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Few bites from fishermen on Peterson sturgeon alibi
The Modesto Bee ^ | Nov 30 2003 | Garth stapely

Posted on 12/01/2003 5:53:02 AM PST by runningbear

Few bites from fishermen on Peterson sturgeon alibi

Few bites from fishermen on Peterson sturgeon alibi

Searchers left Berkeley Marina in January, looking for the body of Laci Peterson. Her husband said he was fishing there on Dec. 24. THE BEE

By GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

Last Updated: November 30, 2003, 11:03:43 AM PST

Details from Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing about his Christmas Eve fishing trip left some already skeptical fishermen with more doubt.

"None of his story made any sense," said Carl Costley of Oakdale, who has fished 35 years for huge, tough-skinned sturgeon. "It just doesn't hold water."

Said Robert Kisner of Denair, "Pretty much any fisherman will tell you that guy didn't go out there fishing. It could be that he just didn't know what he was doing."

When word spread about Peterson's solo excursion soon after his pregnant wife disappeared 11 months ago, Costley and Kisner, among others, frowned.

The swelling San Francisco Bay is no place for a relatively small aluminum boat, many said. Most added that it's crazy to fish alone for sturgeon, which often top 100 pounds and 6 feet in length. Others who prefer to start at daybreak chuckled at the thought of Peterson launching after noon.

And now, they say, recent news about his gear, anchor and licenses gives them more reasons to doubt.

Authorities have said they believe Peterson, now 31, dumped the body of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, in the frigid water. The mother's and son's remains were recovered in April along the shore, less than two miles from the spot Peterson said he fished Dec. 24.

After reviewing evidence presented over 12 days of testimony, a judge ordered Peterson to stand trial. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Details from the hearing were limited to attorneys questioning detectives. In a nutshell, they said:

They found two unopened packages of lures in Peterson's pickup.

They recovered from his boat an "ultralight stream fishing pole," a "heavier pole" and a homemade 1-gallon concrete anchor.

They found five fishing licenses apparently belonging to Peterson: a two-day permit valid Dec. 23 and 24; other two-day permits issued in August 2002, October 1999 and July 1999; and a yearlong license issued in 1994.

Peterson "couldn't say" what type of fish he was trying to catch when a police officer asked him Dec. 24.

Peterson did not respond when his wife's stepfather, an avid fisherman, commented that Peterson had left late in the day for fishing.

Peterson's family has said he has loved to fish since he was young. Solo trips are nothing out of the ordinary, some fishermen said.

"When he was about 6 or 7 years old, we'd all go golfing together," his mother, Jackie Peterson, said in January. "He would put his fishing pole in his bag because the course we often went to was on the San Diego River. By the second hole, he'd stop golfing and start fishing. We'd pass by him every so often, and he usually fished until we were done golfing."

Fishing trips common

The Petersons often took fishing trips to the mountains, family members said. They said Scott Peterson, the youngest of seven siblings, eventually convinced his father to buy a fishing boat.

He bought his own Dec. 9, Detective Al Brocchini said at the recent hearing. The same day, Peterson told his girlfriend that he had "lost his wife."

A police computer expert testified that Scott Peterson had used a computer in early December to research San Francisco Bay and Central Valley lakes and reservoirs. The expert acknowledged that Peterson visited a sport fishing site as well.

Brocchini said he found unopened lures in Peterson's truck. That does not square with fishing for sturgeon -- which show no interest in metal lures but rely on a keen sense of smell to find herring roe and shrimp on the bottom of the bay, several fishermen said. Bait -- not lures -- replicates that food source.

"If he was using lures, he was not going sturgeon fishing," said Steve Perkins of Fisherman's Warehouse in Manteca.

Different poles for different fish

Many anglers keep all their gear together, whether going to a mountain stream or the ocean. That is the only plausible reason Peterson would have lures and a light stream rod in his boat, said Ken Moore of Ripon.

Using a light stream rod to catch sturgeon "is like hunting an elephant with a .22," or a rifle more suited for squirrels or rabbits, Costley said. "It's not practical."

Others acknowledged that some anglers bring light rods to catch bait, which they then use to try catching sturgeon with a larger pole. But that wouldn't fit with the profile police painted of Peterson -- a fisherman new to sturgeon fishing in a newly purchased boat on its maiden voyage in salt water.

Several experienced sturgeon fishermen said a concrete anchor made in a 1......

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Fishermen cast even more doubt on Peterson trip

Fishermen cast even more doubt on Peterson trip
Hearing details lead experts to suspect he wasn't after sturgeon.

