Taped interview, Det. Brocchini with Scott, December 24/25, 2003 PDF
This is an interview between Det. BROCCHINI and Scott PETERSON taking place 12-25-02 from 0001 to 0100. [With redacted polygraph portion added back in for completeness.]
Page 1 of 29
PETERSON: Thank you
BROCCHINI: Pretty much Scott, all we do, lets just go over what, what we already talked about so I can make some notes.
PETERSON: Um hum. (Affirmative)
BROCCHINI: See if you remember something that you know maybe you don't know you remembered. So today just tell me about the morning?
PETERSON: Ah, okay. Ah I don't know what time we got up, probably ah Laci got up and went I assume, she said she had some cereal for breakfast.
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: Eats right when she wakes up, otherwise she gets sick, 'cause she's pregnant. Ah, I laid around in bed longer, I got up at I don't know, 8 o'clock probably or so. Ah, showered ah we were watchin' her favorite show, Martha STEWART. Watched a little bit of that.
BROCCHINI: You didn't watch the whole thing though?
PETERSON: No.
BROCCHINI: You remember what part you saw?
PETERSON: I don't know, I don't know what they had on, some cooking deal, I don't know, cookies of some sort, they were talking about what to do with meringue.
BROCCHINI: Ah and I, I can't remember, your house, you had the, the converted garage area, is that your TV room, right?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Is that where you were then? Ah did you eat any breakfast?
PETERSON: Yeah I had a bowl of cereal.
BROCCHINI: Okay. And then ah, then what?
PETERSON: Ah...
BROCCHINI: When did you realize you were gonna go fishin'?
PETERSON: Well, that was the morning decision, it's either
Page 2 of 29
BROCCHINI: That’s a morning decision…
PETERSON: go play golf at the club, or go fishin…
BROCCHINI: Okay.
PETERSON: It seemed too cold to go play golf at the club (chuckle) so um, ya know, Decided that ya know, might as well do that.
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: She told me what she was gonna do for the day and …
BROCCHINI: Okay so ah she told you what she was gonna do for the day?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: And what was that?
PETERSON: Ah, she was gonna finish cleanin up, like I said she was moppin’ the kitchen Floor, ah, take the dog for a walk and then she was going to the store to buy For Christmas morning breakfast tomorrow and that was gonna be an involved prep so that was prepping the breakfast and she was gonna make gingerbread cookies for tonight.
BROCCHINI: What was she mopping?
PETERSON: The tile in the entryway area.
BROCCHINI: The entry of your front door, or the entry of your little into converted…
PETERSON: Well out in ah, well not the front door, but that backdoor that we came in.
BROCCHINI: Right where the mop was outside it?
PETERSON: No, no, no.
BROCCHINI: Oh, oh where your, oh where your dog, the one out to your backyard?
PETERSON: Ah beyond the converted garage.
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: Right and you have the kitchen.
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: Then you have the room with two chairs in it.
Page 3 of 29
BROCCHINI: Right.
PETERSON: Yeah, that room and the kitchen. Ah there was a lotta places she planned to go. She had me put the ah, the bucket by the front door for her.
BROCCHINI: So she asked you to put the mop bucket by the front door?
PETERSON: Yeah, she’s, you know, 8 months pregnant, ah can’t pick it up for anything, so I filled it up for her, put it in ah, I think that’s the central place.
BROCCHINI: How did it, did you move it back after, or when you come home, or how did it get outside?
PETERSON: Yeah, yeah.
BROCCHINI: So you put it out there?
PETERSON: Um hum. (Affirmative) The dog and the cat ran in. Yeah she wasn’t about to lift anything heavy.
BROCCHINI: So when you left you do remember what she was wearin’?
PETERSON: Ah black pants, a white long sleeve top.
BROCCHINI: The kind that buttons or…
PETERSON: No, just like a long sleeve T-shirt kinda thing, but you know, didn’t say Anything on it or…
BROCCHINI: A jacket or shoes?
PETERSON: No.
BROCCHINI: No shoes?
PETERSON: Um um (negative)
BROCCHINI: Did you notice what jack—her jacket was there, ‘cause if she went, like if she went walk—walkin’ at 10 o’clock or 9:30…
PETERSON: She usually steals my stuff.
BROCCHINI: She uses your stuff?
PETERSON: Yeah because you know …
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: Instead of maternity stuff, so I don’t really know.
Page 4 of 29
BROCCHINI: You don’t know
PETERSON: What type though? She could have had hers or mine or nothing, I don’t know.
BROCCHINI: How ‘bout shoes, does she have a certain kinda shoes that she walks in, or…
PETERSON: Yeah usually a pair of white tennis shoes.
BROCCHINI: Do you know, did you remember if they were there or now?
PETERSON: Ah the officers and I looked for them in their normal place, which is outside by the wet bar.
