombshell came on a day when defense lawyers accused police of a single-minded focus on nailing the former fertilizer salesman for the murders, ignoring other possible explanations for Laci Peterson's Christmas Eve disappearance.

Defense lawyer Kirk McAllister contended that detective Al Brocchini tried to get Peterson fired from his job and told friends he was going "to take Scott Peterson down." Brocchini denied that, insisting that every tip was pursued. "My intent was to catch, not get, whoever got Laci," he said.

When prosecutors detailed how Peterson returned three times to the spot where they say he dumped his wife's body, the defense countered that there were innocent explanations.

Brocchini said police tailed Peterson when he drove from his home here to San Francisco Bay three times in January. Once there, he got out of his car, stared briefly at the water, then left.

Prosecutors believe Peterson killed his pregnant wife and dumped her body in the bay. They'll try to prove that his purchase of a fishing boat two weeks before she vanished is evidence he planned the crime in advance. They're seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutor Rick Distaso sought to show that Peterson returned to where they allege he dumped her body, 85 miles from his home, on Jan. 5, 6 and 9.

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) Nov. 13 (AP) — A lawyer for Scott Peterson's former mistress says she will not take the stand during his preliminary hearing.

Attorney Gloria Allred says that prosecutors have decided not to call Fresno massage therapist Amber Frey to testify in the hearing that will determine if Peterson stands trial in the killings of his wife and unborn son.

Allred says prosecutors determined they have presented enough evidence without Frey.

A detective testified that Frey called police about a week after Laci Peterson vanished to say she had been romantically ........

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Amber Frey will not take stand in preliminary hearing MODESTO POLICE WERE SUSPICIOUS OF PETERSON FROM THE BEGINNING

MODESTO - Three times within days of Laci Peterson's disappearance, Scott Peterson drove a rented car 90 miles to the Berkeley Marina -- the place police believe Peterson dumped his pregnant wife's body after killing her -- looked out across the water for a couple of minutes, then drove home without speaking to a soul, a detective testified Thursday.

The testimony from Modesto police Det. Al Brocchini implied that Peterson, not realizing he was being tailed by police, returned to the bay in early January to see if Laci's body had surfaced. But Peterson's defense lawyer said the trips to the marina were innocent -- he was simply a concerned husband checking up on the search effort by divers there. And although he was driving his wife's Land Rover around Modesto, he rented a car because his own truck had been impounded by police.

• Prosecutors decided they would not call Peterson's mistress, Fresno massage therapist Amber Frey, to the stand during the preliminary hearing, held to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to make Peterson stand trial for the deaths of his wife and unborn son. She could still testify at trial, however.

• Brocchini described how Peterson, a 31-year-old fertilizer salesman, was a married man on the prowl, asking a woman he met at a convention to set him up with one of her friends. That's how he got Frey's phone number and began the affair.

• The detective testified that Peterson had obtained a fishing license dated Dec. 23 and 24, casting doubt on the suspect's statements that he had planned to play golf the day his wife disappeared -- Dec. 24 -- and only changed his mind that morning to go fishing instead.

• Testimony revealed that Laci's body, which washed up along the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay last April, had remnants of tan maternity pants -- pants her sister has testified Laci was wearing the night before Christmas Eve, not the black pair her husband said she was wearing when he left the house Christmas Eve morning. The remains also were wrapped with duct tape around the groin area -- testimony that sent Laci's mother and close friends out of the courtroom near tears.

Police believe Peterson killed his wife sometime late Dec. 23 or early Dec. 24, put her body in his fishing boat, towed it to the Berkeley Marina, and dumped it in the bay early Christmas Eve morning. The bodies washed up separately months later about a mile north of the marina..........

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MODESTO, Calif. — Scott Peterson (search) has admitted to family members and friends that he cheated on his wife, Laci Peterson (search), at least four times with different women, Fox News has learned.

One relative, who does not believe Peterson is guilty of murder, described him as a sex addict.

"He has a sexual problem and has a need to sleep with other women," the relative told Fox News.

Scott Peterson's family has contended that his wife was aware of the affairs, and that although she would get angry she'd eventually put them behind her. Peterson's mother has told relatives and friends that she knew her daughter-in-law was aware of at least one affair, and that she once saw the couple arguing over it.

Amber Frey (search), a 28-year-old single mother and massage therapist, came forward as Peterson's lover shortly after his arrest in April for the murders of Laci and their unborn child. She has maintained that she did not know that Peterson was married, and that she knew nothing about the murders.