By Garth Stapley
The Modesto Bee
(Published Sunday, November 30, 2003, 5:38 AM)

Details about Scott Peterson's Christmas Eve fishing trip that emerged during his preliminary hearing left some already skeptical fishermen with more doubt.

"None of his story made any sense," said Carl Costley of Oakdale, who has fished 35 years for huge, tough-skinned sturgeon. "It just doesn't hold water."

Said Robert Kisner of Denair: "Pretty much any fisherman will tell you that guy didn't go out there fishing. It could be that he just didn't know what he was doing."

When word spread about Peterson's solo excursion soon after his pregnant wife disappeared 11 months ago, Costley and Kisner, among others, frowned.

The swelling San Francisco Bay is no place for a relatively small aluminum boat, many said. Most added that it's crazy to fish alone for sturgeon, which often top 100 pounds and 6 feet in length. Others who prefer to start at daybreak chuckled at the thought of Peterson launching after noon.

And they say recent news about his gear, anchor and licenses give them more reasons to doubt.

Authorities believe Peterson, now 31, dumped the body of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, in the frigid water. The mother's and son's remains were recovered in April along the shoreline, less than two miles from the place Peterson said he fished Dec. 24.

After reviewing evidence presented over 12 days of testimony, a judge ordered Peterson to stand trial. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Details from the hearing were limited to attorneys questioning detectives. In a nutshell, they said they found:

Two unopened packages of lures in Peterson's pickup.

An "ultralight stream fishing pole," a "heavier pole" and a homemade 1-gallon concrete anchor in his boat.

Five fishing licenses apparently belonging to Peterson: a two-day permit valid Dec. 23 and 24; other two-day permits issued in August 2002, October 1999 and July 1999; and a yearlong license issued in 1994.

Detectives testified Peterson "couldn't say" what type of fish he was trying to catch when a police officer asked him Dec. 24. And, they said, Peterson did not respond when his wife's stepfather, an avid fisherman, commented that Peterson had left late in the day for fishing.

Peterson's family has said he has loved to ........

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Peterson Borrows $100,000 from Parents, Uses House as Security


Peterson's home

Peterson Borrows $100,000 from Parents, Uses House as Security Scott Peterson, who is awaiting trial in Modesto for the murders of his wife and unborn son, used his home as collateral for a $100,000 loan from his parents, according to a report in The Modesto Bee.

It's not clear how the money will be used, but legal experts believe it will likely help pay for Peterson's defense. If convicted, he could receive the death penalty.

Peterson faces two counts of murder for the deaths of his wife Laci and their unborn son, who was to be named Conner. The prosecution alleges that Peterson killed his wife on Christmas Eve, then dumped her body into San Francisco Bay.

The fact that the loan is secured with the house is a point of contention between Scott Peterson's family and that of his in-laws. The house was owned jointly by Scott and Laci Peterson, and her relatives feel it is inappropriate for him to treat the home as his sole property.

The legalities of the loan hang partly on the outcome of the trial. Under normal circumstances, Lee and Jackie Peterson could foreclose on the house to collect on the debt. According to probate attorneys, that might be possible even if Scott Peterson is convicted, but is by no means a sure thing.

Under the state Probate Code, a joint tenant who feloniously and intentionally kills another joint tenant, "has no rights by survivorship." Therefore, it may be that Scott Peterson does not have the right to put up his half of the house.

The house was worth $192,311 as of January 1, according to the county assessor's office. Houses of comparable size in the area where the Petersons lived have been selling for about $249,000. ......

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Peterson secures loan for $100,000 with house

Posted on Thu, Nov. 27, 2003

Peterson secures loan for $100,000 with house
By John Cote
MODESTO BEE

MODESTO - Accused double murderer Scott Peterson used his Covena Avenue home as collateral for a $100,000 loan he obtained from his parents, according to documents recently filed with the Stanislaus County recorder's office.

The loan's purpose was unclear, but legal observers said it likely was to help fund Peterson's defense against charges he murdered his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The loan has become a point of contention between Scott and Laci Peterson's families because it is secured with the house, which is joint property. Scott Peterson signed the loan documents about a month ago.

The loan gives Peterson's parents, Lee and Jackie, an equity stake in the home at 523 Covena Ave. Lee and Jackie Peterson may be able to collect that debt even if Scott Peterson is convicted, probate attorneys said.

"We're aware of the transaction," attorney Adam Stewart said Tuesday. Stewart represents Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, who has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Peterson from profiting from the case.

