Laci Peterson's brother Brent Rocha loads a rocking chair from her Modesto home into the back of a truck Friday morning.
Posted on 05/31/2003 8:41:50 AM PDT by runningbear
Laci Peterson's brother Brent Rocha loads a rocking chair from her Modesto home into the back of a truck Friday morning.
Laci's things in tug of war
By GARTH STAPLEY and JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Published: May 31, 2003, 07:16:10 AM PDT
Laci Peterson's family and friends removed truckloads of items from the slain Modesto woman's house on Friday, touching off controversy between her family and that of her husband.
Police responded to the Covena Avenue home at about 10 a.m. after a security company reported that the alarm had been triggered, Capt. Greg Savelli said.
Officers determined that Laci Peterson's family and friends were removing items that belonged to Laci, said Savelli, who added that officers documented what was taken.
"We're treating this as a civil dispute over property," he said. "It was clear to the Police Department that this was not a burglary.
Peterson's husband, Scott, 30, has been charged with double murder and faces the death penalty in the killings of his 27-year-old wife and their unborn son, Conner.
Savelli said the fallout from Friday's property removal "was best handled between the families and their attorneys."
Adam Stewart, an attorney for Laci Peterson's family, said the family had been in contact with Scott Peterson's defense team, who had agreed to allow Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, to go through the house on Tuesday. She was to be accompanied by representatives of the defense team, and all items taken were to be photographed and videotaped.
Scott Peterson's parents and lawyers expressed outrage that the Rochas did not follow the agreement.
Jackie Peterson said the people who went into the home Friday had "absolutely no permission to be in that house. I have a lot of empathy for Sharon, but she does not have a right to go in our house and take what she wants."
Rocha did not appear to be among the packers. Calls placed to the Rocha home were not accepted.
Seven vehicles loaded
Among the items loaded into seven vehicles were a crib, a rocking chair and a box with Graco printed on the outside. Graco makes such products as strollers, highchairs and car seats.
Laci Peterson's family announced Wednesday that it had hired attorneys to help recover items from the house. A list included her wedding dress, jewelry and Conner's crib.
Jackie Peterson told The Bee that the security company notified her by telephone in San Diego County that the house alarm had been tripped.
The property removal appeared to take Scott Peterson's defense team by surprise.
Matthew Dalton, an attorney with lead defense attorney Mark Geragos' law firm, drove to the house and asked reporters if someone had reported a burglary.
Dalton went to Stewart's Modesto law office Friday morning and dropped off some items requested by the Rocha family, Stewart said.
Monday, the defense team moved other items, including what appeared to be gifts, to the Modesto office of defense co-counsel Kirk McAllister, for transfer to Laci Peterson's family. But the items had not been picked up by Friday morning, McAllister said.
Stewart said in front of the home that it would be "ridiculous" to suggest that the Rochas broke into the home.
"I apologize for it coming down to this," he said. "This is not the way we operate. This is for Laci, for Conner and Laci's family. It is not for the media or Mr. Scott Peterson's defense in any way, shape or form. It's depressing that it's come down to this."
Stanislaus County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Goold said prosecutors had no legal authority over the house.
"It's not a crime scene," Goold said. " This is a civil problem between the Rochas and the Petersons."
The house title is in Laci and Scott Petersons' names, county records show. In such a joint tenancy, when one titleholder dies, the title goes to the other.
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Incident brings Peterson case close to home
Victim's family moves items from house, raising the issue of ownership.
By Garth Stapley and John Coté
The Modesto Bee
(Published Saturday, May 31, 2003, 4:47 AM)
MODESTO -- Laci Peterson's family and friends removed truckloads of items from the slain Modesto woman's house Friday, touching off controversy between her family and that of her husband.
Police officers were dispatched after a security company notified them that the alarm at the Covena Avenue home had been triggered, Capt. Greg Savelli said.
Officers determined that members of the Rocha family and friends of Laci Peterson were removing items that belonged to the slain woman and documented what was taken, Savelli said.
"We're treating this as a civil dispute over property," he said. "It was clear to the police department that this was not a burglary. It was a dispute over property and was best handled between the families and their attorneys."
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Judge cites Peterson right to fair trial in denying report access
Judge cites Peterson right to fair trial in denying report access
By JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: May 31, 2003, 07:16:56 AM PDT
A Stanislaus County judge on Friday ordered that arrest and search warrants remain sealed in the case against Scott Peterson, who is accused of murdering his pregnant wife and unborn son.
