| Frey, son's father agree to visitation rights
Majority of proceedings closed to the public. By Russell Clemings / The Fresno Bee Thursday, January 27, 2005 |
| Amber Frey and the father of her younger child appeared briefly Wednesday in Fresno County Superior Court and agreed to visitation rights for the 9-month-old boy. Almost all of the discussion took place behind closed doors with a mediator, and the case file was sealed. The only proceedings in open court lasted about 10 minutes, during which Judge James M. Petrucelli issued an order adopting an agreement between Frey — star witness against her former lover Scott Peterson in his murder trial last year — and the child's father, Fresno chiropractor David Markovich. Petrucelli asked Frey and Markovich whether they understood their agreement and would abide by its terms. Both answered "yes" to each question. The judge then announced that the agreement "vesting visitation rights in each party as set forth herein" was adopted and that violations would be subject to civil or criminal sanctions. "The country of official residence of the child is the United States of America, and there is not a risk of abduction," the judge said before wishing both parties good luck. Frey and her attorneys, Gloria Allred of Los Angeles and Judith Lund of Fresno, then left via a staff exit and made their way to an underground garage. Markovich appeared to leave by a similar route. Earlier, during the hearing, Lund told the court that the parties and their attorneys had agreed not to discuss the substance of the agreement or other details of the case. Allred initially asked Petrucelli to conduct the entire hearing in private, citing a provision of state law: "The policy behind this section is for the protection of the child." The judge agreed that the file would be sealed but declined to close the hearing, which attracted at least six local news organizations. "We handle, on a daily basis, hundreds of confidential filings in hearings in our open courts, and we never seal any of the hearings," Petrucelli told Allred. "Certainly, in a case such as this, I don't expect that you're asking for special treatment." Frey testified as a prosecution witness against Scott Peterson, who was convicted in November of murdering his wife, Laci, and the near-term baby she carried. Tapes of her phone conversations with Peterson around the time of his wife's disappearance were among the most dramatic pieces of evidence in the trial. The jury recommended the death penalty, and Peterson awaits sentencing. Frey's son with Markovich was born in April; at that time, Allred told the Associated Press that the baby's name was Justin Dean. Frey also has a preschool daughter. HOME INDEX LACI TRIAL VERDICT SCOTT AMBER WITNESS LIST |
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| LACI & CONNER "I wish Amber Frey not be so mercilessly and small-mindedly criticized. She did nothing wrong,ever,and helped put Scott away." LORI ~ ARIZONA ~ GUESTBOOK |
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| AMBER FREY DAVID MARKOVICH |
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