Laci Peterson Follow-Up

[Ksyrup]

Unfortunately, it looks like they may have found her. Although this story doesn't say it, I heard this morning that this spot is 3 miles from the area where the husband claims he spent the day fishing.



SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Police in a San Francisco Bay-area town tried to determine on Monday whether bodies of a headless woman and a fetus that washed ashore were Laci Peterson and her unborn child, whose disappearance last Christmas Eve became a national mystery.

"There was a fetus found yesterday and today there was a female body found," Richmond police officer Hector Esparza said. "It was washed up from the bay."

The baby's body was still attached to an umbilical cord, a news report said.

Asked if the badly decomposed body was that of Peterson, Esparza said: "We don't know that."

Police have found no trace of the 27-year-old since she was reported missing by her husband, Scott, on Christmas Eve, despite a huge police effort, extensive national news coverage and a $500,000 reward. She was due to have the baby in February.

Peterson was from the central California city of Modesto, and Modesto police helicoptered to the scene in Richmond, just north across the bay from San Francisco, to assist in the investigation on Monday.

Police said an autopsy would be needed to determine the cause of death of the corpses, but did not say how long that would take.

The Contra Costa Times reported that the head and legs of the body found on Monday were missing and said it was apparent that the woman had been pregnant,

Peterson's husband Scott, who has been described by police as less than helpful in the investigation, has said he learned of his wife's disappearance after he had returned late in the day on Christmas eve from fishing in the same bay where the bodies were found.

In January, Scott Peterson admitted publicly that he had been having an affair with another woman.

The Laci Peterson case reminded many of the story of another Modesto resident, Chandra Levy, who had just completed an internship in Washington D.C. when she vanished on May 1, 2001. Her skeletal remains were found more than a year later in a Washington park.

The disappearance of Levy, 24, dominated the U.S. news for much of the summer after links surfaced between the dark-haired intern and Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Condit. The Modesto congressman lost his bid for reelection despite police assurances that he was not a suspect in her death.

[JeeberD]

Just reported on Fox News that through DNA testing there is no doubt that the body was hers...

[Ragone]

Sad, You know the husband did it..

Who the hell goes fishing on christmas eve with a 8 month pregnant wife? and on second thought.. who goes fishing by themselves?

Even if the husband really didn't do it.. he's going to be screwed with no alibi.. unless he was with his mistress

[Ben E Lou]

They've now arrested the husband.

[Ben E Lou]

Dola--I agree that he likely did it, but Ragone, I've gone fishing by myself more than once. It is a wonderfully peaceful experience.

[Ksyrup]

What's interesting is that he's going to be charged with double capital murder - one for the unborn child. Not to get into any kind of debate here, but that's interesting. I know next to nothing about criminal law, I wonder if there's been cases like this before.

[BishopMVP]

I think Terrell Davis' brother was convicted of 1st Degree Murder for a pregnant woman he shot where the fetus died but the mother survived.

[JeeberD]

I think that they mentioned on tv that that is pretty standard practice in Cali...

[Fritz]

KSrup - It must only be murder if the fetus is wanted.

[BigDPW]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
What's interesting is that he's going to be charged with double capital murder - one for the unborn child. Not to get into any kind of debate here, but that's interesting. I know next to nothing about criminal law, I wonder if there's been cases like this before.

I think one of the keys here is that the fetus was nearly 9mos along - there for it could have feasibly survived outside the womb. That is why third trimester abortions are illegal or becoming illegal in most areas.

I am not sure however if they could have done this if she was only say 2 mos or 3 mos pregnant...

Please don't make this into a huge Abortion argument like last spring I am just trying to shed some light on it...

[Fritz]

Originally posted by Fritz
KSrup - It must only be murder if the fetus is wanted.

or what bigdpw said

[Ksyrup]

That's not my intention at all. I'm just interested in it from a purely legal perspective. Like I said, I know next to nothing about criminal law. I took my one 3 credit course in law school, studied what I needed to know for the Bar, and that was it. What you said makes sense, though.

[mrskippy]

That's why they keep saying fully developed fetus. Had she given birth Christmas Day, six weeks before the due date, the baby's chance on life would have been pretty good in this day and age.

[sachmo71]

While I still think he is guilty, Scott Peterson's parents were claiming that the real killer is still out there. The one who kills pregnant women. While I though this might be them just grasping at straws, I found this article on another murder in the same area....


