Laci's stepfather testifies, details friction with Peterson

REDWOOD CITY – Laci Peterson’s stepfather testified today that he already was becoming increasingly suspicious of Scott Peterson when police showed the family "the last straw" — photos of Peterson with another woman.

After that, Ron Grantski testified, he and Laci Peterson’s mother agreed to record calls to Peterson from their home for police, suspecting he was involved in his pregnant wife’s Christmas Eve 2002 disappearance.

"If you’ve got anything left in you, Scott, you better tell us where she is," Grantski acknowledged saying in a mid-January 2003 call. During the call, Grantski also told Peterson that police "were going to be seeing" him, according to a portion of the transcript read aloud in court.

"Your world is crumbling," Grantski acknowledged telling Peterson.

"My world is done without Laci and our child," Peterson replied, according to a transcript read by his attorney Mark Geragos. "The only important thing is getting her back," Peterson also said on the transcript.

"I don’t remember him saying that," Grantski replied in court.

Peterson, 31, has pleaded not guilty to charges he murdered his wife and unborn son on or just before Dec. 24, 2002. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The questions began mounting for Grantski – an avid fisherman who keeps a pole in his car – after Peterson said he left at 9:30 a.m. to go fishing in Berkeley the day his wife disappeared.

"I said, ‘9:30? That’s when I come home when I go,’" Grantski testified, recounting a conversation with Peterson Christmas Eve 2002 as a search was under way for his wife. "And he just turned around and walked away."

Grantski said he later confronted Peterson.

"I told him I think your Berkeley fishing trip is a fishy story," Grantski testified. "Did you do something else? Did you have a girlfriend? You better get it out now, because if it comes out later it’s going to look bad." He said Peterson turned around and walked away. Peterson later acknowledged having an affair with Fresno massage therapist Amber Frey after she announced the information Jan. 24 in a news conference at Modesto police headquarters.

Prosecutors have said the affair supports a motive for murder. They’ve also raised questions about Peterson’s account that he was an avid angler who made a last-minute decision to fish in San Francisco Bay the day before Christmas.

Authorities contend Peterson murdered his pregnant wife, drove her body to the bay and dumped it in the water from a 14-foot aluminum fishing boat purchased about two weeks earlier.

Grantski testified Peterson never mentioned the boat to him. Geragos, in his opening statement, told jurors Peterson had told his wife and a friend about the boat but wanted to keep it secret from Grantski until Christmas morning.

Grantski’s statements also seemed to raise questions about the defense assertion that Peterson was an avid fisherman.

Grantski rattled off the types of fish and bait he used on several fishing trips. Peterson allegedly couldn’t tell police what he was fishing for on his Dec. 24 trip to the bay.

Grantski said Peterson never asked him to go fishing. He said he had asked Peterson to go fishing eight to 10 times, and Peterson accepted once in late 2001 or early 2002.

They didn’t catch anything, Grantski testified.

"Nah, it wasn’t a very good day. That why they call it fishing – not catching," he said in testimony punctuated by his reluctance to reveal his favorite fishing spots.

On the return trip, Peterson left his fishing pole in Grantski’s garage, he testified.

"In fact, it’s still in my garage," Grantski said, noting that the quality of reel was better than ones he used. But under cross-examination by Geragos, Grantski acknowledged that he also decided to go fishing Dec. 24, 2002, at the same time Peterson did without notifying anybody. But he interjected one difference, saying his fishing spot was "90 miles closer."

This story was originally published June 8, 2004 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Laci's stepfather testifies, details friction with Peterson."