Police describe trips to bay

By GARTH STAPLEY and JOHN COTÉ
BEE STAFF WRITERS

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Scott Peterson went to San Francisco Bay three times in January as police divers searched for his missing pregnant wife, and lied to a second woman about being a widower, a detective testified Thursday.

Intriguing testimony by four witnesses on several fronts concluded with an announcement that Peterson's former girlfriend, Amber Frey, won't be called to testify at his preliminary hearing on double-murder charges.

The 31-year-old former fertilizer salesman is charged with killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.

Girlfriend won't be called to hearing

Laci Peterson's mother left the courtroom when testimony turned to the recovery and condition of the 27-year-old's remains and those of her son.

After Thursday's session, lead defense attorney Mark Geragos of Los Angeles pronounced it "a very good day." Geragos has used the same words after previous sessions without being specific.

Geragos and defense attorney Kirk McAllister spent much of the day grilling a police detective about evidence handling and authorities' dogged focus on Scott Peterson.

Geragos hinted that the preliminary hearing could conclude Monday, which would be 13 calendar days longer than prosecutors initially predicted.

Additional revelations Thursday:

Conner would have been a "viable baby" had he been born Dec. 23, the last day Laci Peterson visited an obstetrician's office, an investigator said. The next day she was reported missing.

Laci Peterson's remains were clad in tan maternity pants with duct tape attached to the groin area, a detective testified. The pants were the same style as a pair that she or her husband had purchased at a Modesto store.

The victim's sister, Amy Rocha, had testified earlier that Laci Peterson was wearing tan pants when Rocha saw her the evening of Dec. 23.

Laci Peterson's remains were recovered April 14 along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, a day after Conner's body was discovered about a mile away.

A neighbor of the Petersons' provided testimony that conflicts with a key defense theory that relies on people saying they saw Laci Peterson walking her dog Christmas Eve morning.

Investigators did not detect a single dark human hair found in needle-nose pliers in Scott Peterson's fishing boat until Feb. 11 -- several weeks after the evidence had been gathered.

A state Department of Justice forensic evidence report stated that "there was no indication the wire cutters or needle-nose pliers had been used recently," Geragos said while questioning a detective.

Police tailed Scott Peterson to San Francisco Bay on Jan. 5, 6 and 9, and he briefly gazed out at the water before driving away in cars he had rented shortly before the trips, Modesto police Detective Al Brocchini testified.

Geragos suggested that Peterson made the trips to check on search efforts for his missing wife, pointing to Bee articles detailing police search efforts on the bay.

The detective said he never asked Peterson about the trips to the bay.

"You'd rather just come to the conclusion that it's suspicious because he's returning to the scene, is that it?" Geragos said.

Brocchini didn't answer after Judge Al Girolami ruled the question was argumentative.

On Peterson's first trip, he stood at the boat launch and gazed out at the water for five minutes, Brocchini said. Peterson didn't make any stops on the roughly 170-mile round trip, Brocchini said.

On the second, he made no stops on the outbound leg, "stared out into the bay about two minutes" after arriving at the Berkeley Marina, and "immediately began doing counter-surveillance" tactics when he left, Brocchini said.