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/21/OTHER.TMP

[KWhit]

Oh the old serial-killer-of-pregnant-women defense.

[Bee]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Dola--I agree that he likely did it, but Ragone, I've gone fishing by myself more than once. It is a wonderfully peaceful experience.

Yeah, but you didn't use your wife as bait...

[CamEdwards]

Ksyrup,

According to a news story I read, two dozen states have laws on the books regarding unborn children and murder. The crime is called "fetal homicide".

Here's the link: http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/03/04/20/news3-laci.htm

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
What's interesting is that he's going to be charged with double capital murder - one for the unborn child. Not to get into any kind of debate here, but that's interesting. I know next to nothing about criminal law, I wonder if there's been cases like this before.

Yes there have been many...I can't post any references but I do recollect a few here in PA...one where a pregnant woman was killed in a robbery attempt...the suspect was accussed of double homicide. It can happen...it's only abortion if you don't want the baby, otherwise it's murder.

[henry296]

I was thinking the same thing as Ksyrup when I saw the CNN story. After reading these posts, I believe Rae Carruth was charged with murder of an unborn child in his case a couple of years ago.

Todd

[Fritz]

I still don't get why this is national news

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by Fritz
I still don't get why this is national news

How do you mean Fritz?

A pregnant woman near term disappears near Christmas...her husband is out fishing on Christmas Eve when she disappears. It is later found out that he is having an affair. He tries to sell off the family SUV but the dealer gives it to the missing woman's family. Cut to April two bodies are found, that of a small child and a headless corpse of a woman...DNA proves it to be the mother and child....the husband is picked up with some cash on him (rumored to be 10k, but now less) he has a new hairstyle, dyed, with facial hair...police now say the home was the murder scene...it's all quite strange, and sad. How do you murder your wife and unborn child? Cut off her head and dump in it a waterway...?

It's national news because it shows a very dark side of humanity...people have affairs all the time, but not all people murder their spouses (pregnant spouses) to be free of such commitments...people like this get newstime.

[Ksyrup]

I think it was a combination of not much news to cover, the pregnancy and her disappearance around Christmas, her husband's alleged involvement, and the aftermath of the teenage abduction cases from the previous few months prior to her disappearance. The news is looking for a story line that reads like a novel, and this is certainly it. From a sensationalist perspective, this has everything you could want.

[sabotai]

Fritz, I think Hsyrup hit the nail on the head. It's sensationalist journalism and this story is filled with emotional hooks.

[NoMyths]

People like looking at car wrecks. More than helping out with them, unfortunately.

[Easy Mac]

I think the article posted by sach says it pretty well. She's a white girl whose family has connections, thats how you get on the national news. The body would have been found eventually since it washed up on shore), the news just put it in the limelight for a while.

[panerd]

Originally posted by Fritz
I still don't get why this is national news

Yeah, I am with you 100% on this one. Unfortunatly men murder their wives all the time (and actually I am sure some of them are even pregnant) They kept trying to shove this story down my throat, with the breaking news press conferences and other garbage, and I kept thinking to myself "Is this guy a star of one of these reality shows or something?"

This is not worthy of the intense national news coverage it has gotten.

[Ksyrup]

It's only worth the coverage if we learn something from it. And I was hoping the guy was actually innocent (and still hope so, despite how it looks), so that we would all (especially the media) learn something about presuming someone guilty based on mere circumstances - which is all anyone had to go on to begin with.

The way this is turning out, though, it's just going to give the media extra fuel for the next "jump to conclusions" murder mystery they want to ride to high ratings. I hate this guy and all the others who profess their innocence and concern while being the perpetrator, more for his deceit than for the murder itself. Because you know the next Richard Jewel is out there, waiting to have his/her life ruined by the media, thanks to the Susan Smiths and (possibly) Scott Petersons of the world. I know self-preservation is the instinct, but if you did it, have the decency to either (a) admit it, (b) run away, or (c) kill yourself. Spare us from the crap.

[mrskippy]

Remember where Chandra Levy is from?

Modesto

That only makes this case a little more interesting from a national perspective. Plus you've got the whole Christmas Eve thing, horrible time of year, etc.

But I think the Levy case sort of put it a little more in the spotlight, because so many eyes have been on Modesto.