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: Ah they were not there, but we didn’t look further, so they could be get in the house. They weren’t where they’re normally left. You saw mine where those were. That’s where we normally keep’em.
BROCCHINI: Okay so then about 9:30 you left?
PETERSON: Um hum. (affirmative)
BROCCHINI: And you drove your 4 door truck.
PETERSON: Yeap
BROCCHINI: ah and you went over to your shop?
PETERSON: Right.
BROCCHINI: What did you do over there?
PETERSON: Ah I assembled my ah mortiser. Know what a mortiser is?
BROCCHINI: No.
PETERSON: It’s a woodworking tool to make tables. Ah, maybe you saw it on ah the trailer there, ‘bout yeah big.
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: I’d just got that so I assembled it, ah, checked my e-mail, ah sent one e-mail, then hooked the boat up and went.
BROCCHINI: Who’d you send the e-mail to?
PETERSON: To ah Eric VAN INNIS, my boss. The happy holidays e-mail. He left me ah message on my phone this morning.
Page 5 of 29
BROCCHINI: Eric VAN INNIS.
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: How you spell INNIS?
PETERSON: I-N-N-I-S.
BROCCHINI: You know his, his phone number?
PETERSON: Sure.
BROCCHINI: Did you tell him about this yet?
PETERSON: No
BROCCHINI: Is it the 559 number?
PETERSON: No this is gonna be a ah, number in Portugal.
BROCCHINI: Portugal? That’s where your boss is?
PETERSON: Yeah. Ah to access international, you dial 011…
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: Country code is 35, the number is 191-983-5253. That’s his mobile number.
BROCCHINI: Does he have a home, do you have that or not?
PETERSON: I don’t have a home number for him.
BROCCHINI: Do you know what his e-mail was or…
PETERSON: Ahhh, it’s evaninnis, ah hell I don’t, it’s, I don’t know.
BROCCHINI: That’s okay (chuckle). Does he live (overlaps with next sentence).
PETERSON: (overlap) yeah, ah, yeah Portugal.
BROCCHINI: Speak English?
PETERSON: Yeah, bearable. He’s a Belgian guy.
BROCCHINI: Alright. Okay so you assembled this ah, what the thing, what was the thing you assembled called?
PETERSON: Called a mortiser. For mortis and tendon joints.
Page 6 of 29
BROCCHINI: Where’s you get that at?
PETERSON: Ordered it on line, e-bay auction actually.
BROCCHINI: Is that for home or for work?
PETERSON: It’s for ah, home, do woodwork.
BROCCHINI: Yeah. You do a bit of that?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Okay the fax you got, you hadn’t got it yet? Or did…
PETERSON: I guess not, I, I, I don’t know. I can’t remember when I picked it up.
BROCCHINI: Okay.
PETERSON: I remember they said the boat was arriving the 26th and I wasn’t happy about that, but other than that. It may have been when I got back in the office.
BROCCHINI: Okay then you hooked up your boat?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: And ah you know about what time you left Modesto?
PETERSON: Ah, gosh, I don’t know, ah I you know, extrapolate what time I got the, you know, noon, is that right?
BROCCHINI: Yeah, it was ah, no one.
PETERSON: Which one is it there? You know it has two times.
BROCCHINI: Oh okay, ah…
PETERSON: Which one’s right?
BROCCHINI: Shit I don’t know. Tuesday, time 12:54 on December 24th, but expires oh okay, expires 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. Okay so you got there at 1:00.
PETERSON: I got there at one?
BROCCHINI: Yeah about one.
PETERSON: And I imagine it took at least an hour and a half.
BROCCHINI: Yeah, Okay, so it would be twelve, it would be 11:30 or about.
PETERSON: Yeah probably longer than that.
Page 7 of 29
BROCCHINI: probably a little longer
PETERSON: cause you can’t go over 55 with that trailer.
BROCCHINI: Right. Okay did you drive straight there?
PETERSON: I did.
BROCCHINI: You stop for lunch?
PETERSON: No.
BROCCHINI: Did you buy bait?
PETERSON: Nope, I’m not a bait fisherman.
BROCCHINI: You didn’t buy no lunch, didn’t even eat nothin’?
PETERSON: Um.
BROCCHINI: Take a lunch?
PETERSON: No I didn’t. I was damn hungry for that pizza when I got home.
BROCCHINI: Okay so if you got the, ‘bout 5 minutes to one, you got your boat in, how long you think you stayed in the water?
PETERSON: Ah felt like an hour and a half or so, but like I said, I didn’t have any lunch or anything, but see if I was getting home at 4:30, quarter to, I don’t know an hour an hour and a half I guess, probably be accurate.
BROCCHINI: Ah did you have a map for that area or…
PETERSON: No.
BROCCHINI: What, you just wing it?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: So you just, when you got in your boat you took off did you go very far or…
PETERSON: Well I mean probably a couple miles, I went north ah, found a, like a little island kinda deal there.
