| Geragos continued hammering the officer, pointing out discrepancies in his story Tuesday, June 15, 2004 Prosecutors have speculated that Peterson cleaned his kitchen after killing his wife. Though Letsinger said Monday that he didn't smell bleach and didn't notice any signs of a recent cleaning, he did say that he became suspicious after seeing the crumpled rug, dirty towels on the washing machine and a wet mop behind an otherwise "model home." Later, though, Spurlock said everything seemed in order. "It appeared to be a normal house," he said. In another inconsistency, Spurlock said he was one of three officers who first entered the home, while Letsinger testified just he and Spurlock were first inside. Geragos has charged police with conducting a sloppy investigation that focused too quickly on Peterson. Spurlock testified that Peterson was emotional and appeared concerned when the officer first saw Scott searching the park but something made him suspicious of Scott. He said when he asked Peterson what he had been fishing for "he had this blank look on his face for a second or so ... and blew off my question." Spurlock told jurors. "He kinda mumbled some stuff, but again blew off my question." He then asked Peterson what bait he was using. "I got the same type of response, kind of blank stare, shifting of the eye," Spurlock said. Ultimately, he testified, Scott indicated he was fishing with a 7- to 8-inch lure. According to the officer, an incident with a flashlight occurred shortly after he asked him the questions about the fishing trip. The officer said he told Scott he could leave the house and, as he walked out the front door, he said Scott threw down a flashlight he had been holding and hissed "f---." "It sounded like it was said through gritted teeth," Spurlock testified. At this point, Geragos yelled for a mistrial. Spurlock acknowledged under cross-examination, however, that the scene was frantic with family and neighbors looking for Laci Peterson and that Scott Peterson could have been taken off guard by the questions -- what Geragos characterized as "a natural response to what was going on." Cross-examining the officer, Geragos pointed out that neither detailed the incident in an official report. The lawyer called Spurlock, who was on the force less than two years at the time of the investigation, "an ambitious, young rookie officer" and implied he was out to impress his higher-ups, perhaps by cooking up sensational evidence against Peterson. Quizzing him about the flashlight incident, Geragos asked Spurlock if he had seen "any burnt chicken" at the same time ? a reference to the testimony of Harvey Kemple, a prosecution witness who said last week that Peterson was more upset over charred barbecue than his wife's disappearance. "No, I didn't see any chicken," Spurlock replied dryly. HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL ALIBI-WITNESS LIST MAGAZINES |
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