| LACI & CONNER "I pray Laci is holding her son with the biggest smile looking down on her family and those who wish her the happiest life in heaven" Heather ~ Lancaster, SC ~ Guestbook |
| New York Post LACI PIX THAT MAY DOOM SCOTT November 29, 2004 |
| Beautiful childhood photos of tragic Laci Peterson — most of which were kept from jurors to avoid stirring their emotions during Scott Peterson's murder trial — will be a key to the prosecution's case for execution. After hearing opening statements by both sides tomorrow, jurors who convicted Scott of two counts of murder could for the first time see photos of Laci as a toddler, with pigtails flopping out of the baseball cap of her softball uniform, and jamming into a photo with other cheerleaders at Thomas Downey HS in Modesto. In each photo, the little girl grows up, but the dimply smile that broke America's heart never changes. The photos "will have a powerful impact," said legal analyst Dean Johnson, a former prosecutor in San Mateo County — the same venue where five days of penalty-phase testimony commences tomorrow after an eight-day delay. "This case will be known forever as the case of the lady with the beautiful smile. And that's what a penalty phase is all about. This is a family that will never see her flash that beautiful smile again," he said. The jury also will hear from four close relatives, including her mother, Sharon Rocha. There are many photos of Laci embracing her two-timing husband, whom she met over a decade ago while the two attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Those photos were banned from Laci's public memorial service last year and from some Laci memorial Web sites. One of the most frequently shown images is that of Laci seven months pregnant and sitting alone at a Christmas party. Wearing a red maternity outfit and high heels, Laci smiles to the photographer, thinking her husband was called away on business when in reality he was with his mistress, Amber Frey. A few days later, Peterson killed his pregnant wife and dumped her body in the San Francisco Bay. Jurors also will hear testimony from Laci's stepfather, Ron Grantski; her brother, Brent Rocha; and her sister, Amy Rocha. Each will say what life is like without Laci and the child they'll never know. The defense will present witnesses such as Peterson's parents, Lee and Jacqueline Peterson, his sister, Janey Peterson, and people who knew him earlier in life such as a high-school teacher, the pastor from his church, and possibly Frey, who opposes the death penalty. HOME INDEX LACI CONNER LACI'S FAMILY PICTURES TRIAL VERDICT SCOTT SCOTT'S FAMILY PICTURES |
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