| Peterson father: Affair 'isn't proof' August 20, 2004 Lee Peterson strenuously defended his son when police told him Scott Peterson had been dating a Fresno woman around the time his pregnant wife disappeared, according to a transcript of the Jan. 15, 2003, conversation. "I can understand someone havin' an affair. I mean, it's -- it's not a good thing, but I can understand," Lee Peterson told two detectives in the transcript, obtained by cable network Court TV. "That sure isn't proof that my son was involved in this thing." Modesto police Detectives Craig Grogan and Phil Owen met Lee Peterson in a San Diego-area coffee shop and showed him photos of his son with Fresno massage therapist Amber Frey. Two other detectives met the same day with Laci Peterson's family to tell them of the affair before it appeared in the media. L. Peterson: And what — what circumstances? Grogan: Well — we talked to the girl and ah — she gave us this photo. She actually — I mean there's this is a function that they to together ah — she sent out some photographs of her and Scott — in some Christmas cards to other people? I don't know how many photos are out there, but my concern is that — you and Jackie were gonna see a photograph like one of these or somethin' in this paper. Ah — now I know you're probably thinking — can you believe me or not and am I tryin' to put something over ya or something like that and — all I can tell ya sir is that — I've given ya my word that ah — that — those are the circumstances — I'm not lyin' to ya to try to — L. Peterson: Did she ah — did she volunteer these or Grogan: Yeah she had — she had the photographs — L. Peterson: She knows him as someone else — Grogan: She mailed out — Scott was tellin' her that he was not married to start with — and they had been set up by another — ah — by a friend — a mutual friend — to date. And they carried on a relationship from about mid-November and — ah — that — they haven't actually seen each other since Laci's disappearance but they have continued to talk over the phone. L. Peterson: Since Laci's disappearance? Grogan: Yeah. L. Peterson: I'm shocked. Owen: She — she came to us — with the pictures. L. Peterson: She came to you? Since the — since Laci's disappearance. Why in the hell would she do that? Grogan: The reason that she came to us ah — she says that at first Scott said that he was not married. And then the friend that set them up to start with? Apparently she made some inquiries about Scott and found out that he was married and told this girl. Ah — the girl then asked Scott about it on — on December 9th — Scott told her that he had lost his wife. (Pause) That concerns me. I understand that your job as Scott's father is to try to protect him. Grogan said. And I'm not — I'm not trying to dissuade you from that but — I wanted you to know that these exist — that we didn't release them. I wanted you to hear it from us — this information is very concerning if Scott told this girl before — weeks before Laci disappeared. "Maybe it's just a dumb thing you tell a girl to -- I don't know, like guys did in the war, said, ah -- you know, I'm going off to battle here and ah-- that we make love before I go to battle," Lee Peterson replied. But he seemed surprised when Grogan revealed that he had confronted Scott with the information and his son apparently hadn't mentioned it. "I showed Scott a similar photograph when you went with him to the -- to the station that day," Grogan said in the transcript. L. Peterson: What? Grogan: And another girl — another woman. "Did you?" Lee Peterson responded before suggesting that his son may have been drinking when he made the "lost" comment. Grogan: ..the key thing — that bothers me and what I want — what I want you to think about is him — him telling this girl that his wife was lost, and he's crying and upset in that conversation with this girl. — she had the impression that by saying that, he was saying that his wife had died. And that is several days before that — that's December 9th — before Laci disappears. And that — that concerns me. L. Peterson: That — that there's pretty good — I don't know, maybe he was drinkin' or something. I — I don't understand that either but — my son did not hurt anyone. That — that's his — that's about — Grogan: ...on December 14 there was a party that he and Laci were supposed to be going to. And Laci went by herself. He told everyone he was going to San Francisco to meet his boss 'cause his boss was gonna fly in at the last minute. And he had to meet him over there. So I mean, he lied to a lot of people to say that's where he was going — on December 14th he was at this party, he was witnessed by people, they were together as a date, ah they were acting as though they were a couple — this girl ah — I mean this girl ah — cared about him and — so much that she sent out Christmas cards with their picture together ah — Lee Peterson could not be reached for comment. It was unclear whether he knew police were recording the conversation. He tries to end the discussion at several points, once saying: "You guys are pros, you know how to interrogate people." A prosecution spokesman, Chief Deputy District Attorney John Goold, refused to comment on the transcript or on its authenticity, citing a court-imposed gag order. During the conversation, Lee Peterson rejects the idea that his son's failure to tell police he was having an affair was suspicious. "If I was under the investigation and my wife disappeared, I don't think I'd be talkin' about an affair I had with some other woman," Lee Peterson said. "I doubt either of you fellows would, either." HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL ALIBI-WITNESS LIST WIRETAPS AUTOPSY PETERSON INDEX ROCHA FAMILY LACI'S FRIENDS |
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