Superior Court Judge Al Giro-lami's ruling also ordered the autopsy reports for Laci and Conner to stay sealed.
Thursday, District Attorney James Brazelton reversed his position and asked to have the autopsy reports made public, and the matter is set for hearing June 6.
Brazelton's about-face came after part of the fetus's autopsy report was leaked to the media. Prosecutors said that portion was clearly "skewed in favor of the defense."
Defense attorneys, coroner's officials, police and prosecutors have denied leaking the information.
Friday, in his ruling on all the documents, Girolami said releasing them "might irreparably harm the continued investigation into this criminal matter."
"Despite the fact that the complaint has been issued and a suspect has been arrested, the investigation and search for both incriminating and exonerating evidence in this matter continues," Girolami wrote.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys argued that releasing the documents could impede Peterson's right to a fair trial and damage an ongoing investigation.
Girolami agreed, saying in his ruling that releasing the documents "might result in the evidence being destroyed and witnesses being reluctant to step forward."
A group of newspapers, including The Bee, are seeking to have the documents unsealed.
Right to view reports argued
Charity Kenyon, an attorney representing the newspapers, argued that the public's right to view court documents was fundamental in an open legal system.
Other means exist for ensuring
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Judge orders Laci Peterson autopsy report sealed
Judge orders Laci Peterson autopsy report sealed
The Modesto Bee
The Associated Press
Published: May 31, 2003, 06:49:17 AM PDT
MODESTO, Calif. (AP) - A judge ruled Friday that an autopsy report on the deaths of Laci Peterson and her unborn son should remain sealed along with other search warrant and arrest records.
Superior Court Judge Al Girolami said releasing the information could hamper the murder investigation and prejudice public opinion before a trial begins.
Girolami is scheduled to hear more arguments June 6 from prosecutors preparing a murder case against Peterson's husband, Scott Peterson. Prosecutors on Thursday asked that the autopsy reports be released to the public. They argued that media leaks of the reports are biased toward the defense.
Girolami also ordered that leaks of sealed information stop and indicated he would consider a gag order to stop the prosecution and defense teams from talking to the media.
Scott Peterson, 30, is accused of killing his wife and unborn son, whom the couple had planned to name Conner, last December in their home. Laci, 27, was eight months pregnant at the time. The bodies washed ashore in San Francisco Bay last month.
Contra Costa County authorities concluded their autopsy report earlier this month, but did not disclose the cause of death.
Several media outlets have released details of the coroner's report, and a spokeswoman for Laci Peterson's family members said Thursday they were "devastated" at hearing autopsy reports without warning on television.
The leaked reports indicated the unborn son had plastic tape wrapped around his neck and a significant cut across the shoulders.
Meanwhile, friends of Laci Peterson removed several personal articles Friday from the single-story Modesto home where she and Scott Peterson lived.
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MOM'S MOVING MOMENT
By HOWARD BREUER and MARSHA KRANES
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May 31, 2003 -- Laci Peterson's mother - shattered by the graphic details leaked from the 25-page autopsy of her unborn grandson - yesterday began removing her slain daughter's belongings from the home she had shared with her accused murderer husband, Scott.
Sharon Rocha, accompanied by several friends and relatives, was seen at the Modesto, Calif., house removing the rocking chair Laci had bought to use when she nursed her infant son, as well as unopened Christmas gifts, clothing, chairs, lamps and artwork.
In doing so, she ignored the advice of her lawyer, Al Clark, that she wait until he, Scott Peterson's lawyers and court officials work out the procedures to be followed when she entered the house.
Modesto police arrived while Rocha was there, and she and her entourage left a short time later after packing seven cars full of Laci's belongings.
Hours later, lawyers representing Laci's family and Scott Peterson started haggling over whether removing the items was legal.
Scott Peterson's mother, Jackie, expressed outrage that the items had been removed since Laci's family had "absolutely no permission to be in that house."
Scott Peterson has pleaded not guilty to killing his wife and their unborn son.
Laci's family said Wednesday that they had hired lawyers to help them retrieve a baby crib and jewelry from the home.
Meanwhile, Clark told Fox News his client's anger over the grisly revelations leaked from her daughter's and grandson's sealed autopsy reports drove her to go get her daughter's possessions.
A family spokeswoman said Rocha was "devastated" by the reports describing how the near full-term fetus of her grandson Conner had plastic tape wrapped around the neck and a large cut across the chest when he was found in the shallow waters of San Francisco Bay last month.
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(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
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When she leaves, Sharon Rocha will take with her dozens of her daughter's possessions, including her wedding dress.
