| Cadaver Dog Indicated Laci Peterson's Body was in Husband's Boat October 20, 2003 In documents filed late Friday, prosecutors say Laci Peterson's body was in Scott Peterson's warehouse and boat before she was dumped into the San Francisco Bay. The defense team for Scott Peterson contends that because the cadaver dog,Twist, did not "alert" -- or indicate that she had found the sought- after scent --in the boat is proof that the body was never in the boat. That contention "grossly misstates" the dog handler's report, Senior Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso wrote. "It is clear that Twist showed some interest in the boat and other areas of the warehouse but did not fully alert," Distaso wrote. "This was probably due to the heavy chemical smell in the warehouse." Prosecutors say while the dog did not fully alert to finding the scent, it did show interest. They say smells in the warehouse and boat were difficult to find because of large amounts of chemicals. According to a report by the dog's handler, the cadaver dog showed "mild interest" in the boat and displayed some interest in containers under a small workbench in his Modesto warehouse, according to the newly filed document, a partial report from the dog handler. "She checked several times in each container, along the edge of the workbench where she could reach and along the edge of the boat closest to the workbench," Anderson wrote. "She demonstrated frustration by barking but did not go to her full alert or pinpoint a particular spot." Scott Peterson used the warehouse located on Emerald Avenue as an office and storage area for chemicals for his job as a fertilizer salesman, and stored his boat there, according to portions of the report by a Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Team member. The debate over the cadaver dog started when Peterson's lawyers sought to have wiretap information thrown out. Defense attorneys argued an investigator"purposely omitted" information from the dog handler's report in affidavitsto a judge when seeking warrants for the wiretaps. Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Al Girolami will decide whether to exclude the wiretaps and information from the dog's search after the preliminary hearing. That hearing was scheduled to begin today but has been postponed to October 28. Investigators intercepted more than 3,000 phone calls during two wiretaps: one authorized to run Jan. 10 to Feb. 4, the second April 15 to 18, the day police arrested Peterson. If Judge Al Girolami finds that district attorney investigator Steve Jacobson willfully omitted key material in his affidavits that would have affected a judge's decision to issue the warrants, it could lead to the wiretap evidence being thrown out. Prosecutors contend that Jacobson had not seen or known the contents of Anderson's report at the time he wrote his affidavit and could not have included it, even if he had wanted to. If Jacobson had known the information, it would have bolstered the investigators' case, Distaso wrote. The information from the wiretaps and scent-tracking dogs is among the evidence the defense is seeking to have excluded from trial. After the hearing, the judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to try Peterson on charges that he murdered his wife and son, Conner. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT CONNER EVIDENCE-NEWS TRIAL ALIBI-WITNESS LIST WIRETAPS |
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