| Neighbor details finding Peterson's dog Thursday, November 13, 2003 Next-door neighbor Karen Servas found Scott and Laci Peterson’s dog running free with a wet, dirty leash still attached the morning of the day that Laci Peterson was reported missing, Servas testified this afternoon. The account could undercut claims by potential defense witnesses who have said they saw Laci Peterson walking the dog on Christmas Eve after the time cited by Servas. The timing is crucial because Scott Peterson told police that his pregnant wife planned to walk their dog after he left their Covena Avenue home at about 9:30 a.m. Dec. 24. He could be ruled out as a suspect if eyewitness claims regarding Laci Peterson walking her dog hold up. A preliminary hearing for Scott Peterson, 31, has been under way since Oct. 28. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty on charges Peterson killed his wife and their unborn son, Conner. Servas said she put McKenzie, a golden retriever, in the Petersons' back yard at about 10:18 a.m. Dec. 24. That conflicts with independent statements by La Loma neighborhood residents Homer Maldonado and Vivian Mitchell, who have told The Bee they saw Laci Peterson walking the dog between 9:45 and 10 a.m. and between 10 and 10:30 a.m., respectively. Also this afternoon, defense attorney Mark Geragos of Los Angeles asked Modesto police Det. Al Brocchini if he handled Laci Peterson’s hairbrush while examining other evidence in February - specifically, pliers found in Scott Peterson’s boat. Brocchini said he did not. A single dark, human hair has become a key piece of evidence in the case. It was recovered in the pliers, authorities have said - and they hope to show that Scott Peterson transported his wife’s body in the 14-foot aluminum fishing boat. Geragos also asked Brocchini about a state Department of Justice forensic evidence report stating that “there was no indication the wirecutters or needle-nose pliers had been used recently.” A prosecutor objected to Geragos reading the report as opposed to asking the detective questions, and Judge Al Girolami informed Geragos, “We can all read (the report).” Regarding the timing of Servas’s testimony, Geragos noted that she initially told a detective she found the Petersons’ dog “at almost exactly 10:30” a.m. Servas said she subsequently found a receipt from a store she visited soon after leaving the dog, and obtained her cell phone records showing a call she placed soon after that. She retraced her steps, timing as she went, and concluded that she put the dog in the yard closer to 10:18 a.m. Servas acknowledged that she had told police the Petersons “seemed to get along very well” and that both were “excited about the upcoming baby and pregnancy,” as paraphrased by Geragos. Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Scott Peterson’s former girlfriend, Amber Frey, said she will announce after court sessions wrap up today at about 4 p.m. whether Frey will testify at the preliminary hearing. KAREN SERVAS TRIAL TESTIMONY PRELIMINARY HEARING INDEX ALIBI-WITNESS LIST EVIDENCE-NEWS HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL AMBER WIRETAPS |
| LACI & CONNER May Justice Prevail |
| PRELIMINARY HEARING - DAY 8 Thursday - November 13, 2003 |
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