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| JUNE 1, 2004 OPENING STATEMENTS BEGIN IN THE TRIAL OF SCOTT PETERSON ***************************************** Prosecutor opens Peterson trial |
| After more than a year of sensation-soaked buildup, the Scott Peterson murder trial opened mildly this morning. Prosecutors gave a thorough account of the day Laci Peterson was reported missing and the conflicting stories Scott told about where he'd spent the day. Dollop by dollop, the first 90 minutes were a drawn out account of who said what to whom on Christmas Eve, 2002, with little new information emerging. Prosecutor Rick Distaso of Stanislaus County said Peterson told a neighbor and one of Laci's uncles that he had spent the day playing golf, but later told police he made a "morning decision" to go fishing instead. Distaso poked several holes in the timeline Peterson gave to police as he accounted for his whereabouts. Distaso said Peterson, who faces murder charges in the death of Laci and the couple's unborn son, told four different officers he went to the Berkeley Marina at 9:30 a.m., having left his young wife at home watching Martha Stewart. But cell phone records show Peterson still in his own neighborhood more than 30 minutes later, Disataso said. A neighbor will testify that the house was locked - though Laci's car was in the drive - at 10:18 a.m. Peterson told investigators Martha Stewart was doing a show about cooking meringue, Distaso said, but a review of programming debunked that. He also pointed out that Peterson could have fished in seven spots closer to Modesto, but chose instead to drive nearly 90 miles to the Berkeley Marina - close to where the two bodies were found months later. Distaso is weaving bits of circumstantial evidence together to make the jury suspicious of Peterson. Peterson's lawyer, Mark Geragos, was scheduled to make his opening arguments this afternoon. The defense's opening statements are crucial, because the jury will not hear from them again until the prosecution is finished making its case, which could take months. Defense attorney Jeffery Boyarski, who currently is defending a capital case in the County, said Geragos needs to make sure he can back up any claims he makes to jurors in the opening statement. "The first rule is, if you're not sure you can prove something you better not even say it," he said. The crux of each side's opening statements will be to clearly lay out their versions of exactly what happened between Dec. 23, the last time anyone other than Peterson heard from Laci, and 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, when Peterson says he went fishing in the Berkeley Marina. "Tell the story right from the beginning so throughout the trial, the jury's focused on your version," Boyarski said. Prosecutors have said they will call Margarita Nava, the Peterson's house cleaner, as their first witness. MORE MARGARITA NAVA #1 - MARGARITA NAVA #2 HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL NEWS ALIBI-WITNESS LIST WIRETAPS AUTOPSY PRELIMINARY HEARING TESTIMONY |
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| LACI & CONNER PRAY FOR JUSTICE |