| GIROLAMI MOVES TRIAL TO SAN MATEO COUNTY January 20, 2004 Scott Peterson's double-murder trial is headed to San Mateo County in the Bay Area, a judge ruled this morning. Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Al Girolami has not said whether he will hear the case in San Mateo. He said he would prefer not to. Officials are asking the Administrative Office of Courts to appoint another judge, and if the office is unable to do that, Girolami said he will stay with the case. A decision is expected sometime this week. Another hearing is scheduled for Friday to try to hash out scheduling. Prosecutors indicated in court today that they will ask for a two-week delay in the trial, now scheduled to start Monday. The delay would allow the district attorney time to move files and personnel to San Mateo County, prosecutors said. San Mateo County has courthouses in South San Francisco and Redwood City. Local officials are checking with the office of courts to find out which one will take the Peterson case. Defense attorney Mark Geragos and prosecutor Dave Harris agreed that San Mateo County was the second pick for both sides. It has room to accommodate the trial and would be able to start proceedings at any time, according to an office of courts report discussed in court. Redwood City is about equal distance between San Francisco to the north and San Jose to the south. It's almost 90 miles from Modesto. South San Francisco is 94 miles from Modesto. The disadvantages of San Mateo County include a further drive from Modesto than Alameda County, Harris said. Oakland and Modesto are 81 miles apart. Alameda County, however, is undergoing courthouse renovations that would delay the trial, the office of courts report said. This morning, Geragos continued to argue to move the trial to Orange County. The office of courts indicated that Orange County was best place to go because the trial could start immediately, he said. Also, Orange County could provide all court staff and the services of a public-information officer to handle the media rush, he added. Geragos pointed out that a major expansion of Orange County's airport would make travel convenient for witnesses. He also said that Jackie Peterson, Scott Peterson's mother, is on a waiting list for an organ transplant, and having the trial in Orange County, about an hour for her home, would be more convenient for her. Prosecutors continued to argue to move the trial to Santa Clara County, but proceedings couldn't get under way there until March 1. Before Girolami ruled, prosecutors asked him to reconsider moving the trial because of the scandal surrounding California State University, Stanislaus, Professor Stephen Schoenthaler's survey. The survey suggested that more jurors without bias could be found in the Bay Area and Southern California than in Stanislaus County. Geragos submitted the survey as an official case exhibit, and Girolami cited it when explaining his decision to move the trial. According to court documents that prosecutors filed late Friday, a district attorney's investigator found someone who had worked with Schoenthaler on other surveys until 1991. She said Schoenthaler ordered her to falsify data so survey conclusions would more closely match his projected outcome, the documents said. Those surveys were part of nutrition studies, not potential jury bias in trials. Girolami noted that the woman had worked with Schoenthaler a long time ago and asked if prosecutors were able to find any students who had worked on the Peterson survey. Harris said they hadn't, because Schoenthaler refused to give them a list of his students. He asked Girolami to order the professor to do so. Girolami refused, saying Stanislaus State should handle the investigation. HOME INDEX VENUE CHANGE LACI SCOTT EVIDENCE-NEWS COURT DATES WIRETAPS AUTOPSY INDEX |
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