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: Ah island ah had a buncha trash on it I remember a big sign that said no landing, looked like some broken piers around it. I just assumed it would be a decent, you know, shallow area.
Page 8 of 29
BROCCHINI: Did you troll?
PETERSON: Little bit. I mean a lot of, lot of the reason I went was just to get that boat in the water to see, you know.
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: (On the phone) Amy, what’s goin’ on Amy? Yeah. Oh I don’t know, where you at now? In front of my, our house Okay. Yeah ah, ah where you guys stay at your place obviously where Nate and Brent goin. Okay. Yeah ah, I don’t know. Thanks I appreciate that. Think you can call back in a little while? Thanks Amy. (Back to BROCCHINI) Sister-in-law.
BROCCHINI: Amy?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Is it Laci’s sister?
PETERSON: Um hum. Different mother’s, same father.
BROCCHINI: Okay so you fish 90 minutes then what, you got back to your, go back to the marina.
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Get back in your boat.
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: You see anybody, you talk to anybody out there?
PETERSON: Ah talked to a couple guys fishing, they asked me, you know, did you catch anything.
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: No, they didn’t either, ah, the guys workin’, fixing ah, main, main, maintenance guys got a good laugh from me tryin’ ta back down the trailer.
BROCCHINI: Okay,.
PETERSON: Ah so couple guys laughin’ and a coupl guys talkin’ about fishin.
BROCCHINI: Ah then what? You drive, how did you get there?
PETERSON: Ah…
BROCCHINI: How do you…
Page 9 of 29
PETERSON: …highway you mean?
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: Ah what that, what’s the highway to ah Oakland, 580?
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
PETERSON: And then take 80, 80 north, right, to go to like goin’ to Sacramento or ah…
BROCCHINI: So you took 580 to 80 north? Okay.
PETERSON: Yeah and it’s like the second exit in Berkeley.
BROCCHINI: You come home the same way?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: You have to stop for gas?
PETERSON: Stop for gas in ah I guess it’s Livermore. Livermore or Pleasanton. Which one’s near the Altamont.
BROCCHINI: That’s Livermore.
PETERSON: Okay.
BROCCHINI: Where’d you stop?
PETERSON: Ah I think it was a Chevron Station, there’s a ah buses around there.
BROCCHINI: Was that on the way home, or on the way there?
PETERSON: Way home.
BROCCHINI: How’d you pay?
PETERSON: Credit card.
BROCCHINI: Do you have your receipt still?
PETERSON: Ah I didn’t get a receipt no.
BROCCHINI: Debit card or credit card?
PETERSON: Ah debit. Ah I don’t know which way they count it, debit or credit when you stick it in there.
BROCCHINI: But it was your bank, it wasn’t a Chevron card right?
Page 10 of 29
PETERSON: Right, right, it’s my, you know E-Bay, ATM, debit or credit card, combo, you Know.
BROCCHINI: Did, did you, you didn’t get something in the store?
PETERSON: Uh uh. (negative)
BROCCHINI: Okay when, when you got in the car what did you call you said?
PETERSON: I called Laci ah just as I was leaving the marina.
BROCCHINI: Home phone?
PETERSON: Told her where I was, ah, home and the mobile.
BROCCHINI: What’s your home number?
PETERSON: 524-2049.
BROCCHINI: You left a message?
PETERSON: Yes.
BROCCHINI: And then what’s your mobile?
PETERSON: 402-8806.
BROCCHINI: Do you know her, ah, do you know her password?
PETERSON: 8184.
BROCCHINI: So if we called, if you called her number and ah if they would tell you, Doesn’t it? Does it tell you what time the call comes in?
PETERSON: Ah I don’t know if it’s time stamped, try it out. Yesterday at 2:16.
BROCCHINI: Can I hear?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: You know how to repeat it?
PETERSON: I think 9.
Long pause
BROCCHINI: How many messages did she have? Two?
PETERSON: Two new ones.
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BROCCHINI: Okay, I’ll save it, it was probably her dad or somebody.
Long pause, listening to messages on phone.
BROCCHINI: Okay here.
PETERSON: ________.
BROCCHINI: Yeah. Okay. (clears throat)
PETERSON: It says the first one was 2:15
BROCCHINI: Yeah. Ah, okay so then you get gas?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: You drive straight home?
PETERSON: To the warehouse, dropped off the boat.
BROCCHINI: Okay.
PETERSON: Then go home.
BROCCHINI: Did you ah when you left, when you wearin’, what, what were you wearin’ when you left?
PETERSON: Ah blue jeans and a blue T-shirt.
BROCCHINI: And what were those shoes?
PETERSON: Oh Timberline.
BROCCHINI: Which jacket?
PETERSON: Ah…
BROCCHINI: The one, the jacket, in your truck?
PETERSON: Well when I left the house…
BROCCHINI: Uh huh.
PETERSON: …I didn’t have a jacket on.
