Victoria (Tori) Brooks

Witness for the People:  Guilt Phase

June 17, 2004

Direct Examination by David Harris

HARRIS: Mrs. Brooks, do you also go by Tory?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: The gentleman who just testified, did you know who he was?

BROOKS: That was my husband.

HARRIS: Are you and he in business together in a pawn shop in Modesto?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: I want to focus your attention back to December 14th of 2002. Were you working with your husband back on that date?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: Did a customer by the name of Laci Peterson come in?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: And did you have some kind of interaction with her that day?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: On the 14th, who ended up helping her out more, you or your husband?

BROOKS: Myself.

HARRIS: And did you talk to Miss Peterson about what transaction was that she wanted to complete with the pawn shop?

BROOKS: She wanted to sell some items.

HARRIS: Did she indicate why?

BROOKS: She just said she was cleaning out her jewelry box, didn't wear the items.

HARRIS: Did she indicate where some of these items came from?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: Where did she say?

BROOKS: Her grandmother.

HARRIS: Like to show you what's been marked as People's Number 66, have you look at this, see if you recognize this photograph.

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: Can you tell us what that photograph is?

BROOKS: It's some jewelry that she brought in to us to sell, and our paperwork that we record.

HARRIS: Now, was the transaction finally completed, or did Miss Peterson have a problem?

BROOKS: She did not have her ID.

HARRIS: And since she didn't have her identification, could you complete the transaction?

BROOKS: Not without her ID, or an ID of a person, you know. So I took her spouse's.

HARRIS: What did she do?

BROOKS: She had her husband sell the stuff to us.

HARRIS: Okay. Was he with her when you were starting the first part of the transaction?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: And so he got his identification, and you used that?

BROOKS: Correct.

HARRIS: Did he sign the document, complete the information?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: And then the pawn shop purchased that jewelry from them?

BROOKS: Correct.

HARRIS: People have no other questions.

Cross Examination by Mark Geragos

GERAGOS: Didn't appear to be any problems between the two of them, did there?

BROOKS: Yes.

GERAGOS: And there was, in fact, he was showing affection toward her, wasn't he?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: And rubbing her stomach, etc.?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: This was going, now, see if you recognize, is there another pawn shop in town called The Pawn Shop?

BROOKS: Yes.

GERAGOS: Stayed up all night thinking that up, I guess. Is The Pawn Shop, maybe your eyes are better than mine, but I can't see. Can you see that? Is there an address there?

BROOKS: I can make out Oakdale Road.

GERAGOS: Is that where the pawn shop is located?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: Is that a pawn ticket that I have got there?

BROOKS: Purchase ticket.

GERAGOS: It's a purchase ticket? What's a purchase ticket?

BROOKS: It's the same as a pawn ticket, except for the top portion is what makes out the pawn ticket.

GERAGOS: Okay. That's something that, is that a form that's used in the State of California?

BROOKS: Yes.

GERAGOS: Why do you have to use the specific form?

BROOKS: To make sure that the property, it's to verify, you put down the information, that they are selling to us, along with their information, signature, and a thumbprint.

GERAGOS: Okay. And the thumbprint obviously is what's circled right there?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: Okay. In this case, do you have to put down what it is that got pawned?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: And is this a pawn ticket for December 31st of 2002 for a Croton watch?

HARRIS: Objection. There is no foundation.

JUDGE: She just identified it.

GERAGOS: Identified it as a standard purchase ticket.

JUDGE: Now she's reading off of that thing.

GERAGOS: Okay.

GERAGOS: Are you familiar with this document? Is what this document is?

BROOKS: That is a document that we use.

HARRIS: But it's not her document.

JUDGE: I know. She can identify the document. She can't testify what's on it, because it's,

GERAGOS: Okay.

GERAGOS: If somebody, what you do is, you fill out the information on the documents and put down the date that somebody comes in to purchase?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: Or to sell, in this case?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: Okay. You put down what the brand of the watch is, or whatever the item is?

BROOKS: If the item has a brand.

GERAGOS: Okay. And you fill out who it is that sold it to you, and you take their thumbprint?

BROOKS: Yes.

GERAGOS: Thumbprint?

BROOKS: Yes.

GERAGOS: Okay. I'm going to mark this defendant's next in order.

JUDGE: You may want to use it later. That will be Defendant's N. That's a pawn purchase ticket you call it?

BROOKS: Bottom abortion is what we take the information, regardless whether it's a buy or a pawn.

JUDGE: Okay. So what did you call that?

BROOKS: We call those the purchase ticket.

JUDGE: Purchase ticket. Okay. Mark that it was a pawn. I noticed on the tickets it's the portion that the police department does receive.

GERAGOS: This item is what the police death would he receive?

BROOKS: Correct.

HARRIS: M, as in Mary?

JUDGE: N, as in Nancy.

GERAGOS: Thank you.

GERAGOS: Now, this purchase ticket that I would have here, if somebody hypothetically would come in with a Croton watch on December 31st that they want to pawn, pawn shop, the police want a record of that; is that correct?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: And the reason they want a record of that is in case it's stolen from someone?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: This is the form that I just marked as N, as in Nancy, is this like a triplicate form of some kind?

BROOKS: It's three sheets.

GERAGOS: Three sheets. So you pull off one sheet, it goes to the police department, correct?

BROOKS: Yes.

GERAGOS: Keep one in your records?

BROOKS: Actually two the police department pick up, and we maintain one.

GERAGOS: Okay. Thank you. I have no further questions.

Redirect Examination by David Harris

HARRIS: Miss Brooks, that particular document, that has nothing to do with your store, does it?

BROOKS: No, it does not.

HARRIS: So when counsel was asking you about this, you don't know where it came from, do you?

BROOKS: No.

HARRIS: You don't know anything about that document, do you?

BROOKS: No.

HARRIS: Other than,

BROOKS: It's what, same form that we kind of use.

HARRIS: Looks like the standardized state form?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: So the best place for anybody that wanted to find out information about that would be to go to that particular pawn shop?

BROOKS: Correct.

HARRIS: Bring in those pawn brokers?

BROOKS: Correct.

HARRIS: Something as easy as like we did with you, giving you a subpoena and inviting you to come here?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: Now, you, counsel was asking you about whether there seemed to be a problem. Did I hear you correctly, you said that there was a problem?

BROOKS: She seemed, yes, she seemed to be agitated.

HARRIS: Could you describe that for us? What you do mean?

BROOKS: She kind of didn't want, it seemed like she did not want him to be rubbing her belly at that time. She seemed like hesitant towards him.

HARRIS: When you were originally describing that, were you kind of putting your hand down to your stomach area and pushing away?

BROOKS: Correct.

HARRIS: Was that what Miss Peterson was doing?

BROOKS: Yes.

HARRIS: People have no other questions.

Recross Examination by Mark Geragos

GERAGOS: He was the one who was trying to rub her belly?

BROOKS: Correct.

GERAGOS: No further questions.

JUDGE: Miss Brooks be excused?

HARRIS: No objection.

GERAGOS: Yes.

JUDGE: Thank you, Miss Brooks.