Peterson quick with evidence of his fishing story, officer testifies
By Harriet Ryan
Court TV
REDWOOD CITY, California (Court TV) -- Scott Peterson had proof of his alibi close at hand when police questioned him a few hours after his pregnant wife was reported missing, an investigator testified Tuesday.
Modesto police detective Jon Evers told jurors that, when he asked him about a fishing trip to the San Francisco Bay, Peterson immediately produced corroboration of his story.
"I had a quick conversation with Scott about where he went fishing, Berkeley Marina. And he said, 'In fact, I have a parking receipt. Would you like to see it?'" Evers said.
The receipt showed Peterson parked at the launch at 12:54 p.m. on December 24, 2002, the day his wife, Laci, vanished.
Under questioning by Senior Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso, the detective appeared to suggest Peterson was overeager to provide the receipt. But later, a defense lawyer noted Evers testified in a pretrial hearing that Peterson only handed over the receipt when the detective asked for it.
Evers told lawyer Mark Geragos he did not remember giving that answer, but said he did not dispute a transcript of that October preliminary hearing.
A patrol officer at the time, Evers told jurors in Peterson's double-murder trial about his conversation with the 31-year-old fertilizer salesman in Christmas Eve night.
Evers filled out the missing person report and surveyed the couple's home four times -- including twice with the defendant.
Though much of his testimony mirrored that of more junior officers who testified Monday, Evers offered jurors several new pieces of information.
He said he asked Peterson about a pair of duffle bags in a spare bedroom "that looked like they had been disturbed."
"He said something like, well, he's just a slob. They were just there because he's a slob," Evers said.
The comment may raise eyebrows with jurors because the Peterson home was extremely neat. Laci Peterson, a devotee of Martha Stewart, was known to keep a very orderly and meticulously decorated house.
Moreover, Evers said, Scott Peterson told officers that he washed his clothes from the fishing trip immediately upon returning home and even before searching for his wife.
Evers, as other police officers have testified, said there were no signs of a struggle in the house. However, a few things struck him as noteworthy, including two mops and a bucket, a pile of rags and a small rug scrunched like an accordion against a door leading outside.
"I thought it was kind of odd that it was pushed up against the door," Evers said.
Peterson, he testified, blamed the family pets and immediately tried to straighten the rug.
"He said, 'Oh, the cat and dog must've been playing in here,'" Evers said. "He took one or two steps forward, took the toe of his foot, put it on the corner of the rug, and tried to pull it out."
The rug remained slightly askew and crumpled, the detective said.
On cross-examination, Geragos suggested the rugs ultimately meant nothing in terms of the investigation, but the detective hedged.
"Did you see anything that would indicate that rug had any instrumentality in a homicide?" Geragos asked.
"At that time or later?" Evers said.
"At that time," Geragos said.
"No," the detective replied.
Baby's age becomes an issue
Also testifying Tuesday were four women who worked for Laci Peterson's obstetrician, including two medical assistants who identified documents from the mother-to-be's medical file. Her doctor is expected to testify at length later in the trial, but prosecutors set the groundwork for a key area of dispute: whether the couple's baby was born alive after his mother vanished or died with her at the time of her disappearance.
Peterson's defense maintains the child matured after December 24, 2002, which would prove he had nothing to do with the murders.
One of the medical assistants, Lisa Martin, said that, after consulting Laci Peterson about her menstrual cycle at her first visit in July 2002, she set the baby's due date as Feb. 10, 2003. A doctor performed an ultrasound in September and concluded the baby's gestational age corresponded to a birth date of Feb. 16. But Martin and another medical assistant, Lisa Hill, said that the practice of the office is not to adjust the due date unless the ultrasound shows it is off by seven or more days.
That six-day difference could become important as the prosecution and defense call experts to testify about the age of the child's remains.
Hill and Martin both said Laci Peterson appeared to be experiencing a normal pregnancy, although neither had specific memories of her appointments.
As the women testified, Peterson leaned forward at the defense table and gazed toward the witness stand. His lawyers claim he accompanied his wife to every doctor's visit and was eagerly awaiting his first child. His mother-in-law, Sharon Rocha, was notably absent during the medical testimony. She has left court or averted her eyes in the past when autopsy photographs were displayed for jurors.
Testimony was halted Monday morning after a juror reported feeling nauseous. The young, male panelist was quickly escorted from court and Judge Alfred Delucchi told jurors to take an extended lunch. When the jury returned after lunch, the ill juror, a firefighter, was smiling.
"Everybody is back to health," the judge said.
On Wednesday, police detective Ron Cloward is expected to take the witness stand.
Peterson could face the death penalty if convicted. The trial, now in its third week, is expected to last about six months.
