| Police tailed Peterson to SF Bay 3 times in January Police in early January tailed Scott Peterson to San Francisco Bay three times, and the Modesto man briefly gazed out at the water before driving away in cars he had rented shortly before the trips, Detective Al Brocchini testified Thursday in Peterson's preliminary hearing on double murder charges. Defense attorney Mark Geragos suggested during cross examination that Peterson made the trips to check on search efforts for his missing wife, pointing to Bee articles that appeared on the days in question that detailed police search efforts at the bay. Brocchini also testified that Peterson's pickup had been impounded by police at the time, although he was driving a Land Rover that was used by his wife, Laci. Brocchini said he wasn't sure if he had ever read the articles Geragos held up in court and said he never asked Peterson about the trips to the bay. "You'd rather just come to the conclusion that it's suspicious because he's returning to the scene," Geragos said. Brocchini didn't answer after Judge Al Girolami ruled the question was argumentative. "Did you ever even ask him, 'Are you going to the Berkeley Marina to locate two city workers who were witnesses who saw you launch the boat that day?'" Geragos said. Prosecutor Rick Distaso again objected, part of series of rapid-fire objections as the questioning grew heated in day nine of the preliminary hearing. After Laci Peterson disappeared, police followed her husband to the Berkeley Marina on Jan. 5, Jan. 6 and Jan. 9, Brocchini said. On the first trip, Peterson stood at the boat launch and gazed seaward for five minutes. Peterson didn't make any stops on the roughly 170-mile roundtrip, Brocchini said. On the second, he made no stops on the outbound leg, "stared out into the bay about two minutes" after arriving at the marina, and "immediately began doing counter-surveillence" tactics when he left, Brocchini said. The shadowing officers lost Peterson after he stopped his car on the side of the highway, did U-turns in the middle of city blocks and drove through parking lots, Brocchini said. Geragos suggested during cross-examination that Peterson was concerned that he was being followed by employees of the National Enquirer and was attempting to shake members of the media. "We were following him and we didn't see any media people following him," Brocchini said. Brocchini said he thought police caught up with Peterson later that day at the volunteer search center set up at the Red Lion Hotel on Sisk Road in Modesto. On the third trip, Peterson drove to the Marina in a rented truck, briefly got out and then drove to the San Luis Forebay near Santa Nella and then drove to a hotel in Bakersfield, where he stayed the night, Brocchini said. The detective also testified Thursday that Peterson was introduced to Fresno massage therapist Amber Frey though a friend of Frey's Peterson met at in October at an agricultural conference in Anaheim. Frey was Peterson's girlfriend at the time his wife went missing. The friend told Peterson she would set him up with her friend only if he was interested in a "serious" relationship, Brocchini testified. The friend found out in early December that Peterson was married and confronted him about it, the detective said. "He said, I'm not married. I lost my wife. Let me tell Amber about it," Brocchini testified. Peterson later told Frey he had lost his wife, the detective said. PRELIMINARY HEARING INDEX TRIAL VERDICT WITNESS LIST AUTOPSY INDEX HOME INDEX LACI CONNER SCOTT AMBER WIRETAPS EVIDENCE-NEWS |
| PRELIMINARY HEARING - DAY 8 Thursday - November 13, 2003 |
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| LACI & CONNER "Story about a daughter, sister, best friend and an elated mum-to-be" Tribute by EXPAT |
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