| Stepfather warned him to come clean if he had a girlfriend June 8, 2004 Scott Peterson seemed unemotional about his wife's disappearance, and he blew off family members who wanted to know more about Laci's actions Christmas Eve morning. Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Grantski, said that within a day or two, he had concluded that his son-in-law's alibi was bogus. Peterson told police he was trawling for sturgeon and striper 90 miles away in San Francisco Bay when his wife went missing from their home in Modesto. In fact, Ron Grantski, said he finally confronted Scott on Dec. 25 or 26 to get a straight answer. "I think your Berkeley thing is a fishy story," Grantski recalled. "Do you have a girlfriend or something else? If you do, you better tell us, because if it gets out later, it's going to look bad." "He said, 'No,' and turned around and walked away," Grantski said. He also said Laci's family stood by Peterson until they learned of his affair in mid-January. Peterson confessed to the affair with Frey only after photos of the two emerged and she began cooperating with authorities. Sporting gray hair and a goatee, Grantski -- who joked with prosecutor Rick Distaso about fishing, and having t ogive away his "secret fishing spot", earning him a number of laughs from the jury. He was asked about his 4 year military service, where he earned a purple heart while working for Navy Intelligence, and was asked to describe meeting Sharon Rocha on a blind date in 1977 which was set up by Sharon's cousin's Harvey and Gwen Kemple. They've been together ever since. He described his job as a construction superintendant for a company that builds commercial buildings, such as shopping centers and fast food restaurants. He was asked about December 15, 2002, when he took Sharon fishing with him, but she just sat and read the paper. So he liked to say that he fished and Sharon watched. "Did you go over to Laci's house that night." Distaso asked. Grantski replied they were to go there for dinner and watch the final episode of the Sopranos that came on at 6:00 PM with Laci's satellite instead of 9:00 PM with his cable. "Did either you or Sharon talk about fishing that day?" asked Distaso "I brought it up." Grantski replied He was then asked if either Laci or Scott brought up that they had just purchased a boat. "Not a thing." was his response. Did either Laci or Scott mention they had a boat during the month of December? Distaso asked. No. I mentioned I wish I had a boat, but couldn't afford one, so I had a float tube," he replied. Prosecutor Rick Distaso said in opening statements that it seemed odd that Peterson would choose to fish by himself on Christmas Eve. But Grantski testified Tuesday that he too fished alone that day. He had gone into work, then to Los Banos to check on a job. He then called Sharon who was going to the movies, so he decided to go to his secret fishing spot in Oakdale, near Modesto, where he was with Sharon on Dec. 15, --and that it was not strange for him to do so often, since he was an avid angler, who kept a fishing pole in his car. Distaso did not try to convince jurors that the timing of Peterson's impromptu fishing trip was odd -- but that the location was. Distaso read aloud the names of seven or eight fishing areas near Modesto, and Grantski recited their distance and driving time. Modesto is surrounded by lakes and rivers that are used for fishing. He continued his testimony, describing Sharon's reaction after receiving the call from Scott. In a panicked tone, she asked that he call the police. He made that call along with calls to hospitals, thinking possible she fell somewhere and needed help. He next called Harvey & Gwen Kemple to ask for their help in finding Laci, and told them Sharon was headed to the park. He called his mother and sister's to cancel Christmas Eve dinner that they were to attend at his home shortly. He was to wait at the house because he had called 911 and an officer was expected. But after waiting until about 6:00-6:20 PM, he decided to go to the park with flashlights. Grantski and Peterson went fishing together once in November 2002, and he said that Peterson had left his pole at Grantski's house, never asking for it again. Two new freshwater fishing rods were found in Peterson's boat by Modesto police. The relationship between Peterson and Laci's family ended abruptly after Modesto police revealed his affair. Police tapped all of their phones so they could record their conversations with Peterson starting in February 2003. In a transcript read aloud by Geragos, Grantski tells Peterson, "police are going to be seeing you, and your world will be crumbling." Peterson replied: "My world is done without Laci and my child.... We all want her back, and I'm sorry you guys think I had something to do with it." HOME INDEX LACI LACI'S ALBUM LACI'S FAMILY SCOTT TRIAL NEWS |
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| LACI & CONNER Thoughts from Ron Grantski |
| Article in part by By Jason Dearen, Harriet Ryan and others |