| LACI and CONNER Prayers for their Family |
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| March 25, 2003 National Enquirer Transcribed by RICKAMORT1 LACI PETERSON MURDERED! SECRET WITNESS DESTROYS HUSBAND'S ALIBI by MICHAEL HANRAHAN and DAVID WRIGHT NEW LACI MURDER BOMBSHELL! Picture of AMBER FREY caption: Cops are seeking two additional women whom Scott may have had affairs Picture of Laci's Husband caption: Scott has lost 25 pounds in the wake of the mounting evidence against him. He looks thinner! In a Bombshell development in the Laci Peterson case, a secret witness has come forward to discredit her husband Scott's alibi for the hours in which his 8-month pregnant wife vanished, The ENQUIRER has learned. The witness' testimony is part of a web of new evidence that led police to dramatically upgrade the 27-year-old substitute teacher from missing person to homicide victim- even though her body has not been found. And a lead detective revealed cops were getting ready to make an arrest. The mounting evidence is weighing so heavily on 31-year-old Peterson that his father says Scott has lost 25 pounds and has been "virtually homeless" since police tore his home apart under a second search warrant. Scott maintains that he left Laci at their home in Modesto, Calif., around 9:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve. He told cops she was planning to walk their golden retriever McKenzie, and that he drove 85 miles to the Berkeley Marina and spent the day fishing in San Francisco Bay. But the Enquirer has tracked down longtime Modesto resident Connie Fleeman, who's told police she saw Scott about 10:00 a.m. - and noted that neither his truck nor the boat he was towing contained any fishing tackle! "I literally bumped into him coming out of Crescent Food City on Coffee Road," Connie told the Enquirer. "He hit me with the door of his truck, and we joked about it. "I told him I'd been admiring his truck and boat because they were both so clean. "IN the truck was an overstuffed green tool box with a gray cloth covering something that was sticking out of the top."The boat the truck was towing was empty. There was no ice chest, no life vest, no fishing poles and no tackle box. He didn't appear to be a man going fishing. Connie noticed one more curious thing. "He was too neatly dressed," she said. He wore a sparkling white polo shirt, with a collar. He also had on neatly pressed blue cotton twill pants and a red and beige plaid jacket. "Most guys wear old clothes when they go fishing- but he was immaculate." The two went their separate ways, but shortly after Laci disappeared, Connie saw a police appeal for anyone who'd seen Scott's truck and boat on December 24th to come forward. "They also had his picture, and I thought, "That's the guy I saw at the store," she told the Enquirer. Crescent Food City owner, Fred Hanna, confirmed Connie and Scott were in his storet hat day at the same time. "She was buying cigarettes and Mr. Peterson bought himself a can of Red Bull," he said. Red Bull is an energy drink- loaded with caffeine. It is often the choice of body builders and students who need to keep awake and alert after a long night. Connie's startling testimony is backed up by forensic lab findings. The Enquirer reported earlier that test showed no trace of salt water on Scott's boat or its engine- a further indication that his story of fishing in San Francisco Bay is a flat out lie, according to investigators. In another sensational twist, detectives were also seeking at least TWO additional women with whom cheating Scott may have recentl had extramarital relationships. Cops have already interrogated 28 year old Amber Frey, who was having an affair with Scott at the time that Laci vanished. Amber- who says Scott told her he was single, bravely stepped forward after learning about the hunt for Peterson's missing wife. And cops are convinced that Laci didn't leave her home on foot. Early in the case bloodhounds were brought to the home. One of the dog's, after being allowed to pick up Laci's scent from her clothing, repeatedly led its handler to a spot in the Peterson's driveway- convincing experts that Laci left the house in a vehicle. There's more bad news for Scott. Cops have discounted testimony that appeared to lend weight to his version of events. An elderly neighbor of the Peterson told police she saw Laci from a distance walking her dog McKenzie around 10 a.m. on Christmas eve. "It was not a positive identification. There were two other pregnant women walking dogs in the area that day. Also, as the Enquirer earlier revealed, Laci had a look-alike an assistant district attorney who lives 12 doors from the Peterson's home. She also was pregnant and in a remarkable coincidence, walked a golden retriever also named McKenzie, in the same area. The Modesto police's decision to reclassify Laci's disappearence as a homicide is being strongly protested by Scott's mother. Jackie Peterson charges it will keep people from searching for Laci. Det. Ridenour said officials realize that some family members may not understand the decision- but he added "its difficult because they don't know everything investigators know." And a lead detective revealed: "What the district attorney is telling us is he's ready to go forward- whether we have a body or not." HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT ALIBI-WITNESS LIST MAGAZINE INDEX EVIDENCE-NEWS & STORIES INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS TRANSCRIPTS |
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