| Video surveillance of Peterson home surfaces 12:12 p.m., PST: The federal Drug Enforcement Agency installed a 8-mm surveillance camera on Jan. 3 to monitor Scott Peterson's movements, and authorities have three roughly one-hour recordings of that activity, prosecutor Rick Distaso said in court Wednesday. The camera was primarily used to monitor when the fertilizer salesman, who has since turned 31, left his home and then authorities would follow him, Distaso said. The defense wants copies of the recordings in the event they contain information that could exonerate Peterson. Defense attorney Mark Geragos said the camera and surveillance were apparently handled by a joint task force that involved the FBI, DEA, Modesto police and others. He appeared to be referring to the Stanislaus County Drug Enforcement Agency, a joint task force that also handled two wiretaps on Peterson's phones. The revelation came in Stanislaus County Superior Court today as Geragos sought to have A judge order officers to take the stand after the FBI rejected a defense subpoena to get copies of the surveillance videos, saying Peterson's double murder charges are not a federal case. "What we've got here is nothing better than a shell game in a capital case," Geragos said today. "The FBI is now saying, ‘Go pound sand.'" Judge Al Girolami ordered the proceeding to continue with questioning of Bruce Budowle, a senior scientist from the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, testified Wednesday that a disputed DNA technique used to link a hair found in Scott Peterson's boat to his wife is reliable. When Geragos raised the issue of the surveillance camera in court Thursday, Distaso said his office had already requested all reports and evidence from various law enforcement agencies and had turned those over to the defense. The district attorney's office was not in possession of the recordings on Thursday, he said. The Modesto police department apparently turned the recordings over to the prosecutors sometime over the weekend, Geragos said in court. It was unclear how long the surveillance lasted, but Geragos said the recordings could shed light on a burglary that happened at the Peterson home Jan. 18, when a neighbor who had been active in searches for Laci reportedly went into the couple's home and left with several objects, including Laci's wedding dress, as well as a subsequent police search Feb. 18. "It would have shown persons entering," Geragos said. "It would have shown what items were taken." HOME INDEX PRELIMINARY HEARING WITNESS LIST NEWS-STORIES LACI CONNER TRIAL VERDICT SCOTT AMBER WIRETAPS AUTOPSY INDEX |
| LACI & CONNER HAVE TOUCHED SO MANY HEARTS |
| PRELIMINARY HEARING - DAY 7 NOVEMBER 12, 2003 |
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