Peterson has told his family that his relationship with Frey, who is expected to testify in his preliminary hearing, was "strictly a physical relationship."

Laci Peterson's family has said they don't believe she knew about her husband’s indiscretions, Frey included.

Fox News has also learned that Scott Peterson's parents have sold old cars and refinanced their house to help pay the $1 million cost of their son's defense by high-profile attorney Mark Geragos (search).

Testimony continued Tuesday in the preliminary hearing to determine if Peterson, a former fertilizer salesman, will stand trial on two counts of murder.

Peterson has read almost 10,000 pages of the discovery material in the case while he sits behind bars.

He also spends his days doing yoga and making items out of toothpaste and toilet paper in his cell, where he has placed four or five photos of Laci, including one of the young woman sitting in a toy car during her pregnancy, sources told Fox News.

A police officer said Tuesday that he saw a bucket and mops in plain sight in front of the Peterson home as officers began investigating his pregnant wife's disappearance. ......

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November 14, 2003 -- MODESTO, Calif. - Double murder suspect Scott Peterson made several suspicious trips to the waterfront where cops believe he dumped the body of his murdered wife, a detective testified yesterday. Modesto Detective Al Brocchini said investigators in January watched Peterson drive at least three times from Modesto to the Berkeley marina where he claims he set out on a solo fishing trip Christmas Eve, the night his pregnant wife, Laci, vanished.

Defense lawyer Mark Geragos admitted Peterson took the trips, but only to see police dive teams looking for Laci's body.

Meanwhile, Peterson's former mistress Amber Frey won't be called to testify at his .......

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MODESTO, Calif. -- Scott Peterson's former mistress Amber Frey, rumored to be the centerpiece of the double murder case against the Modesto fertilizer salesman, will not testify at the preliminary hearing.

Frey's lawyer, Gloria Allred, said prosecutors "obviously made a determination" they have presented enough evidence to convince a judge to order Peterson to stand trial for the murder of his wife, Laci, and his unborn son.

Meanwhile, Modesto Police Det. Al Brocchini testified that police received a tip that a man who looked like Scott Peterson was seen driving toward San Francisco Bay before dawn Dec. 24 hauling a boat containing a blanket-swaddled bundle.

Brocchini said he got the tip Jan. 9 and anonymously relayed it in February to a hot line established by Scott Peterson and his family to see if they would pass the clue on to police.

"We weren't sure if he was culling out tips that were on him or on Laci sightings that we didn't know about," Brocchini said. "I was worried a good tip would come in and wouldn't get followed up on."

He said the Petersons never passed the message on to police, who had already investigated the tip. Brocchini said he interviewed the witness, but revealed nothing else about the man.

The testimony came on the eighth day of Peterson's preliminary hearing as prosecutors attempt to show there is enough evidence to have the 31-year-old fertilizer salesman tried on murder charges in the slayings of his wife and unborn son.<.......

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>>LOL, guess what, AAID! The male stripper that Amber had that affair with is the same guy whose wife was pregnant during the affair. He sounds like a real prize. (She sure can pick 'em.) <<

Oh my Gawd...LOL. She sure does pick loosers. And apparently she fought so hard to hold onto Mr. Hart. How sad is that? But his job might be an indication of how she met him so there may be even more sleaze to this story yet to come out. Sheesh.

>>There is absolutely nothing probative that Geragos can get by calling Amber as his witness during this hearing. Nothing. Therefore, I think the talk of a subpoena, and the ominous "papers" given to Allred by Geragos' go-fer, are just a lot of hot air intimidation. <<

Oh, I agree. I wasn't talking about this prelim testimony. But sooner or later he's going to have his chance at discrediting her and I have a feeling the way Amber lived her life up until Dec. 24, 2002 will give Geragos a lot of fodder to throw around.

IMO the prosecution has worked hard to clean up her image over the past year so she'd be a credible witness but she's got a lot of negative stuff in her past that works against her testimony in this particular case. The Hart fiasco for example. Could it be worse that she's done this married man and pregnant wife thing before? The exact same scenario as with the Petersons.

Personally I don't think Amber gave a tinkers whatever whether or not Snott was married. I think the prosecution wants that played up so she appears less of a homewrecker to a jury. If they can carry it off, I'm all for it. But it doesn't fool me that Amber is this victim of Snotty, too. Laci and Conner are the victims and I hate to see what they suffered watered down (no pun intended).

