| LACI & CONNER "I ADMIRE YOU SHARON SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU HAD AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH. STAY STRONG BECAUSE THE FINAL DAYS ARE NEARING." JACKIE ~ CA ~ GUESTBOOK |
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| SCOTT and ANNE BIRD |
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| Scott Peterson never took the witness stand Monday, but jurors at his capital trial heard his explanations for suspicious behavior and statements, including his claim that his pregnant wife quickly "made peace" with his adulterous affair. The explanations came as his defense spent a second day cross-examining lead investigator Craig Grogan about interviews he conducted with the double-murder defendant and others. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos highlighted a conversation the Modesto police detective had with Peterson's half-sister Anne Bird about three months after his wife, Laci, went missing. At that time, Peterson had retained a lawyer and was no longer speaking with police, but Bird, who was convinced of his innocence, passed on her half-brother's explanations. According to Grogan, Bird said she had talked with Peterson by phone after his wife vanished. He said that his wife was "extremely pissed off" about his affair with massage therapist Amber Frey, but opted to "put it on the back burner" and focus on the upcoming birth of their son. Grogan acknowledged that Bird also said Peterson told her it was his wife who insisted they keep the infidelity a secret from their families, especially her stepfather, Ron Grantski. "Laci didn't like him," Geragos read from Grogan's report. "She didn't want her mother or he to know about the affair at all She was very adamant about this." "Yes, that's what Anne said," Grogan replied. Grantski sat impassively in the front row as the detective testified. 'Self-serving hearsay' Geragos also read a portion of the report in which Bird said her half-brother was remorseful about the affair and initially lying to police and relatives. "She said Scott admitted that he had screwed up and made a huge mistake," Geragos read. Prosecutor Birgit Fladager objected to the third-hand account as "self-serving hearsay," but Judge Alfred Delucchi said the information was admissible because it might help jurors determine the "reasonableness of the investigation." Peterson, 31, maintains that police decided early on that he was the culprit and refused to accept his explanations or investigate other possible assailants. Geragos also grilled Grogan about explanations Peterson gave Bird for the sale of his wife's SUV and his plan to put their home on the market. The detective conceded that Bird told him Peterson claimed the Land Rover had broken locks and also had no sentimental value because his wife thought it was a "piece of s---" and wanted a new vehicle. Grogan said Bird also told him Laci Peterson wanted a new house and would not be upset about the sale of their current place. DETECTIVE GROGAN INDEX ANNE GRADY BIRD HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL PG1 PG2 ALIBI-WITNESS LIST WIRETAPS AUTOPSY PETERSON TREE PETERSON INDEX |
| Jurors hear Scott Peterson's reasons for odd behavior as told to half-sister September 27, 2004 |