Of course, it's interesting how the news has been

Laci Peterson
than war
war over
than Laci Peterson again

[Ksyrup]

Peterson probably felt as "lucky" as Condit for awhile there when the coverage was diverted from him, until the body washed up.

[mrskippy]

The question is whether or not Scott Peterson will even make it to his trial. He's already being threatened by inmates at the jail and he's been placed in isolation.

Than there's the question of whether he'd get a fair trial. Some of hinted at moving the trial to San Diego. Problem there is ... San Diego is more conservative than Modesto, which already is a right wing kind of town.

Only chance this guy would have would be moving the trial to say ... San Francisco.

[MylesKnight]

Not meaning to be offensive in any sort of way but saying this but, why didn't the guy just high tail it to Mexico or somewhere in Central or South America? I mean he obviously had the opportunity..

[AgPete]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
I hate this guy and all the others who profess their innocence and concern while being the perpetrator, more for his deceit than for the murder itself. Because you know the next Richard Jewel is out there, waiting to have his/her life ruined by the media, thanks to the Susan Smiths and (possibly) Scott Petersons of the world. I know self-preservation is the instinct, but if you did it, have the decency to either (a) admit it, (b) run away, or (c) kill yourself. Spare us from the crap.

LOL :)

Agree 100%.

Your forgot option (d). If you did it and want to cover it up, please be a smart criminal. :D You're not the smartest cookie when the police find the body in the same lake you claimed to go fishing in as your alibi. :p It always amazes me how these people think they can get away with this stuff.

[clintl]

Originally posted by mrskippy
The question is whether or not Scott Peterson will even make it to his trial. He's already being threatened by inmates at the jail and he's been placed in isolation.

Than there's the question of whether he'd get a fair trial. Some of hinted at moving the trial to San Diego. Problem there is ... San Diego is more conservative than Modesto, which already is a right wing kind of town.

Only chance this guy would have would be moving the trial to say ... San Francisco.

Based on the fact that 300 people were waiting for him in protest when he was brought back to Modesto, I don't see how it won't get moved. There have been many trials with just as much statewide publicity that have been moved, including the Cary Stayner trial.

My guess - it gets moved to some place like Los Angeles, away from both the Central Valley and the Bay Area.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Fritz
I still don't get why this is national news

ditto

SI

[clintl]

Probably one of the reasons why the Laci Peterson case became national news is that the Sund-Carrington Foundation got involved right away. That's the organization founded by relatives of the Yosemite sightseers murdered a few years ago. It knows very well how to publicize and keep alive missing persons cases (which is its basic purpose), and it happens to be headquartered in Modesto.

That doesn't address whether it should be national news, but the Sund-Carrington Foundation does have credibility and rapport with the media, and that can't be ignored as a factor.

[MrBug708]

I get the guilty vibe from this guy, but its all circumstancial evidence.

What's the motive?

He was having an affair. That's fine, so do a hell of a lot of other guys. He could have an airtight alibi if he said he went to his mistresses place instead of fishing.

Where the body was found.

His parents brought up a good point. I imagine this guy isn't the dumbest bulb in the bunch either. Why claim to go fishing when you are just going to dump the body in the lake. He was bound to be checked out at least and if they found the body at the lake. Doesn't seem like a bright idea. Of course, quite the coincidence that the body is dropped off in the Lake he was fishing in

I will say that dying his hair blonde and being caught with Ten thousand dollars is rather stupid when you are considered a suspect, whether you are innocent or guilty

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by MrBug708
I get the guilty vibe from this guy, but its all circumstancial evidence.

What's the motive?

He was having an affair. That's fine, so do a hell of a lot of other guys. He could have an airtight alibi if he said he went to his mistresses place instead of fishing.

Where the body was found.

His parents brought up a good point. I imagine this guy isn't the dumbest bulb in the bunch either. Why claim to go fishing when you are just going to dump the body in the lake. He was bound to be checked out at least and if they found the body at the lake. Doesn't seem like a bright idea. Of course, quite the coincidence that the body is dropped off in the Lake he was fishing in

I will say that dying his hair blonde and being caught with Ten thousand dollars is rather stupid when you are considered a suspect, whether you are innocent or guilty

Crime of passion, maybe the wife found out...

