Posted on 06/18/2004 5:56:28 AM PDT by runningbear
Friendly Peterson juror raising eyebrows
Friendly Peterson juror raising eyebrows
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The Peterson Trial
By GARTH STAPLEY and JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Last Updated: June 18, 2004, 04:24:00 AM PDT
A juror in Scott Peterson's murder trial made a remark to Laci Peterson's brother Thursday morning, two days after whispering something to defense attorney Mark Geragos.
The contact has raised questions about appropriate conduct by those who might decide whether the 31-year-old Modesto man lives or dies.
A television camera captured Thursday's exchange as Juror No. 5 and Brent Rocha passed through security screening at the courthouse entrance.
The juror, a burly airport security screener out on disability, said something unintelligible except for the words "lose today." Rocha appeared to smile in response.
Laurie Levenson, a law professor and director of Loyola Law School's Center for Ethical Advocacy, said the brief exchange might be innocuous.
"This conversation could have been about a sports team," Levenson said. "It's awkward, but it's not prohibited for people to exchange greetings."
Tuesday, the same juror leaned close to Peterson's attorney, put a hand on the lawyer's arm and whispered in his ear as he and other jurors filed into the courtroom after a recess. Geragos smiled and chuckled in response.<...................
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Inherited jewelry gets trial scrutiny
Dr. Tina Edraki testified in court Thursday about Laci Peterson's health concerns. BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Friendly Peterson juror raising eyebrows
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The Peterson Trial
By JOHN COTÉ and GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Last Updated: June 18, 2004, 04:24:18 AM PDT
REDWOOD CITY -- Prosecutors Thursday apparently were trying to establish a financial motive for Scott Peterson to murder his pregnant wife, pointing to jewelry Laci Peterson inherited from her grandmother estimated to be worth more than $100,000.
In the weeks before she disappeared, Laci Peterson twice sold inherited jewelry at a Modesto pawn shop for a total of $250, witnesses testified.
Scott Peterson accompanied her the second time, and she seemed agitated when her husband -- in apparent affection -- tried to rub her stomach, said Victoria Brooks, who owns Brooks Pawn and Jewelry with her husband.
"It seemed like she did not want him to be rubbing her belly at that time," Brooks said of the Dec. 14, 2002, visit. "She seemed hesitant toward him."
Also late in 2002, Laci Peterson said her husband wanted to know the value of some jewelry she inherited from her grandmother, said another prosecution witness, Mary Anna Felix.
Felix, a former employee of Edwards Jewelers in Modesto, said Laci Peterson replied that her husband "would be very happy" to learn that the store estimated the value at more than $100,000.
Peterson's attorney Mark Geragos tried to undercut that testimony by showing that Laci Peterson had not been candid with Felix, who testified that Peterson had told her that her husband worked for a law firm.
Scott Peterson, 31, is an agricultural fertilizer salesman.
Sale of jewelry questioned
Laci Peterson had also wanted to make a new diamond ring combining the gold and diamonds from her wedding ring with a diamond ring inherited from her grandmother, witnesses said.
She wanted to melt the gold from her wedding ring for the new band "because she didn't want to hurt Scott's feelings," Felix testified. Felix estimated the value of the new ring at about $55,000..........
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Judge allows Rocha lawsuit to proceed
Judge allows Rocha lawsuit to proceed
By SUSAN HERENDEEN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: June 17, 2004, 06:34:50 AM PDT
Sharon Rocha can't stop accused killer Scott Peterson from selling his story, but she may be able to stop him from selling any items enhanced by the notoriety of his case.
Wednesday, Stanislaus County Super-ior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne gave the go-ahead for a lawsuit brought by Rocha, mother of the slain Laci Peterson of Modesto.
She was the wife of Scott Peterson, who stands accused of killing her and their unborn son, Conner.......
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What We Know, and What We Don't
What We Know, and What We Don't
A search-and-rescue team heads to San Francisco Bay in January 2003 looking for the body of Laci Peterson but finding an anchor. BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Evidence was collected at Covena Avenue home. AL GOLUB/THE BEE
Scott Peterson became a national obsession. DEBBIE NODA/THE BEE
Scott Peterson sported a goatee when he was booked at Stanislaus County Jail in April 2003. AL GOLUB/THE BEE
Last Updated: May 30, 2004, 07:34:24 AM PDT
Laci Peterson's death has been dogged by rumor and speculation, fueled at least in part by rapt media attention and few confirmed details. Authorities have remained tight-lipped about their investigation and had normally public documents sealed, including search and arrest warrant information. After Scott Peterson's arrest in April 2003, his attorneys joined the call to keep documents sealed, leaving many questions to be answered at trial:...........