BROCCHINI: Right.
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PETERSON: Ah but I had a, when I was in the warehouse ah, I had that green pullover on that was in my truck you saw. Ah when it started raining I had a camo jacket on in the boat and ah tan hat.
BROCCHINI: Okay so then you ah went back to the shop, you unhooked the boat?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: What ha—what else did you do? Anything else?
PETERSON: No. I look at…I guess I saw that fax. And I was late getting’ home so, I went straight home.
BROCCHINI: Anybody else in the warehouse area ah, anybody?
PETERSON: Not this afternoon, there was a couple people there this morning’. I don’t think there was anyone there this afternoon.
BROCCHINI: Okay so then…
Pause
BROCCHINI: So that fax came in as 3 hour time difference?
PETERSON: Yeah, I think New Jersey is 3 hours.
BROCCHINI: Okay so then you drive, did you try to call her anymore?
PETERSON: Just ah, called once from the marina, both phones, and then ah, later on, when was that second call.
BROCCHINI: No the second call wasn’t from you, it was from her dad or somebody.
PETERSON: I left a second message on her mobile.
BROCCHINI: There was only one from you.
PETERSON: Really.
BROCCHINI: Ah there was two there, but one was logged at like 5:30 in the afternoon, it was an old gruffy voice said Laci, everbody’s lookin’ for you. Didn’t say who it was.
PETERSON: Ah that must have been Ron, Ah, well I know I left two at home and I thought I left two on the mobile. Maybe I didn’t leave the second one on the mobile.
BROCCHINI: So you ah, the two at home though one was from when you left and one was some other time or…
Page 13 of 29
PETERSON: One was when I left Berkeley and the other one was ah when I was drivin’ in Livermore, the traffic was pretty bad and I knew I wouldn’t be home by 4 so gave her a call.
BROCCHINI: Okay then what? You drive home?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: You backed in?
PETERSON: Yep
BROCCHINI: Do you always do that?
PETERSON: Yeah I’ve had that box broken into a couple times. Well, not broken into, but I failed to lock it a few times and got the umbrellas, and I always back in.
BROCCHINI: Uhm, those umbrellas, they, were they in your car before too?
PETERSON: Put them in this morning, my intent was to leave ‘em at the warehouse.
BROCCHINI: And so you took ‘em to Berkeley with you?
PETERSON: Yeah. I forgot to take ‘em out.
BROCCHINI: So you put the umbrellas in there this morning?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Because you were gonna store ‘em at the ware house?
PETERSON: Yeah but I didn’t.
BROCCHINI: What did you just forget?
PETERSON: Um hum. Ah I, I even saw ‘em in there when I locked the door.
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: You know, but Laci.
BROCCHINI: Okay then you got home, then what, how’d you go, what door did you go in?
PETERSON: Went in the what I would call a backdoor, which is that French door where my shoes were at.
BROCCHINI: See your dog out there?
PETERSON: Yep, she’s always there.
Page 14 of 29
BROCCHINI: And he still had his leash on?
PETERSON: Um hum. So I took that off obviously.
BROCCHINI: What’d you do with it?
PETERSON: Ahhhh, put it on the picnic table.
BROCCHINI: The French doors were unlocked?
PETERSON: Yes.
BROCCHINI: So what’d you do when you go in?
PETERSON: Ah the dog and cat followed me so I dumped out that mop water, ‘cause the cat went over to it.
BROCCHINI: Where was the mop bucket?
PETERSON: Ah you remember ah our front door? There’s a little light white piece, wood piece…
BROCCHINI: Uh huh.
PETERSON: …built in. It was just in front of that.
BROCCHINI: Okay so ah your dog and cat come not only though the odors and your cat goes over to this bucket?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: And what, was he gonna drink out of it or…
PETERSON: Look like it to me.
BROCCHINI: So you just picked it up and walked it out the front door then?
PETERSON: No that little side door.
BROCCHINI: Okay.
PETERSON: That it was right outside of.
BROCCHINI: And you set it out there?
PETERSON: Dumped it, then set it there.
BROCCHINI: Then what’d you do?
Page 15 of 29
PETERSON: Ah put my clothes in the washer. Took out those rags threw my clothes in there.
BROCCHINI: Were you callin’ for Laci or …
PETERSON: Oh yeah, of course.
BROCCHINI: But she wasn’t home?
PETERSON: No, I assumed she was at her mom’s.
BROCCHINI: You put your jeans, your blue T-shirt, anything else in there?
PETERSON: I think that green pullover was in there too wasn’t it?
BROCCHINI: Yeah I think so. Did you, did you, you, did you start the washer?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Did you put soap?
PETERSON: Um hum. (affirmative)
BROCCHINI: Okay then what?
PETERSON: Ah grabbed some pizza from the fridge.
BROCCHINI: Took the box out?
PETERSON: Yeah put it on the counter like it was, ahh, glass of milk, then jumped in the shower.
