Mark Geragos, Scott's lawyer, is a white version of Johnny Cochran. He's a high-profile attorney, having just defended Winona Ryder in her famous shoplifting trial. He'll turn the trial into a public spectacle a la the OJ Simpson trial by floating 'alternative theories' in an attempt to create reasonable doubt.
The tactic of using a high-profile lawyer like Geragos may backfire on Scott. I live in a town about the size of Modesto with a similar population makeup (conservative, middle class, no bullsh!t types). I was told by a friend who's a city attorney that the worst thing you can do in a town like this is to bring in a "New York Lawyer" to defend you--apparently the local judges see it as a 'city lawyer trying to teach the hayseeds a thing or two'.
Don't forget he first came to national attention defending Susan MacDougal. Both Geraldo and Dan Abrams have spoken approvingly of his defense in that case, as they opined it was a "political prosecution".
Also defended Roger Clinton in his DWI case. You can see the guy has a clintonian nature combined with cochranian tactics.
I dunno. Almost all of California is pretty suburban in nature. Most towns see themselves as part of a larger metro area no matter how ridiculously far away they are. So you don't get the as much of the Country Mouse/City Mouse divide you get elsewhere.
I'm thinking that this is what Geragos doesn't understand. He may be thinking that Modesto is like some backwater Arkansas town full of superstitious types he can whip into a frenzy over Satanic cults.