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(((I think juror #5))))
Juror .20840 A husky white man in his late 20s or 30s with a crew cut. He's on disability from his job as an airport screener for a private firm and formerly worked as a store security agent. He apparently raises a child as a single parent. He said he has followed the case very little and smiled and shook his head when defense lawyer Mark Geragos asked if Peterson's affair would make him think he's guilty of murder.
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Prosecution: Peterson Had Financial Motive To Kill Laci
Scott Peterson
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Peterson Juror May Have Broken The Rules
Peterson Juror May Have Broken The Rules
POSTED: 11:42 am PDT June 17, 2004
UPDATED: 10:46 pm PDT June 17, 2004
An interesting development arose before court Thursday in the double-murder trial of Scott Peterson.
A juror was seen at the courthouse metal detectors talking to Brent Rocha, Laci Peterson's brother. Communicating with the victim's family could have implications for the juror, as jurors are not supposed to talk to people associated with the case.
Doctor Testifies
Laci Peterson was told by one of her doctors to stop walking in the mornings.......
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Juror caught on tape talking to Laci Peterson's brother
Juror caught on tape talking to Laci Peterson's brother
By Harriet Ryan
Court TV
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A juror in Scott Peterson's capital murder trial was caught on video Thursday morning talking to Laci Peterson's brother..........
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Juror Speaks to Laci's Brother -- On Tape
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Developments in the Scott Peterson case
Posted on Fri, Jun. 18, 2004
Developments in the Scott Peterson case
Associated Press
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS: For the first time, prosecutors tried to establish a monetary motive for Scott Peterson to want his pregnant wife dead. Witnesses testified that Laci Peterson had inherited more than $100,000 worth of jewelry in the months before she vanished.
Mary Anna Felix, who worked in a Modesto jewelry store, testified that Laci Peterson told her it was her husband who wanted to know the jewelry's worth - and when Felix estimated the jewelry to be worth more than $100,000, "she said that he would be very happy." Felix also said Laci Peterson wore a diamond pendant, and told her she never took it off, even when she slept, for fear of losing it.
Prosecutors showed a picture of the pendant sitting atop a dresser in the Petersons' home. The photo was taken after Laci Peterson vanished........
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Scott Peterson's lawyer shows pawn ticket
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Peterson lawyer: Watch like Laci's was pawned
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Prosecutors Aim at Peterson Cash Motive
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
I've been known to tell this "little white lie" to auto mechanics, home improvement contractors, plumbers, and anybody else who I thought might try to take me for some $$.
Yeah, I think so too... Too risky in either case for a mistrial, let alone, ample evidence for a retrial or dismissal of the accused.
I realized that... Now pundit Hammer is toning down his responses from the other day... Well, at least from what I heard on KCBS this early morning news... ;o)
LOL!! I can't possibly top that, so I'm not even going to try.
Have a great weekend!
IMHO, they need to throw that juror out for simply talking to anybody on the defense. I was a juror on a murder trial two years ago, and I made darn sure I never talked to anybody other than my fellow jurors for the whole trial -- even when I saw people I recognized from the courtroom (attorneys, spectators in the courtroom, witnesses, etc.) when I was out at lunch, I ignored them. I figured I'd rather be thought rude, than have any chance of compromising the trial by making even the most innocuous comment.
Forgot to mention -- the juror also talked to Laci Peterson's brother. He should be thrown off for that, as well.
hear hear.... I would too! I would think that what you stated in your post, all jurors would do likewise. This juror needs to be bounced off, and found in contempt!
Hopefully the very worst he could do would be to cause a hung jury, but that's bad enough.
Thanks for the ping, rb!
Scott Peterson, 31, is an agricultural fertilizer salesman.
Why would Geragos try to undercut testimony that Laci did not tell the truth about Scott's line of work?
I'd like to see more on Scott and Laci's finances. With a baby on the way, she's thinking of having a ring made that would be worth $55,000!
Prosecution better watch it - jurors might begin to think sympathetically of the pressure on Scott.
She inherited the diamond...He bought a $24,000 golf membership.
Why doesn't this jury get it over with and take in a baseball game and a few brewskies with Geragos. Hell, invite the judge too.
$24,000!!!
I wonder how much he made selling fertilizer....if he thought he would meet possible future clientele on the course, and use the membership as an income tax write-off? Or, sell fertilizer to the golf club?