>>I do see how it could possibly make Geragos look like a buffoon. (Leaving behind his usual DIGNITY and RESPECT... Laugh. Out. Loud!)<<

Geragos is a buffoon IMO and has little dignity about him. But he's got a lot of fertile ground to cover with Amber when she does testify and then she may very well look like the one lacking dignity and respect.

The prosecution seems to be pinning a lot of their case on her testimony which worries me. I don't think she will hold up as credible even with a goon like Geragos doing the cross examination.

I think the noise he's making about subpoenaing (sp?) Amber now is just to let her and the prosecution know that he's armed and ready with info that will thoroughly discredit her. It makes me worry.

13 DIRECT EXAMINATION
14 MR. DISTASO: Q. Detective Owen, just very briefly.
15 Did -- over the -- I mean, when Counsel was questioning you
16 earlier this morning, he asked you about an interview with a
17 Diane Campos?
18 A. Yes.
19 Q. And he asked you if that interview was taped?
20 A. Yes.
21 Q. And over the lunch break, did you listen to -- did
22 you listen to the tape recording of that interview?
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. And what time did Miss Campos tell you that she saw
25 these people, these two men and one woman with the dog in
26 the park?
27 A. She said 10:45 on at least two occasions.
28 Q. On the tape?
1414
1 A. Yes.
2 MR. DISTASO: Okay. Nothing further, Your Honor

I noticed Greta was somewhat out of breath as she talked and walked on that path, which I found interesting. Thinking about Laci and her condition at that time, I just wonder about her ability to really walk that distance at that stage of her pregnancy, at the pace she would have had to with the dog, given that Scott left her at 9:30 in the house (in the black pants and white shirt, so he says).

Therefore, Laci would have to finish mopping the floor, change clothes, take the dog and set out for the walk to a park that everyone agrees is not exactly full of the best characters sans phone and keys to the house (I'm guessing since her keys were found in the closet, we will learn that the house was unlocked at trial); the walk takes at least 20 minutes one way and the dog was found back in front of the house at 10:18 by the neighbor.

Any way you look at it, it is a very slim narrow window of opportunity with this one eyewitness, not to mention the others who say they saw her at other locations at other times in the wong clothes as well. The arguement now is : was the sighting at 9:50 or 10:50, that leaves Laci less than 30 minutes to changes clothes and briskly, very briskly get to the park with the dog to be seen.

I'll wait for the courtroom testimony and see how many leads were followed up, because I can see that in cases like this, they are under seige with phone calls of sightings and the sheer manpower of following each and every one is staggering.

If the report was 10:50, and they knew the dog was back at 10:18, plus the scent dogs gave no hits for Laci in that direction, I can see why this one might not have been followed up. They took the statement. I have difficulty with Laci going to the park with no phone, and no keys ( I don't buy the arguement that the neighborhood was safe so she didn't lock the house while she walked the dog).

IF the report was wrong, and the sighting was at 9:50, then yes, something is wrong, and needs to be investigated, but I have serious doubts as detailed above.

I think old Scott had a unplanned event on his hands. No idiot runs around and plans a murder of his wife on Xmas eve. And the boat trip on the 24th? Way out of the ordinary. I think he and Laci had a major fight on the night of the 23rd, and he ended up killing her. He probably sat around for 6 hours trying to figure out how to fix his problem and settled on the boat trip. Take into consideration that almost no one had heard him planning a fishing trip on the 24rd...not even his parents. Scott lets the dog loose on the morning of the 24th, and drives his wife up to the lake to dump. Its a simple plan and would have been totally successful...if the bodies had not appeared.

>> So unfortunately I don't know how long it took to get from Laci's house to the point where she was allegedly sighted! But, as you say, she'd have had to finish mopping the floor at least, and CHANGE HER CLOTHES from the black pants/white shirt, into the tan pants/patterned shirt, and put on her shoes, and then get the dog and get over there. >>

You're right, DA, that's a very tight timeline. Greta and Laura were walking at a fairly brisk pace, they sounded winded at the end. Now, take an 8 months preganant woman, with that wobbly pelvis. She'd move about half as fast.

And the clothes thing.... either she needed to walk faster, to cover the time needed to change her clothes, or these dirty, foul-mouthed, satanic, ritualistic kidnappers/murderers took her home first to change into her dirty clothes from the night before. After convincing Mackenzie to stay in the park and find his own way home later.