Stewart said his firm would do "everything required by law" to protect the estate and the family's interest. "We intend to take the appropriate steps in due course."

The loan also has raised questions about how Peterson is paying for his high-powered defense and stoked a simmering dispute between in-laws over the Petersons' property.

Funding the defense was also at the heart .......

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Report: Amber Frey Is Pregnant

Report: Amber Frey Is Pregnant

POSTED: 6:44 AM PST November 27, 2003
UPDATED: 9:04 AM PST November 27, 2003

MODESTO, Calif. -- Amber Frey, the former mistress of Scott Peterson and a key witness in his prosecution for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci, and the couple's unborn child, is also expecting a baby, according to a report Thursday by Fox News.

Citing sources close to Frey, Fox News' Rita Crosby reported that the former massage therapist was four months pregnant and that Peterson was not the father of the child.

San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Jim Hammer said on KTVU's Mornings On 2 Thursday that he wasn't sure what impact Frey's pregnancy would have on the Peterson trial.

"It's going to turn some people off on the jury," Hammer said. "Although she is not technically on trial...As you saw in the preliminary hearing, (defense attorney) Mark Geragos is going to put everyone on trial."

The report said Frey has settled into a romance with a 43-year-old chiropractor from Fresno. She reportedly used to work with the doctor for almost two years before she met and fell in love with Peterson, who she said lured her into a relationship after telling her his wife had died.

The chiropractor and Frey, according to Fox News, began dating early in 2003. At the time, Frey was working with Modesto police -- secretly taping some 200 phone calls between she and Peterson while the search was going for his then missing wife. Sources told Fox that Frey and her new boyfriend were very much in love and talking about getting married.

Frey, who has never wed and is the single mother of a 2-year-old girl, has been in seclusion since early in the case. She reportedly is attending beauty school in Fresno.

A gag order issued by the judge hearing the case has forced Frey to only speak through her attorney, Gloria Allred. However, she was the focal point of the recently concluded preliminary hearing in the case. For days, it was rumored she would be called to the stand, but in the end prosecutors decided to tell Frey's story through the testimony of the investigators who worked with her.

Modesto Police Det. Al Brocchini told the court that Frey called police just days after Laci Peterson's Christmas Eve disappearance.

"She said she met Scott on November 20th," the detective told the court. "He (Peterson) said he wasn't married at the time. Later, about December 9th, she found out he was married and confronted him; and he had told her that he had lost his wife and that she was -- this would be the first holiday that he would be without his wife. She said that he was still calling her. This was the 30th (of December). He was still calling her.".......

(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: avoidingchildsupport; baby; babyunborn; conner; deathpenaltytime; dontubelievemyalibi; fake; faker; fullofholes; getarope; ibefishing; laci; lacipeterson; liar; lies; lyingliar; smallbaby; smallchild; sonkiller; thatdogdonthunt; unborn; wifekiller
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Recapping the holiday news bits on Scott Peterson case.
1 posted on 12/01/2003 5:53:03 AM PST by runningbear
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To: Rheo; Mystery Y; Searching4Justice; brneyedgirl; Scupoli; sissyjane; TexKat; Lanza; Mrs.Liberty; ...
Pinging.... recapping the over the holiday weekend news... ;o)
2 posted on 12/01/2003 5:54:00 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: winstar1k; lakey; oc-flyfish; SunnyUsa; ~Kim4VRWC's~; amazed; Wednesday's Child; LuvMyNick; ...
Pinging.... recapping the over the holiday weekend news... ;o)
3 posted on 12/01/2003 5:54:22 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: An American In Dairyland; jetson; gopheraj; StarFan; Yaelle; drjulie; editer; Cloe
Pinging.... recapping the over the holiday weekend news... ;o)
4 posted on 12/01/2003 5:54:43 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: All
Hope ya all had a wonderful Turkey day.. ;o)
5 posted on 12/01/2003 5:55:22 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: runningbear
runningbear must be Greta Van Susteren's FR alias.
6 posted on 12/01/2003 5:56:05 AM PST by xrp (Fox News Sucks: ALL LACI PETERSON ALL MICHAEL JACKSON, ALL THE TIME!)
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To: Constitution Day
More of Scotty's sailing adventures....


7 posted on 12/01/2003 5:58:38 AM PST by Tijeras_Slim (SSDD - Same S#it Different Democrat)
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To: All
Peterson faces arraignment, date for murder trial

Peterson faces arraignment, date for murder trial

By John Coté
The Modesto Bee
(Published Monday, December 1, 2003, 5:30 AM)

Scott Peterson's trial date is expected to be set Wednesday after he is formally arraigned on charges he murdered his wife and unborn son.