BROCCHINI: You had a glass of milk?
PETERSON: Ah small one, yeah.
BROCCHINI: Okay, you put it in a glass?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: How many pizza did you have?
PETERSON: Ah I think just one full piece, and a half a bit of another one.
BROCCHINI: Then you took a shower?
PETERSON: Um hum. but I took some pizza in there with me, started the shower.
BROCCHINI: Did you call her mom?
Page 16 of 29
PETERSON: After I got out of the shower, put clothes on, that’s when I checked the messages.
BROCCHINI: Ah were there any?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Yours?
PETERSON: Mine, there were three, two from me and one from Ron, her step-father, asking for whipped cream when we came over that’s when I said hey man, he’s calling me for whipped cream.
BROCCHINI: Did you erase ‘em?
PETERSON: no.
BROCCHINI: The one from ah, Ron, do you know if that’s was before yours or after yours?
PETERSON: Believe it was after.
BROCCHINI: Okay so then you called over to her mom’s?
PETERSON: That’s right.
BROCCHINI: Had they heard from her?
PETERSON: No. Not all day.
BROCCHINI: Not all day, was that unusual or not?
PETERSON: No. I think we were supposed to be there at dinner at 6 or 6:30.
BROCCHINI: Which one, ah what’s Laci’s mom’s name?
PETERSON: Sharon. Sharon ROCHA, Ron, Ron GRANSKI.
BROCCHINI: They, okay.
PETERSON: They’re…
BROCCHINI: Are they together?
PETERSON: Ah not…
BROCCHINI: You called them…
PETERSON: …they never been married, but common law marriage, is that what it’s called, lived together for 15 years or whatever.
Page 17 of 29
BROCCHINI: Alright. Then that’s her step-dad? Or…
PETERSON: By common law marriage, I mean, she calls him Ron, if that’s what you asking.
BROCCHINI: So you guys were supposed to be there, you were supposed to go to dinner there tonight at 6:30, or last night at 6:30?
PETERSON: Right.
BROCCHINI: Okay so you told Sharon, or did you talk to Ron?
PETERSON: Talked to ah, talked to mom, ah Sharon.
BROCCHINI: And what, what…
PETERSON: I asked if Laci was there, she told me no.
BROCCHINI: Who called us?
PETERSON: Ron did.
BROCCHINI: Did he tell you he was gonna call?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: What did, who all, did you call other people then?
PETERSON: I called Sharon, ah, then I called couple of Laci’s ah closer friends, I think Stacy and Renee. Ah and then I was, I had the phone book out to call hospitals when I think Sharon called me back at the point and said that they would do that and call the police and for me to check the neighbors and go to the park.
BROCCHINI: Sharon’s…
PETERSON: I’m not sure of that sequence, I mean I may have checked the neighbors then come back and got the phone book.
BROCCHINI: Right, right.
PETERSON: Then Sharon had Ron callin’ the hospitals and then obviously the police.
BROCCHINI: And it should be, did you do that, did you check the neighbors?
PETERSON: I did.
BROCCHINI: Did you go to the park?
Page 18 of 29
PETERSON: Ah after I checked the neighbors, came back home, called Sharon one more time and she said ah we’re going’ to the park and we have the police go’in’ there also, so I went down.
BROCCHINI: Have any of your neighbors saw anything or heard anything or…
PETERSON: Ah first neighbor I checked with was directly across the street, her name’s Amy, ah it’s her son that I was talking’ about the white truck.
BROCCHINI: Um hum.
PETERSON: And she mentioned the Christmas light thing to me.
BROCCHINI: Tell me about that again?
PETERSON: Ah she said that our outside Christmas lights, the icicle ones, went on ah just before I got home. I didn’t notice that they were on, I got home, but then she mentioned it I looked across the street, they were on. Ah they get plugged into an outlet, I didn’t plug them in today. Ah, then ah, when we returned from the park couple hours later they were off. So I don’t know, they appeared to be still be plugged in, they must have overheated or something’.
BROCCHINI: So Amy said just before you came home the lights got turned on, she saw that?
PETERSON: Checked with her ah, went to the left no one was there, left a note on Karen’s and checked ah to the right of Amy’s and…
BROCCHINI: So Amy said just before you came home the lights got turned on, she saw that?
PETERSON: Checked with her ah, went to the left no one was there, left a note on Karen’s and checked ah to the right of Amy’s and…
BROCCHINI: These Christmas lights we—well you gotta plug ‘em yourself you said?
PETERSON: Yeah, there’s an outlet outside the storage shed area, maybe you noticed that area?
BROCCHINI: I saw where you had you lawnmower and stuff?
PETERSON: Yeah my lawnmower.
BROCCHINI: And the door was open when I was there?
PETERSON: Right, right.
BROCCHINI: So in there there’s a plug and just plug it in and those light come on?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: And then ah you said they were on when you were talkin’ to Amy.