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (June 18) - The judge in Scott Peterson's murder trial decided Friday to subpoena a few seconds of televised video footage showing a juror chatting briefly with Laci Peterson's brother as they passed through a courthouse metal detector.
Juror No. 5, an airport screener, was taped Thursday saying, ''Could lose today,'' to Brent Rocha. It was unclear what the juror meant, or whether Rocha responded beyond flashing a brief smile.
The same juror has been seen almost daily giving a nod and a slight smile to the defense table as he passes by on the way to the jury box. Earlier this week, he bumped into a podium as he passed by prosecutor Rick Distaso and defense lawyer Mark Geragos. Geragos simply smiled and looked away.
It was not immediately clear whether the court would find the actions inappropriate. The defense and the prosecution declined to comment on the question, which the court will deal with Monday. Court was not in session on Friday.
The footage was aired on national television, and several networks brought in legal experts to speculate on its potential impact. Several said such interaction is not unusual.
''Assuming it was just social conversation, it's being blown way out of proportion,'' David Graeven of Trial Behavior Consulting told The Associated Press.
Peterson, 31, is accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, on or around Dec. 24, 2002, then dumping her body from his small boat into San Francisco Bay. He told police he went fishing that morning and returned to an empty house.
In March, a juror in the Tyco corporate corruption trial in New York made what some interpreted as an ''OK'' signal to the defense. The judge declared a mistrial after the juror's name was disclosed in the media and she reported receiving threats.
06-18-04 1827EDT"
"The juror is just a friendly kind of guy"
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Delucchi will likely scold juror
Article Last Updated: Monday, June 21, 2004 - 3:38:52 AM PST
Delucchi will likely scold juror
But analysts say the judge probably won't dismiss the man who was seen talking to Laci's brother last week
By Jason Dearen, STAFF WRITER
REDWOOD CITY -- Judge Alfred Delucchi is expected to deal today with a juror who was caught speaking to Laci Peterson's brother, Brent Rocha, while the two walked through security screening at the Hall of Justice Thursday.
A television camera caught the brief exchange -- in which the juror uttered a mostly inaudible sentence ending in "could lose today" -- and by Thursday evening, the story had gone national.
Juror No. 5 has raised eyebrows in the courtroom before when he nodded to Scott Peterson and his defense team during his daily trek to the jury box.
The juror, an airport baggage screener, is on disability leave from his job and said during jury selection that he and his employer are in court over the matter. He also told the court that he rarely read about the case and was interested only in news about the war in Iraq..,......
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"Thursday, June 17, 2004
Friendly juror
Television cameras captured a juror talking briefly to Laci Peterson's brother, Brent Rocha, as the two entered the courthouse Thursday. The juror, a man in his 30s with a short buzz haircut, said something about "losing today" although the rest of the conversation was not audible. The man has been raising eyebrows among courtwatchers lately because he often says hello or makes a "what's up" nod with his head to Scott Peterson and his attorneys when entering the courtroom. Legal experts said it is not uncommon behavior and that Delucchi will probably just warn the juror.
--Jason Dearen
posted by John @ 5:47 PM.....
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With Laci Peterson dead, her husband stood to gain more than $100, 000 worth of jewels, prosecutors tried to show Thursday in the Redwood City capital-murder case.
Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorneys Rick Distaso and Dave Harris have suggested that Scott Peterson, 31, had several motives for murdering his eight-month pregnant wife and their unborn child. The prosecutors have said the evidence will show that Peterson didn't want a child and was aggressively courting a Fresno massage therapist on the sly.
On Thursday prosecutors began to explore the possibility of a financial motive, showing that Scott Peterson had asked his wife to have her newly inherited jewelry appraised a month before she was reported missing on Dec. 24, 2002. ..........
Depends on what the "disability" is. Here in CA, the term does not necessarily denote a physical limitation. Case in point:
As i was standing in a looong line to sign up my high school age kids for summer courses at the local community college, i noticed a sign that read "if you have a disability pink pass you can come to the front of the line".
As i stood in line 3 people who had a pink pass walked in and cut straight to the front of the line. When i finally got to be first in line, sure enough another person with a pass cut right in front of me.
As we both waited i asked her what her disability was as she didnt' appear to be physically handicapped at all. She said she was embarrassed to admit it, but that she was entitled to the pass because she had a "learning disability". She said she was labeled that way because she didn't go to school when she was young, and because she has no short term memory.
Yeah. Things are way outta control.
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