Rocha got the go-ahead after weeks of bitter fighting with her daughter's former in-laws over access to the Modesto, Calif., house that Laci shared with her husband until she disappeared around Christmas Eve, according to lawyers for the Rocha family.
"Sharon was notified last night by the [Stanislaus County district attorney's] office that she can go in on Tuesday," lawyer Albert Clark told the Daily News.
The family wanted several of Laci's personal items, including jewelry, her journals, the crib, a glass memento box containing sea shells and a set of salt and pepper shakers shaped like snails, Clark said.
"More importantly to Laci's family," a statement from the Rochas' lawyers said, "is the opportunity to be inside Laci's home. ... They need to have the freedom and opportunity to sit in her chair that she used to sit in, to walk on the floor that she used to walk on, to sit in Conner's room in the rocking chair Laci had purchased to rock him in, and just to have the opportunity to feel her presence."
Jackie Peterson, Scott Peterson (news - web sites)'s mother, said she had tried to call the Rochas but they wouldn't return her phone calls.
She also said she had been inside the house recently, but only to "keep it clean." Originally published on May 30, 2003
Just a quick glane through the ones I could readily pull up were the teenage type who said they murdered for Satan.
Let's see. There were murders committed; The murderers claimed they were committed in the name and/or for Satan; The murderers certainly believe in and have some sort of allegience to Satan.
I kinda believe that they can be called Satanists.
What is your point? Teenagers cannot be Satanists??? Maybe their claims were somehow just poor jokes??? I wonder if the people they killed in the name of-- or for Satan would agree with you?
I suggest you research the Modesto Bee's reporting of the Satanic murders which occurred about 6 miles north of Modesto. It wasn't one or two, it wasn't even a group of four as the Satanic murder in San Louis Obispo was. It was a named group with many members. Two were charged with the actual killing and several more were charged with conspiracy to murder.
As I posted before, I recognize the quality of the Rense site. I didn't accept Rense as a source, I went directly to the publications and verified the published information for myself.
"If they are so rare then why are you able to come up with a long list of teenagers who participated in Satanic killings? Why? Because there are no standards applied ..."
First I didn't say they were rare. I said Dr. Lee said that he has seen them and characterized them as rare. I don't have any idea how common they are and neither do you. I do know that in a relatively short time, I was able to verify reports of a couple of dozen Satanic killings in the US alone, and so far even more outside of this country. Based upon what I found, I would have to say Brazil is probably the leader in Satanic killings.
What standards do you suggest are applied? If the murderer states that the reason he butchered someone was for Satan or in the name of Satan, just who the hell are we to say nope, doesn't meet the standard? That he dressed up Hollywood horror movie style? Maybe it's only a Satanic killing if if a pipe organ is playing a funeral dirge in the background?
What's wrong with the standard that the murderer him or her self place on the act---"I DID IT FOR SATAN!" "I DID IT IN THE NAME OF SATAN!!"
You seem to indicate that you believe that all of these reports only involve teenagers. That is untrue. I have found descriptions of Satanic killings committed by 40 year olds, 50 year olds even one case where the perpetrator was in his 70's. Most are committed by younger people BECAUSE THEY GET CAUGHT and taken out of circulation.
Where is it written that a Satanic killing has to be done by a group? If so, how big does the group have to be, in your opinion? Maybe the group has to be able to fill the Crystal Cathedral!?
An individual cannot be a Satanist??
Well, we disagree then. If some kids playing dungeons and dragons say they killed in the name of satan are not Satanists in my mind. They are punks who are doing random killings (which may have been what happened to Laci).
What is your point? Teenagers cannot be Satanists??? Maybe their claims were somehow just poor jokes??? I wonder if the people they killed in the name of-- or for Satan would agree with you?
Funny you should put it that way. I see "Satanic killings" being like making a subgroup for so-called "hate crimes". People may have been murdered at random or to satisfy some punk's need to "know how it feels" but "Satanic"? I don't think so. Murder is murder.
As I posted before, I recognize the quality of the Rense site. I didn't accept Rense as a source, I went directly to the publications and verified the published information for myself.
You posted Rense word for word.
Bottom line, I'm just not willing to think that people who claim to be Satanic killers are indeed what they say they are. I would be impressed if you were able to pinpoint some covens or Satanic groups who actually DO Satanic killings ... not copy from a psychic phenomenon site.
You may not agree with them or think that people should be free to donate towards paying their bills, but that's no reason to say they might be lying. At least they are not asking the taxpayers to support them because of a disability.
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