PETERSON: Right.
BROCCHINI: A couple hours later they were off?
Page 19 of 29
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: But they’re still plugged in?
PETERSON: Yeah well ah I didn’t go out the, try the plug so…
BROCCHINI: Okay.
PETERSON: But I don’t see why they wouldn’t have been, but then maybe it got, you know, hit by a cat or summin’ like that, I don’t know, I didn’t check.
BROCCHINI: Who’d you leave the note with?
PETERSON: Ah Karen SERVAS, our, if you’re lookin’ at our house she’s immediately to the left, she’s the one that was tellin’ me about the dog come runnin’ up to her with a leash.
BROCCHINI: You left a not at her place?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Okay. Was there anything out of, ah unusual, out of normal in your house?
PETERSON: The only unusual things ah were the leash and the door bein’ unlocked.
BROCCHINI: The front door, or the, ah French doors?
PETERSON: Yeah. What I’m gonna call backdoor.
BROCCHINI: Right.
PETERSON: Right.
BROCCHINI: Okay well I’m, we’re in your room and we’re talkin’ about your closet. Look like a couple duffle bags down. Is that, that’s normal or…
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Did you get somethin’ out of the duffle bag that was on the ground, a raincoat or summin’ today?
PETERSON: Ah, out of that blue bag?
BROCCHINI: Uh huh.
PETERSON: Nike bag? I took my tennis shoes out of there.
BROCCHINI: The ones you wore?
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PETERSON: Naw, no, the white ones, they were on top of the wet bar.
BROCCHINI: You did that recently?
PETERSON: This morning. Think that was this morning. But the ah, leather brown one I just toss up there, the other one, I hardly ever use to it’s just…
BROCCHINI: How ‘bout the gun? How, how long has that been your car?
PETERSON: Ah, probably a month. Took it to ah Lone Pine to shoot pheasants, took it with me.
BROCCHINI: Is that your gun?
PETERSON: Um hum. It’s obviously seen better days but…
BROCCHINI: Yeah, it looks like it.
PETERSON: …I don’t think I, I tried to shoot it once in Lone Pine but it didn’t go off., so it’s ah…
BROCCHINI: I mean have you had it a long time?
PETERSON: Yeah. I think I got it ah, well you know, it may be registered to me. Or it may be registered to my father actually I had gotten that, before I was 18. I don’t know. It’s a Llama and he is, he is a buyer on it.
BROCCHINI: So it’s been in you glove box about a month?
PETERSON: I think so, probably have to check the date on when I went to Lone Pine.
BROCCHINI: Lone Pine?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Okay so…
PETERSON: It’s out of Bishop.
BROCCHINI: Right. Well ah, you, you went up there ah, pheasant hunting? Obvioiusly you don’t use that to shoot pheasants.
PETERSON: No, no.
BROCCHINI: Have you fired it recently?
PETERSON: My pistol?
BROCCHINI: Yeah.
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PETERSON: No. Within the past year no.
BROCCHINI: You go to Lone Pine with anybody?
PETERSON: Yeah, my father.
BROCCHINI: Your dad lives down in San Luis Obispo or…
PETERSON: San Diego.
BROCCHINI: You know how many it was loaded with?
PETERSON: I don’t, I think it holds 8.
BROCCHINI: The towels that were in the, in the washing machine, you don’t know how they were, if they were, what they were used on?
PETERSON: No I assumed, well I mean I assumed that Marigrita used ‘em Monday, but I don’t know what surfaces or anything like that.
BROCCHINI: How often does she come over?
PETERSON: Ah it seems like once every two weeks. This is her third time for us.
BROCCHINI: You think she was there Monday?
PETERSON: Yeah I know she was.
BROCCHINI: Have you guys, you guys haven’t had any problems ah marriage problems?
PETERSON: No.
BROCCHINI: Everything is good?
PETERSON: Hum um. (affirmative)
BROCCHINI: And you been married 4 years?
PETERSON: Yeah. 4 or 5 I’m thinking. I guess this is 5, I got married in 97.
BROCCHINI: So you were married in 97?
PETERSON: I believe so.
BROCCHINI: But if you, times you’ve walked in the park you said that ah you have seen campers, bums or whatever.
PETERSON: Oh yeah.
BROCCHINI: Um, has Laci ever complained to you about somebody botherin’ her?
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PETERSON: Naw, I mean, like I said though I don’t think they’d come up to her and accosted her in anyway ah, you know, she has times said she’s felt uncomfortable and, thankful she has the dog, ah, we’ve called you know the police a couple times about people down there just to get ‘em to move on, you know and it’s ah not uncommon for Laci or myself ta, you know, wake one of these guys, or ladies up and tell him to get lost.
BROCCHINI: The dog, is it a, I mean she’s glad to have the dog, but the dog is, I got two dogs…
PETERSON: He’s very protective of her.
