A day for tears, prayers

Today would have been and should have been a day of joy for the family and friends of Laci Rocha Peterson.

They would have come together to celebrate the 28th birthday of the young woman with the captivating smile, engaging personality and warm hospitality. And, they would have taken turns holding Conner, the baby boy born only weeks earlier to Laci and her husband, Scott.

Instead, what would have been and should have been a day of smiles and laughter will be a day of tears and prayers as Laci's family and friends come together to honor her memory.

Upward of 3,000 people are expected to join them this afternoon at First Baptist Church in Modesto at a memorial service for the young woman and her unborn son, whose bodies were found three weeks ago along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay.

For Laci's family -- mother and stepfather, Sharon Rocha and Ron Grantski; father, Dennis Rocha; brother, Brent Rocha; and half sister, Amy Rocha -- today's memorial is one more difficult step on the tragic journey that began with Laci's disappearance Christmas Eve.

While Laci's family grieves in Modesto, nearly 400 miles away in San Diego County, Scott's family is stuck between grief and a hard place -- mourning Laci and Conner, and defending Scott, their accused killer.

Scott Peterson will not attend today's service for his wife of seven years. Instead, the 30-year-old agricultural fertilizer salesman will spend the day in a small cell in Stanislaus County Jail, where he has been held without bail since his arrest on April 18.

He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the deaths, and is awaiting a series of hearings with his newly retained counsel, high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos.

Scott's parents say they will not attend the service, either, nor will any of his six brothers and sisters.

While thousands are expected to come together in Modesto to pay their respects to Laci and Conner, and news crews from across the nation scramble to pass on sound and images of the scene, Scott's family will stay secluded in San Diego County, balancing their grieving with the task ahead: proving Scott's innocence.

Calling up Larry King

Laci Peterson's disappearance, the subsequent investigation and Scott Peterson's eventual arrest captured the nation's attention -- not to mention the nation's television time.

Night after night, week after week, TV programs -- especially on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and other cable channels -- have featured legal experts speculating about the case for hours on end.

For Lee Peterson, Scott's father, one commentator in particular became too much to bear several days ago.

He called CNN's "Larry King Live" to take on Nancy Grace, accusing her of having a "personal vendetta" against his son and challenging her about what she knew -- or did not know -- about the case.

Peterson said: "You are just caught up in this thing and there's no room for, you know, innocence until proven guilty. And I'm just appalled by that."

Grace, a former prosecutor in Atlanta, said: "It's my belief that there's a very strong case against Scott."

Peterson accused Grace of "speculating on these facts as much as I am "

"And you are believing what your son is telling you," she said.

"Please don't interrupt me," Peterson said. "You've had your say here for months, and you've crucified my son on national media. And he's a wonderful man. You have no idea of his background and what a wonderful son and wonderful man he is.

"And you sit there as a judge and jury, I guess, and you're convicting him on the national media, and you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself."