Peterson Jury Selection Moving Slowly

KCRA.com ^ | 04/20/04

[runningbear]

Peterson Jury Selection Moving Slowly

Peterson Jury Selection Moving Slowly
Only 48 In Potential Jury Pool So Far

POSTED: 11:43 am PDT April 21, 2004
UPDATED: 11:48 am PDT April 21, 2004

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Jury selection continues to move slowly in the double-murder trial of Scott Peterson.

Of the 1,000 people summoned to court to begin the screening process of filling out an extensive questionnaire, only 48 people have made it into the potential juror pool.

The judge wants 70 to 80 potential jurors to be named before the defense and prosecution begin the process of agreeing on the final panel of 12 jurors and six alternates.

Opening statements are set for May 17.

Peterson was arrested April 18, 2003, near San Diego, three days after the bodies of Laci Peterson and her fetus washed ashore along ......

Excerpt: (FYI: More news online outlets are having ya registar to read articles, and the San Jose Mercury News is just another one!)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Defense lawyers meet with judge before more Peterson jury selection

Posted on Wed, Apr. 21, 2004

Defense lawyers meet with judge before more Peterson jury selection

By Brian Anderson

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

REDWOOD CITY - Lawyers for Scott Peterson continued today to work with a judge on issues surrounding evidence a week after defense attorneys blasted prosecutors for meddling in their case.

Mark Geragos and Pat Harris met privately with Judge Alfred Delucchi for about an hour before emerging to begin another day of jury selection.

Geragos declined to tell reporters what was discussed, saying only that it was related to evidence discovery. Delucchi asked Geragos to have an order surrounding the issue ready for him to sign Thursday.

Prosecutors were left outside the meeting, possibly meaning Geragos was discussing a defense theory that could be floated at Peterson's upcoming trial. They are not allowed to hear details of such defense practices.

Last week, Geragos told Delucchi that prosecutors were using his requests for specific evidence as ways to shore up holes in their case. They began retesting blood stains found inside a brown van only after the defense asked to run their own tests, he said.

Geragos has openly theorized that two people or even a group of people could .........--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peterson's lawyers, judge meet in private

((You may have to link on www.mercurynews.com and locate the article after signing up?))

Posted on Thu, Apr. 22, 2004

Peterson's lawyers, judge meet in private

By Brian Anderson

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

REDWOOD CITY - Lawyers for Scott Peterson continued Wednesday to work with a judge on issues surrounding evidence a week after defense attorneys blasted prosecutors for meddling in their case.

Mark Geragos and Pat Harris met privately with Judge Alfred Delucchi for about an hour before emerging to begin another day of jury selection.

Geragos declined to tell reporters what was discussed, saying only that it was related to evidence discovery. Delucchi asked Geragos to have an order surrounding the issue ready for him to sign today.

Prosecutors were left outside the meeting, possibly meaning Geragos was discussing a defense theory that could be floated at Peterson's upcoming trial. Prosecutors are not allowed to hear details of such defense practices........----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WEDNESDAY'S DEVELOPMENTS

Posted on Thu, Apr. 22, 2004

WEDNESDAY'S DEVELOPMENTS

Only one person was chosen as a prospective juror and 10 others were excluded because they oppose the death penalty, have already concluded Scott Peterson is guilty of killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, or wouldn't get paid for the duration of the trial.

The woman selected was a retired ``hearing official'' who used to preside over informal hearings on labor disputes in the ocean freight-liner industry. When acquaintances tell her they think Peterson is guilty, she tells them, ``You don't know until you've heard the full story,'' she said.......

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Geragos: prosecution drags feet on evidence

Article Last Updated: Thursday, April 22, 2004 - 3:23:22 AM PST

Geragos: prosecution drags feet on evidence
Jury pool upped by one

By Jason Dearen, STAFF WRITER

REDWOOD CITY -- Scott Peterson's defense attorney, Mark Geragos, is again complaining about the prosecution's slow pace in handing over evidence.

This time, Geragos has issues with reports provided by prosecutors about DNA tests performed on blood samples found in a brown van that the defense has previously tried to link to Laci Peterson's disappearance.

Judge Alfred Delucchi last week ordered prosecutors to give the defense daily reports on the status of the blood testing. Last year, after federal law enforcement authorities impounded the van, prosecutors announced they believed it had no connection to the case.

But prosecutor David Harris told the judge prosecutors recently ordered the testing because they believed Geragos might use the van while making his case, according to wire reports. Prosecutors handed Geragos a one-page report Tuesday, which evoked the complaint. .....

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[Jackie-O]

Well I'm in good company then...I do it alot too!

[Neenah]

the stains to be bbq sauce and they were re-testing to see what brand..

Heinz? LOL !!

[Canadian Outrage]

RG - Can a member of the local public send an email to this Judge complaining about Peterson?? He's got NO class whatsoever. The comparison between the Petersons and the Rocha's is astounding!!

