Le Jacquelope
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No wonder she likes him so much!
Jurors Hear Scott Peterson Lie to Mother, Others
Wed Aug 25, 6:18 PM ET
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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Reuters) - Jurors heard secret phone recordings on Wednesday in which murder defendant Scott Peterson (news - web sites) lies to his mother, scoffs at efforts to find his missing wife and asks a real estate agent to quietly sell the couple's house.
The tapes, recorded by an investigator in the case in the weeks after Laci Peterson (news - web sites) vanished from her Modesto home, were played in the closely watched trial over the objections of defense attorneys.
Peterson is accused of killing his pregnant wife in December 2002 and dumping the weighted body into San Francisco Bay, driven in part by a desire for a new life with his mistress, Amber Frey. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
Prosecutors say Peterson went to the bay when police thought they had spotted a body in the water. But the 31-year-old fertilizer salesman is heard telling several people, including his mother, that he was in various farm towns hundreds of miles away.
His mother, Jackie Peterson, sat in court and dabbed at tears as prosecutors played a recording in which Scott told her he was in the central California city of Fresno when he was really near the bay.
During calls on Jan. 31, 2003, after police in the state of Washington started investigating a possible sighting of Laci in a convenience store there, Peterson sounded interested.
But as he listened to a voice mail from his mother saying that a family member was in Washington putting up posters, Peterson erased the message in the middle of listening to it and then laughed.
And when Peterson listened to a voice mail message on Jan. 11, 2003, from Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, saying that a possible sighting of Laci's body in the bay turned out to be only an old anchor, Peterson whistles, "Whew," as if relieved.
Peterson then called a friend, Guy Miligi, to complain about the fact that 88 police officers were fruitlessly searching the bay.
"So maybe they'll send 88 people somewhere else and start working," said Peterson, who also told Miligi that he was in Bakersfield when he was really 218 miles away, near the bay.
The bodies of Laci Peterson and unborn son Conner washed out of the bay some four months later.
On Jan. 22, less than a month after Laci's disappearance and long before she was confirmed dead, Peterson told real estate salesman Brian Argain that he wanted to sell his and Laci's house immediately -- as well as all the furniture arranged by his Martha Stewart (news - web sites)-loving wife.
"Kinda keep it quiet, all right?" Peterson said.