| PETERSON'S HEARING WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC August 14, 2003 Scott Peterson’s preliminary hearing will be open to the public, Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Al Girolami ruled this morning. Peterson, 30, is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his wife, Laci, 27, and the couple’s unborn son, Conner. He has pleaded not guilty; a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to hold him for trial is set Sept. 9. Girolami also tentatively set a hearing into whether Peterson’s defense attorneys violated a gag order issued earlier in the case when they discussed a satanic cult theory in front of a Modesto Bee reporter and photographer this week. He set the matter to be heard at the conclusion of the preliminary hearing next month and directed the district attorney’s office to begin gathering witness statements in preparation. Wednesday, a story ran indicating that the defense had conducted an experiment which purportedly showed that Laci Peterson’s body could have been dropped into San Francisco Bay from a peninsula that also houses artwork that a defense attorney described as satanic. That information came to light Tuesday as Matt Dalton, an attorney with lead defense counsel Mark Geragos’ law firm, briefed forensic experts in the lobby of the Department of Justice crime lab in Ripon, where they were waiting to get access to prosecution evidence. The gag order, issued June 12 and modified July 1, forbids attorneys and others involved in the case from making “any statement for public dissemination” regarding evidence and other key matters. Girolami also said Thursday that he would hear testimony after the preliminary hearing to determine whether Stanislaus County District Attorney James Brazelton violated the gag order for telling The Bee in June that he favors a preliminary hearing over a grand jury indictment to counter misinformation and present evidence “that might open some eyes.” Defense attorneys cited the massive media attention around the case in asking Girolami to close Peterson’s preliminary hearing, when prosecutors are expected to lay out closely guarded evidence. The defense maintains that the inevitable media attention would taint jurors and jeopardize Peterson’s right to a fair trial. Prosecutors favored an open hearing, but joined Laci Peterson’s family in asking the judge to bar cameras from the courtroom. Cameras would “thrust nervous and unwilling victims, witnesses and others into the glaring media spotlight” and turn the trial into “entertainment for the masses,” according to prosecution court filings. Media attorneys noted that open court proceedings are an integral part of the legal system and guard against potential abuse by judges or prosecutors. ROCHA FAMILY MAKES A STATEMENT HOME INDEX COURT DATES EVIDENCE-THEORIES MAPS AMBER MAGAZINES ALIBI-WITNESS LIST MEMORIAL DREAM TEAM TRANSCRIPTS SOCIOPATH |
| LACI & CONNER FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS |
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