I don't think the exposure is wrong...I think victims tend to be forgotten by the whole story. This is a tragic event, the problem is that it /does/ happen elsewhere in the country and is ignored, or localized.

[MrBug708]

He claimed that his wife knew about it though

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by MrBug708
He claimed that his wife knew about it though

Well since she's dead, he can claim that she actually approved of it couldn't he? There has to be better evidence to support his claim other that him saying it.

[GrantDawg]

On top of the girlfriend that is still missing from his college days. I think that she is where ever he was fishing the day she went missing.

[Ksyrup]

After committing a murder that was most likely not pre-meditated, it's not like he had much choice about what to do. He gave himself an alibi of sorts, in that he had a ticket proving where he was that day. He had to get rid of the body somewhere, and he probably thought that between dumping her on land between his house and the lake, and in the water, the better chance of the body never being found was to dump it in the water. If the body is never found, he probably gets off.

It's not like he had many other options for the body. It could be a coincidence, but most likely, he tried to get rid of the body the best he could while keeping some semblance of an alibi, and the body eventually surfaced.

[clintl]

By the way, the San Francisco Bay is a bay, not a lake.

[Ben E Lou]

I haven't followed this case closely, so forgive my ignorance if this is a well-known fact but, did he own his own boat, or was it a rental??? I have a hard time figuring out how he could rent a boat and put a body on it without being seen doing so.

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by SkyDog
I haven't followed this case closely, so forgive my ignorance if this is a well-known fact but, did he own his own boat, or was it a rental??? I have a hard time figuring out how he could rent a boat and put a body on it without being seen doing so.

I believe he has a boat (though I don't know)...this occurred on the 24th of December...I doubt many people would be out fishing on Christmas eve...

[Axxon]

He owned the boat but it was a recent buy. No one else in the family apparantly knew that he had bought a boat.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by clintl
By the way, the San Francisco Bay is a bay, not a lake.

I thought he was fishing off a lake, but the body was found in the bay. My bad. What the hell do I know? I'm in Florida.

[MrBug708]

I doubt many people would be out fishing on Christmas eve...


All the more reason to go fishing then?

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by GrantDawg
On top of the girlfriend that is still missing from his college days. I think that she is where ever he was fishing the day she went missing.

There's no link between him and the girl that disappeared from his college while he was there. From what I've heard they didn't even know each other, nevermind dated.

Also, about his affair, apparently his mistress didn't know that he was married and was pissed when she found out (by seeing him on the news talking about his missing wife). So if she didn't know about his wife, I doubt he would use her as an alibi for the time of murder..

[Bad-example]

Originally posted by clintl
By the way, the San Francisco Bay is a bay, not a lake.

Actually, the San Francisco Bay is not a bay either. It is an estuary.

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by MrBug708
All the more reason to go fishing then?

I'm a daddy(actually step-dad), my girlfriend was due on Jan 2nd, 2000. I had to go to work Jan 2nd....my gf lived 2 hours away at the time...we spend New Years together, New Years Day I drive home around 10...get home at 12, get a call from her that she's going to hospital...drive back up 2 hours (all on no sleep)...help her at the hospital 8:59AM Jan 2nd, my daughter is born...

If it's your first child, and you care, you don't schedule a fishing trip on or near the due date. I have a serious problem with someone going fishing on Christmas Eve when your son is due in the next 24/48 hours.

I don't believe this is a factor to say he's guilty, it merely is a red flag that something is wrong.

In the end, I believe this man has some secrets that will surface much like his deceased wife and son.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by Qwikshot
If it's your first child, and you care, you don't schedule a fishing trip on or near the due date. I have a serious problem with someone going fishing on Christmas Eve when your son is due in the next 24/48 hours.


Well, I have to correct something here. The kid was not due in 24/48 hours, he was due February 10. Still, the general idea is correct. Even assuming for a second that someone might decide to go fishing alone on Christmas Eve rather than spend that day with their spouse, you don't drive hours away and leave your pregnant wife - 7-8 months pregnant - alone. You just don't.

There are certain things you forego when you make the decision (or face the reality, if it wasn't planned) of having a child, and going fishing and leaving your pregnant wife alone for an entire day is one of them. For that poor judgment/lack of caring, he's likely set himself up to be convicted of murder, given the circumstances, even if he's not guilty.