| Police show search start to jurors By GARTH STAPLEY and JOHN COTÉ June 11, 2004 - FULL STORY Four Modesto police officers Thursday helped re-create for jurors an intense Christmastime search for Laci Peterson, with one testifying that at a critical point Scott Peterson ignored an information gatekeeper. Meanwhile, Peterson's defense team continued to use prosecution witnesses to convey key elements of their theory that his pregnant wife was abducted by vagrants, or while interrupting a neighborhood burglary. After Laci Peterson was reported missing, a small army of officers in helicopters, on horseback and with search dogs joined firefighters in boats to scour Dry Creek Park near the Petersons' Covena Avenue home, the police officers said. Hundreds of civilian volunteers chipped in on Christmas 2002, the day after she was reported missing. The night before, her loved ones peppered Sgt. Byron Duerfeldt with questions and were "venting," but Scott Peterson kept his distance, Duerfeldt testified. "Chaotic, emotional," the sergeant said, describing the scene. "I specifically remember Mrs. Rocha (Laci's mother) being very upset, understandably, as well as many family and friends. A lot of emotion, questions, anger -- all those types of emotions." Prosecutor Rick Distaso asked, "Did Scott Peterson ever come up to you with questions, venting, anything of that nature?" Duerfeldt answered no. He was the first officer to take the stand in two weeks of testimony. Three others followed, painting a scene of professional searchers committed to leaving no stone unturned. They came up empty-handed because Laci Peterson already was at the bottom of San Francisco Bay, her body weighed down by her husband's homemade concrete anchors, authorities believe. Prosecutors say the 31-year-old Modesto fertilizer salesman deserves a lethal injection for murdering his wife and unborn son. But Scott Peterson's attorneys scored a point Thursday when officer John Hodson acknowledged rousting seven or eight transients camping about a half-mile from the Peterson home that night. And officer David Corder acknowledged that parking lots afford access to all vehicles, including vans, in East La Loma and Moose parks, both part of the Dry Creek Park system where Laci Peterson used to walk her dog. Lead defense attorney Mark Geragos argued in court in January that "the only thing that makes any sense" was Laci Peterson being "abducted on the morning of the 24th by those people who were in the park." He has made no secret that scruffy characters in mysterious vans could figure into his defense strategy. A woman told a detective she saw a pregnant woman walking a golden retriever with two "extremely dirty" men along a path in the park about 10:45 a.m. Christmas Eve, a detective testified at Peterson's fall preliminary hearing. The other defense theory ties an abduction to a burglary at the home of Rodolfo and Susan Medina, directly across the street from the Petersons. Prosecutors believe the burglary occurred two days after Laci Peterson disappeared; they signaled in January that they intend to call to the stand one of two men convicted for the crime. Modesto police Sgt. Craig Wend testified Thursday that some valuables in the Medina home, including $800 cash, a television and keys to a Mercedes parked in the driveway, were left behind. Peterson's defenders could argue that indicates the burglars were interrupted. Courtesy ~ Lil Cali Girl HOME INDEX LACI TRIAL SCOTT ALIBI-WITNESS LIST LACI'S ALBUM LACI'S FAMILY ALBUM SEARCH DOGS MAGAZINES |
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