BROCCHINI: …is, is, are that…
PETERSON: I mean, if I’m in the yard and a guy comes up to me the dog is fine.
BROCCHINI: Hum.
PETERSON: Ah but it’s been in the past when someone approaches her in our yard at least hum, that’s very protective of her.
BROCCHINI: He looks like he’s been around the block, been around awhile.
PETERSON: Yeah he’s an old boy.
BROCCHINI: Is he yours or…
PETERSON: Yeah she got…
BROCCHINI: …her’s by marriage?
PETERSON: Ah yeah like a month after meeting each other.
BROCCHINI: __________.
PETERSON: He was a gift.
BROCCHINI: As a pup?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Ah he looked older than 5 years.
PETERSON: Oh yea, no he’s, I think he’s 8.
BROCCHINI: Is he?
PETERSON: Yeah 8 or 9.
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BROCCHINI: What’s the dog’s name?
PETERSON: Mac Kenzie.
BROCCHINI: These numbers.
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Ah Guy.
PETERSON: Yep. The fellows there.
BROCCHINI: Is he a friend, just a friend?
PETERSON: Yeah good friend of our, he ah, ah that’s his right there, 976.
BROCCHINI: now are you, his ah just came up Guy so I don’t know what his number was.
PETERSON: Okay. That’s 765 – yeah that’s Guy’s.
BROCCHINI: What was it? 765?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: 5544.
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: Ah who is 619?
PETERSON: That is San Diego, so I tried to call my parents.
BROCCHINI: Okay. Did you get ahold of em?
PETERSON: No. I’m not sure if that was the mobile phone. They don’t answer the phone very well.
BROCCHINI: 20…
PETERSON: Okay that’s when I tried to call my brother, Joe, in San Deigo.
BROCCHINI: You get through?
PETERSON: No. I got ah some weird message, it’s a, ah, business of some sort, so the number is wrong in our phone book.
BROCCHINI: How ‘bout 480?
PETERSON: 480. I don’t know.
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BROCCHINI: Greg Reed.
PETERSON: Friend of ours.
BROCCHINI: ____________, that must be your dad?
PETERSON: Yeah Greg Reed owns the house ah, you look at our house to the right, that’s his grandmother’s house. He owns that, he came over and opened it up for the officers. He lives a bit away from us.
BROCCHINI: 605?
PETERSON: Gosh, I don’t know, Oh 605, that’s Renee, Renee Tomlinson.
BROCCHINI: Is that one of your friends?
PETERSON: Yes.
BROCCHINI: How ‘bout 833?
PETERSON: __________. That’s gotta be in here. I could tell ya if I had the phone book I could tell you.
BROCCHINI: That’s okay. How ‘bout 510?
PETERSON: That surprised me too, that is what area code is that?
BROCCHINI: That’s Oakland. So it’s even, no, that’s Livermore too. Pleasantan, Oakland.
PETERSON: I forget who it is. It’s one of the friends and it’s weird he that he had that number.
BROCCHINI: Bein’ it’s Oakland it could be his cell phone.
PETERSON: Yeah, that’s what I’m thinkin’. I ah, it’s not a number I called before.
BROCCHINI: These are received calls.
PETERSON: Okay.
BROCCHINI: So you received this 604…
PETERSON: Oh from Brian, one from Miligi. Does it have a time on here?
BROCCHINI: Yeah. I didn’t all, go through all the times, but.
PETERSON: 510, could that be Woodland?
BROCCHINI: I don’t think so, no it’s not Woodland. That’s Oakland.
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PETERSON: I mean I remember seen’ it, wonderin’ who it was and sounded funny to me when we talked. I don’t know I talked to em but…
BROCCHINI: I’m curious, Maggie was there on ah, Maggie or Margurite, but she was there on Monday…
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: …and obviously she did a lotta work, because the house wasn’t filthy, why was your wife mopping on Tuesday Morning?
PETERSON: I don’t know. Got me, I mean she was pretty fastidious about it though.
BROCCHINI: Was she?
PETERSON: With the dog and the cats and her ah you know, doing ah Christmas deal, that was pretty common.
BROCCHINI: Was that gonna be at your house?
PETERSON: Tomorrow, or today, rather yes.
BROCCHINI: Yeah it’s…
PETERSON: Yeah she’s ah, she always had the vacuum or mop out.
BROCCHINI: Okay so that isn’t unusual?
PETERSON: Naw.
BROCCHINI: You haven’t fired any guns today?
PETERSON: No. It’s been a month since the trip to Lone Pine.
BROCCHINI: Would you be wiling to, well you showered already you said right?
PETERSON: Um hum.
BROCCHINI: When you were at Lone Pine you said you tried to fire that handgun once?
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: But what happened?
PETERSON: Just click.
BROCCHINI: Just clicked?