[Canadian Outrage]

Neenah remember that the prosecution INVITED THE DEFENSE to attend the crime analysis and testing on the Van when they did it?? But NO, the Defense had to go buy the Van. I don't trust them at all. They are so very desperate imo. No wonder Lee Peterson has started to flap his gums lately. Very rebellious family. It would serve them right to be excluded from the trial until it was their turn to testify.

[Lucy Lake]

Also from the article:

"Peterson lives alone in a two-person cell, exercises by himself and -- like other inmates -- cuts his own hair with clippers Hogan said."

[Neenah]

This whole fiasco..the entire delay boils down to one word:

G E R A G O S !

[Neenah]

cuts his own hair with clippers Hogan said."

If the going gets rough, can an inmate commit Harry Karry with a "clippers" ?

[Velveeta]

5/3 NE: SCOTT LACI'S BABY WASN'T MINE!

by David Wright and Don Gentile

synopsis

In a conversation secretly taped by his lover Amber Frey, Scott Peterson gave cops a shocking new motive for the killing of his wife Laci: He flew into a murderous rage because he believed she was pregnant with another man's baby!

Investigators early on became convinced that Scott wanted Laci out of the way so he could be with Amber. An exclusive NE investigation reveals the new motive that came to light as the blonde massage therapist-at the direction of police-tape recorded her Jan. 26, 2003 phone conversation with the fertilizer salesman from Modesto, Calif.

In a moment of high drama, Amber asked Scott point blank if his then missing wife was carrying his child-and he refused to say if he was the baby's father, according to a partial transcript of the talk obtained by the NE.

AMBER: Now, is this child yours?"
SCOTT: "Sweetie...I'm sorry.... Amber I cannot tell you."
AMBER;: "Is this child yours?"
SCOTT: "I can't tell you all these things now."

That bizarre exchange could be the key to Scott's murder trial. His strange and shocking refusal to say that Laci's baby was his looms large as the possible key to his motive for murder.

A source close to the investigation told the NE: "There were rumors coming out of the Modesto Police Department that Laci had an affair. It's this particular conversation Scott had with Amber that initiated the speculation."

"Detectives actually investigated whether Laci had a lover. She didn't. And when her body and that of her unborn son Conner were found, DNA testing proved Scott was the father.

"But police were persuaded Scott was hinting to Amber that he thought the baby wasn't his and added that to his motive for murder."

Defense attorney Craig Silverman-former chief deputy district attorney in Denver-told the NE that the conversation "will definitely hurt the defense. It raises the possibility that Scott somehow thought this might not be his baby.

"It can be used by the prosecution to hint at motive or as evidence of Scott disassociating himself from or otherwise rationalizing a horrible crime."

"If he did this terrible act, then he might have needed to convince himself it wasn't his baby and that Laci was cheating on him just like he cheated on her.

"Any way you look at it, a jury is not going to like this statement."

The taped conversation between Scott and Amber took place while eight-months-pregnant Laci had been missing for 13 days.

Scott called Amber's cell phone at 11 pm. The call cut off at 11:26, but resumed almost immediately, lasting another 98 minutes.

The cheating husband had no idea that Amber had known his real identity for a week, had told LE all about their affair and was taping him as they spoke. By her side was Sharon Hagen, a California Bureau of Investigation profiler who'd been schooling her in responses to Scott.

Scott then admitted to Amber that he lied to her about his being married.
The're calls continues for weeks as Amber tried to get him to admit his guilt and turning over all the tapes to LE.

[Velveeta]

Thanks to Rickamorti at Purgatory for the NE article!

[Canadian Outrage]

You got it!!

[Spunky]

I just heard on the news that the guy in Oregon City, Oregon (I can't remember his name) who killed those two girls and buried one in a barrel of cement was ordered by the Judge to be sent to a mental institution because he is to distraught to put up any kind of defense.

Lets hope Scotty doesn't become distraught. Thats Liberal Judges for you.

[Canadian Outrage]

UGH!!

[Partisan Hack]

Thanks for keeping me on the Ping list!

[Jackie-O]

Hey Neenah! Long time no see! We should be all getting back together in the next several weeks as this trial finally crawls to the starting line.
By the by...I went on the record last week...my fav is Sweet Baby Ray's...

[Jackie-O]

You've got to be kidding...I have to look this up. I think you are referring to the two girls that were missing from the same apartment complex?

[Jackie-O]

Ashley Pond and Mirand Gadis...I remember this now. Here is a link to this story.
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1082652850325490.xml

[Lucy Lake]

Harry Karry

Hehheh. Shouldn't that be Hairy Kerry?

[Jackie-O]

No..make that Harry Carrey..the late-great play by play announcer for our Cubbies here in Chi-town.
"Come on, let me hear ya! Everybody..a one, a two, a three,..Take me out to the ball game...."

[Jackie-O]

Hey Lynn..gonna sign off now...hope all's well, thinking of you all.

[wingster]

I find it both sad as well as distressing that our courts are infinitely more concerned with procedure than with simple truth. Attorneys lead the charge in the interests of their own careers and at the expense of truth.