| LACI & CONNER MAY JUSTICE PREVAIL |
| ~Laci's Family Glad ~ Trial Won't Be Moved May 11, 2004 Laci Peterson's mother said today was "a very good day" after the judge in the Scott Peterson murder trial denied a defense motion to move the trial from Redwood City to Los Angeles. Sharon Rocha attended this morning's hearing along with her husband Ron Grantski and a number of Laci's friends from Modesto. If Judge Alfred Delucchi had granted the defense motion the trial would have been delayed for months something the family did not want, according to Grantski. "Now hopefully we can get this thing started, get the jury selected and get this thing started," Grantski said. Peterson, 31, is facing a possible death penalty if convicted of the December 2002 murders of his wife Laci and unborn son. The trial has already been moved from Modesto, where the couple lived, to Redwood City because of the global attention the case has received. Defense attorney Mark Geragos argued in vain that the extensive pretrial publicity so far in San Mateo County makes it almost impossible for Peterson to receive a fair trial there. He also warned Delucchi that the publicity and possibility of "stealth jurors," those who have an agenda and lie to get on the jury to further it, could force a halt to the proceedings in mid-trial if the case does not move. "Is it going to be inconvenient? Yes. Is it going to be costly? Yes. But it's not going to be nearly as costly as having to retry this thing halfway through because of things you and I both know are likely to happen," Geragos said. Prosecutor Dave Harris successfully argued that the Peterson trial has received so much publicity that the location of the trial makes no practical difference. "This is a case that has got national attention. This is a case that has got international attention," Harris said. "To move it to Los Angeles would make no difference." Delucchi agreed with the prosecution and denied the defense motion. He said that during the jury selection process he has done everything in his power to ensure that Peterson receives a fair trial. "The court has bent over backwards to make sure . . . if there is any issue at all it is resolved in the favor of the defendant because of the nature and status of this case," Delucchi said. HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL NEWS COURT DATES VENUE CHANGE INDEX |
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| LACI & CONNER MAY JUSTICE PREVAIL |