Five years after Laci Peterson disappeared, reporter details covering the case

By GARTH STAPLEY
gstapley@modbee.com

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I will never tell anyone whether I think Scott killed Laci.

That, by far, is the most common question when people learn I covered Scott Peterson's trial in 2004.

Yes, I sat in the courtroom every day, with few exceptions. I saw firsthand how Scott Peterson smiled at jurors, bantered with his attorneys and looked away when gruesome slides of his dead family were shown on a 10-foot screen.

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I spoke with his parents and siblings many times. Just before he was sentenced to death, his father screamed at me in a courthouse corridor as dozens of stunned reporters looked on.

More than 800 journalists were granted credentials to watch the case of a previously unknown fertilizer salesman accused of murdering his perky, pregnant wife and unborn son at Christmastime. A curious obsession spread over the continent and beyond, igniting untold hours of cable television talk, thousands of articles, more than a dozen books and two made-for-TV movies. And The Bee has been there at every turn.

I witnessed the pain of Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, a few feet away in the courtroom. I was glad when people would send her letters through The Bee, because it gave me an excuse to approach her, if only for moments at a time. Otherwise, she was bound to silence by the judge's gag order, and she steadfastly observed it. Once, while taking an envelope from me, she said, "I look forward to the time when this is all over so we can talk." That time came.

Yes, I saw and heard all the evidence, interviewed hundreds of people and spent most of five years learning everything possible about the Peterson case. But very early on, I realized that in order to keep any semblance of objectivity -- and by extension, credibility -- I simply couldn't go around spouting opinion. One stray comment could forever paint us as biased, one way or the other.

"If I won't tell my wife, why would I tell you?" I used that line several times, usually with a smile, to shut down aggressive, inquisitive people.

It's true: I never discuss Scott's guilt or innocence, even with Cathy. We talk about almost everything else related to the case, which upturned our lives when my reporting partner, John Coté, and I moved with the trial to the Bay Area after a judge acknowledged that everyone and his dog around Modesto knew too much about the Petersons.

We knew we were up against the best in the business, but we had a lot going for us. The hometown newspaper is expected to provide comprehensive, even exhaustive coverage, and we led the way, often breaking stories before those who pay big bucks for info, which we don't.

John and I marveled at the media circus. Many elements drove the intense interest among national media: holiday tragedy, good-looking victim and suspect, infidelity, celebrity attorneys and, most of all, mystery. Journalists delved into every aspect of the case, grasping at every tidbit and breathlessly reporting every factoid for more than two years.

I understand when people say, "Enough already. We're sick of the Peterson story." But every time the names of participants show up in any item on modbee.com, even five years later, thousands of people all over the world tune in.

The Bee would have covered the Peterson case from start to finish regardless, because it always was our story.

Laci was one of us. It happened in Modesto. It happened to Modesto.

The case was still in Modesto and heading for a preliminary hearing in the fall of 2003 when we got one of our biggest breaks: Amber Frey's cell phone records.