This timeline won't work. What we have is Laci already under water, Scott trying to come up with a scenario that is plausible, and he either ran the dog over to the park (and covered/confused any sitings by relentless dog-running in the following weeks) or stashed him in the truck to be dropped off on the far side of the park.

Geragos is thowing all sorts of crap everywhere, like he did during Clinton's term, just to confuse things, and allow him to define 'reality' in ways that no decent people (the cops and Rochas) can untangle.

Reading through his cross exams, he's a fitting lawyer for Snotty. Every bit as nasty and sarcastic as the Young Prince and his lying and abetting parents.

(CO, I'm channeling some of your outrage here. lol)

Pinz

Rusty, I'm not trying to be argumentive because I really value you and your opinions as a poster. But I am a woman, I have a son, and guess what, he was born in mid-February. At Christmas time, I was in exactly the same stage of pregnancy as Laci. I played golf in late November. My husband and I took brisk walks even the week before our son was born. As for being a very meticulous housekeeper, I have never before and never since been more energentic and industrious about housework. But, sometimes in the evening I was tired if I had had an especially busy day.

As to who was breathless on that walk, I did hear huffing and puffing, but I thought it was Laura because she had on about the highest heels I've ever seen.

As for the black pants and white shirts, keep in mind that Laci changed clothes twice on the 23rd. Re Nava's testimony and Amy's.

Somewhere back up there, I made a post about what could have happened about the mopping, and about the timelines. To me, some of the minutes here may not be so etched in stone, as is the witness who put the dog back in the fence at 10:18. I can believe that the dog went back in the fence at 10:18.

I believe that Scott either killed Laci or had someone to do it. If Scott gets the needle, then so should anyone else who was involved.

The time was written down as 10:45am in the detective's report. The defense tried to imply that the prosecution falsified the timeline and did not accurately transcribe the audio tapes of the interview with Ms. Campos. An untrue accusation.

Funny how Greta got it wrong on national TV. Gee think she was given a heads up by her buddy Geragos? At the lunch break the detective double checked the facts and listened to his taped interview with Campos. All the he had to do in the afternoon session of court was verify what he had already testified to.

This was a very desperate move by the defense. From discovery, they know who said what. Geragos did not cite one instance where the 9:45am time was used by Ms. Campos. He has all the reports and copies of the tapes.

Sandy, never fear, I have appreciated and followed your postings also, and your first hand experience gives an added perspective.

I'll also say I have never understood why women wear high heels in those conditions. There is a proper time and place for those items, and a walk in the park ain't it, if you get my drift, lol.

I've just read that Laci was having a hard time at that stage, with tiredness and swelling, so that plus the unsavory element of the park adds to my misgivings.

The change of clothes, I can see changing from day clothes/morning to afternoon or going out clothes. It is conceivable that she would change from what she wore around the house into something else to walk the dog, but it sounds like both outfits were nice, therefore why the need to change? I can see changing because one was grubby, sloppy.

It will be interesting to see what is actually nailed down at trial with the specific times for everything. You can bet everyone is going over that with a fine tooth comb. This is why this hearing is so important, getting even the little bit we have already heard on record is big news.

Thanks, Rusty. I'm wondering if Laura was aware that she was going to be taking that hike! My feet would have been killing me!

Regarding what we've all heard about Laci and the "hard time" she was having, I wonder what her doctor had advised her the day before? Mine was after me to walk, walk, walk! Of course, I wasn't having swelling, so maybe it was different for Laci.

Must admit, I don't quite understand why the change of clothes, but maybe Laci was kinda like me. I might wear "grundgy" jeans and sloppy shirt around the house, but if I'm going out, I change. Yes, even for a walk.

I also wonder if Laci was reckless enough to leave home without her keys and cell phone. But who knows, Mackenzie could have been pressuring her to take him for a walk! Trust me, that can happen with spoiled dogs!

Here's hoping Scott gets ONE FAIR TRIAL--that's all--JUST ONE.

Spin, media manipulation is correct, hergus, IMO. But in fairness to the media, it's kind of driven by a community or police force that seemed to want a national story to go away! It was never going away--Modesto should have known that! This was not a secret case--never!

If Stanislaus County really wants the story to die down, if they're really not interested in the money it's bringing in, let them put the transcripts online so we, as interested citizens, can read for ourselves what is happening. JMO

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