PETERSON: Yeah. But I ejected that round and the second one clicked also. I think I ejected it. Yeah I know I ejected it. The second one clicked.
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BROCCHINI: But you said you did fire, you, you must of, did you get a pheasant?
PETERSON: Oh yeah.
BROCCHINI: Would you be ah willing to for me to take a gunshot residue on your hands?
PETERSON: Sure no problem. Will outboard exhaust show up as gunshot residue, or would it be different?
BROCCHINI: What? Exhaust?
PETERSON: Yeah from that outboard?
BROCCHINI: Well you showered after you said, so I’m not thinkin’ this is your routine, but no it wouldn’t.
PETERSON: Okay.
BROCCHINI: P-E-T-E-R-S-O-N?
PETERSON: Yes.
BROCCHINI: S-C-O-T-T?
PETERSON: Um hum.
Long pause/background noise
BROCCHINI: Would you be willing to take a polygraph?
PETERSON: Sure.
BROCCHINI: So what you’re telling me Scott is there no, you have no idea where Laci is.
PETERSON: None.
BROCCHINI: Okay, I, I, I only have a couple of concerns. One is the cell phone call that you made, but if you listen to it, that call is made at 12:17.
PETERSON: Which one’s that?
BROCCHINI: The first on you made from ah Berkeley.
PETERSON: Was it?
BROCCHINI: Yeah. You said…
PETERSON: ______ from the boat.
BROCCHINI: No you said 2:17, but the time stamp on the call says 12:17. See then to me…
PETERSON: You saved right?
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BROCCHINI: I saved it.
PETERSON: Saved today at 12:17 AM.
BROCCHINI: Is that what that says.
PETERSON: Yeah
BROCCHINI: I don’t know, let me listen, cause I have…
PETERSON: Either…
BROCCHINI: You didn’t save…
PETERSON: First time…
BROCCHINI: Oh really…
PETERSON: Well, I save it, then you saved it, I had to, then you saved it.
BROCCHINI: okay.
PETERSON: Then it said yesterday at 12:17 you’d be right.
BROCCHINI: Right, right.
Pause
BROCCHINI: Yeah, you’re right, Okay, it’s says when I saved it.
PETERSON: Originally when I listened to it, it said received at 12:16
BROCCHINI: Or 2:16
PETERSON: Yeah
BROCCHINI: The only, just to eliminate you as a suspect, you'd be willing to take --
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Would you be willing to take a polygraph?
PETERSON: Yeah . . . They're accurate, right?
BROCCHINI: Yeah, yeah, I mean I, it's not nothing that can be used against you, but yea, I believe they're accurate.
PETERSON: No, I'm certainy willing.
BROCCHINI: It wouldn't be now, it'd be, ya now, in a day or two.
PETERSON: Now . . .
BROCCHINI: It's just like the next step in this thing.
PETERSON: Sure.
BROCCHINI: Really what’s left is the flyers, the canvass tomorrow, the media coverage. What concerns me the most is the fact that your dog came home with the leash on. That bothers me.
PETERSON: No question.
BROCCHINI: Yeah, uhm…
PETERSON: What concerns me most is doing anything I can to further the progress.
BROCCHINI: I appreciate that, and I don’t, I don’t want you to hold it against me I mean sometimes I hate askin…
PETERSON: You gotta do it.
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BROCCHINI: But I do, I really do have to do it, and I mean understand I’m glad you have a strong support system.
PETERSON: Yeah.
BROCCHINI: Uhm, and I’ll give you my numbers, and my cards, but…There not a lot more we can do right now other than canvas.
PETERSON: Oh we can do a lot.
BROCCHINI: Okay, do you have any questions.
PETERSON: No, I mean I’ve asked you a couple times what to do, uhm, so I have the answers to that so.we’re gonna go do it.
BROCCHINI: And so yeah, there’s, ya know, all we can do now is make people aware of the problem, the situation, and hope that somebody saw something or knows something.
PETERSON: The only question I have what about resources available. You saw my mother-in-law tonight, uhm, anyway, you saw some of my wife’s friends, myself…
BROCCHINI: What do you mean like for?
PETERSON: Counseling and that kind of thing.
BROCCHINI: well yeah…
PETERSON: Can you give us the numbers or do I have to search…
BROCCHINI: No, no I can give you those numbers, uhm, I just don’t know, I mean your probably not going to get any answers today.
PETERSON: Yeah, no, no I mean but…
BROCCHINI: Yeah, it’s Christmas, I mean
PETERSON: Yeah, of course. And there no need to call if we find Laci in the next days.
BROCCHINI: Yeah, I agree, yeah, I’ll give you those numbers.
PETERSON: I will need them.
BROCCHINI: That’s my number, and my cell phone number and I’ll get you the number to the victim services. And now, where do you want to go?
PETERSON: Oh, tonight, physically, back to my home.
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BROCCHINI: Okay, give me one second and I’ll get you, hopefully they’re done over there.