But whatever date is picked could be pushed back for any of a number of reasons, including hearings on moving the trial to another county because of massive publicity.

Peterson, 31, faces his second arraignment in the case after Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Al Girolami last month upheld the charges following a 12-day preliminary hearing.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the former fertilizer salesman accused of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son.

Girolami is likely also to consider other issues Wednesday, including:

Releasing Peterson's pickup truck and $15,000 cash found with him when he was arrested. Police are currently holding the items.

Lifting or revising a gag order prohibiting people connected to the case from speaking publicly about it.

Sealing six items of evidence submitted during Peterson's preliminary hearing.

Unsealing autopsy reports and search and arrest warrant documents at the request of The Modesto Bee and other newspapers.

Scheduling hearings on defense motions to exclude from trial evidence from wiretaps, vehicle-tracking devices, scent-tracking dogs and a hypnotized witness.

Peterson's attorneys, Mark Geragos and Kirk McAllister, filed a motion last week asking for the cash and the truck to be released to Peterson or his "designated representative."

"It's an expensive task for the family to fund this," Geragos said in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Investigators seized Peterson's 2002 Ford pickup Dec. 27 while they searched his Covena Avenue home. They found $15,000 cash with him when he was arrested April 18 north of San Diego driving a used Mercedes he had recently purchased.......

8 posted on 12/01/2003 5:59:07 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: runningbear
The swelling San Francisco Bay is no place for a relatively small aluminum boat, many said. Most added that it's crazy to fish alone for sturgeon, which often top 100 pounds and 6 feet in length. Others who prefer to start at daybreak chuckled at the thought of Peterson launching after noon.

~~~~~~~~~~~

SURE SOUNDS FISHY TO ME!


9 posted on 12/01/2003 6:03:39 AM PST by buffyt (Can you say President Hillary? Me Neither!!!!)
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To: buffyt
sure did... lol
10 posted on 12/01/2003 6:07:54 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: xrp
lol... no way.. yuck!! ;o)
11 posted on 12/01/2003 6:08:23 AM PST by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: Tijeras_Slim

12 posted on 12/01/2003 6:10:02 AM PST by Constitution Day (Here Be Monsters)
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To: Constitution Day

Well Harbor Master, this crime was committed by someone with the hands of a Sturgeon.
13 posted on 12/01/2003 6:13:03 AM PST by Tijeras_Slim (SSDD - Same S#it Different Democrat)
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To: Tijeras_Slim
LOL LOL
14 posted on 12/01/2003 6:19:08 AM PST by verity
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To: runningbear
And all this is evidence of what exactly?
15 posted on 12/01/2003 7:03:35 AM PST by Mike Darancette (Proud member - Neoconservative Power Vortex)
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To: runningbear
Thnx Runningbear..and as we all know, this story "stank" to high heaven from day one. Maybe geragos will come down like a "...ton of bricks..." on the people who are picking on scottie. ;-)
16 posted on 12/01/2003 7:36:53 AM PST by Freedom2specul8 (Please pray for our troops.... http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/)
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To: runningbear
Thanks for the ping, RB!!

Interesting about how the bottom of the Bay is slippery and objects just slide along on it...
17 posted on 12/01/2003 7:54:19 AM PST by Devil_Anse
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To: Tijeras_Slim
ROFL!
18 posted on 12/01/2003 8:07:40 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: runningbear
Thanks, Runningbear! Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great! Except Scotty's!

Most added that it's crazy to fish alone for sturgeon, which often top 100 pounds and 6 feet in length.

Is that why he had "planned" to fish for sturgeon? Because if someone had seen him with something huge, it would have been a wrapped up sturgeon? And then it "got away" somehow?

By the way, I finally finished "The Stranger Beside Me," Ann Rule's book about her "friend" Ted Bundy. What an amazing story. I guess it's about how any "friends" of Scott feel now. Fascinating read for all you true crimeys that have not yet read it. I was only mad that the print was so small I had to get a pair of reading glasses to read the paperback. Cool is that it has had about 4 new endings added as time has passed.

19 posted on 12/01/2003 8:12:44 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: runningbear
Thanks, very much rb! Glad you had a great Thanksgiving! Maybe we'll know more Wednesday.
20 posted on 12/01/2003 9:34:38 AM PST by Sandylapper
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