Alleged Lies
One of the reasons people tell us they believe Scott is guilty is because of "all the lies". While we do intend to cover the lies that Scott did tell, in this Featured Fact we want to outline some lies that Scott was wrongfully accused of telling.
The Alleged 'Golfing' Lie
It was widely publicized and presented in court that Scott lied and said he was golfing on December 24th, 2002. Although we have touched on this topic before, we want to offer a more complete set of facts. As we've stated before, Scott never hid the fact that he went fishing. The day Laci went missing, testimony revealed that Scott told the following people that he had been fishing:
1. On December 24th, 2002, at 2:17pm, Scott called Laci when he was leaving the Berkeley Marina and left her the following message on her cell phone, "Hi, beautiful. I just left you a message at home. 2:15. I'm leaving Berkeley. I won't be able to get to Vella Farms to get the basket for Poppa. I was hoping you would get this message and go on out there. I'll see you in a bit, sweety. I love you. Bye."
2. At around 6:11 pm, the first officer, Sergeant Evers, arrived on the scene after Laci was reported missing. When he asked Scott where he was that day, Scott immediately told him that he had been fishing that day in the bay. Scott also gave Sgt. Evers his receipt from the Berkeley Marina parking lot to show that he'd been at marina that day. Per testimony, this conversation happened around 6:15pm.
3. At around 8:00pm, Ron Granski approached Scott and asked how his golf game had been that day, Scott corrected Ron and told him he had not played golf that day, but that he had gone fishing. Ron had made the 911 call to report Laci missing. In that call, he stated that Scott had gone golfing that day. It was disclosed during trial that Sharon had assumed Scott had gone golfing that day and relayed that information to Ron prior to the 911 call.
4. Officer Letsinger was present when Scott told Officer Spurlock that he had been fishing that day. Officer Letsinger also overheard Scott tell Ron Grantski that he had not played golf, but that he had gone fishing that day.
5. Scott told Officer Spurlock he had been fishing that day.
6. When Sharon Rocha questioned Scott that evening about where he'd been that day, Scott told her he had been fishing.
7. Sharon Rocha's cousin, Gwen Kemple, asked Scott where he'd been that day and he told her that he had been fishing.
8. Scott took Detective Brocchini and Sergeant Evers to his warehouse that evening and showed them his boat and fishing gear. He also reiterated to Detective Brocchini in his one hour taped interview that evening that he had gone fishing that day at the bay.
9. On Christmas Day, in an interview with Agent Mansfield from the Department of Justice, Scott again recounted his activities from the day before with no contradiction.
Of the dozens of people that Scott spoke with on the 24th and 25th after Laci went missing, there were only three people who testified that Scott told them he had been golfing that day. The first was Amie Krigbaum, a neighbor across the street. The second was Terra Venable, who lives with Amie Krigbaum and allegedly heard the same instance of Scott saying he was fishing. The third was Harvey Kemple (Gwen Kemple's husband, listed above).
Harvey testified that he told his wife and multiple others that Scott told him that he'd gone golfing on December 24th . However, no one testified that Harvey had told them that. Harvey did not tell the police until June of 2003 that Scott told him that he'd been golfing, despite the fact that Harvey knew his wife had been told by Scott that he was fishing and the police were publicly trying to corroborate Scott's alibi for December 24th . Harvey Kemple also testified that he saw Scott lose his temper once and slam the lid to their barbeque. Scott and Laci's barbeque didn't have a lid. And finally, Harvey testified that he was told that Scott had been hanging out at the Del Rio Country Club while Laci was missing. When asked who told him that, he identified Dennis Tobin and a Country Club employee named Stephanie. Detective Grogan testified that when they followed up on Harvey's claims, they found that Dennis Tobin never saw Scott at the club while Laci was missing and there was no employee named Stephanie. So with Harvey Kemple's credibility in question, that leaves two people testifying to one instance of Scott saying that he had been golfing on December 24th . (Unlike Harvey, Amie Krigbaum did tell police in late December that Scott said he had been golfing that day. It is unclear when Terra Venable first told the police that she heard Scott say he'd been golfing.)
The prosecution suggested in their closing argument that Scott had originally planned on spending a little time on the computer for part of his alibi, then he was going to secretly drive to the bay to dump Laci's body, then head to the Country Club for a drink so he could say he was there. The prosecution's best theory was to suggest that Scott logged on his computer at work from 10:30 to 10:56 am to create a partial alibi, and that he was not going to have another 'alibi' until he showed up at the Country Club four hours later. They suggested "he just screwed up": that he ran out of time so he didn't have time to go to the club and he had been seen at the marina so now he had to say he'd been there.
To suggest that Scott somehow had 'alibi confusion' is totally contrary to the evidence. The prosecution (and media) would have you believe that Scott was walking around stumbling over his words trying to get his story straight, bouncing between his account of going to the bay and some golfing story. This simply was not the case. Officer Spurlock did testify that Scott could not immediately name what type of fish he went fishing for, but also testified "it could have been just a natural response to what everything was going on at the time". (His pregnant wife was missing!) At no time did Scott forget that he had been fishing and at no time did Scott attempt to hide the fact that he had gone fishing. Scott began with a phone call to Laci stating that he was at the marina and continued to tell the same consistent story. Even going so far as to correct Ron and tell him that he had not played golf that day.
It is not reasonable to call Scott a liar when the abundance of evidence and testimony reveals that he was being truthful about his whereabouts on December 24th , 2002. As previously outlined in our article, "Scott's Timeline", there were eighteen sources and/or witnesses from court that show how truthful Scott was about the details of his day on December 24th. This alleged lie to Amie Krigbaum and Terra Venable is the only exception.
The Alleged 'Golfing' Lie
It was widely publicized and presented in court that Scott lied and said he was golfing on December 24th, 2002. Although we have touched on this topic before, we want to offer a more complete set of facts. As we've stated before, Scott never hid the fact that he went fishing. The day Laci went missing, testimony revealed that Scott told the following people that he had been fishing:
1. On December 24th, 2002, at 2:17pm, Scott called Laci when he was leaving the Berkeley Marina and left her the following message on her cell phone, "Hi, beautiful. I just left you a message at home. 2:15. I'm leaving Berkeley. I won't be able to get to Vella Farms to get the basket for Poppa. I was hoping you would get this message and go on out there. I'll see you in a bit, sweety. I love you. Bye."
2. At around 6:11 pm, the first officer, Sergeant Evers, arrived on the scene after Laci was reported missing. When he asked Scott where he was that day, Scott immediately told him that he had been fishing that day in the bay. Scott also gave Sgt. Evers his receipt from the Berkeley Marina parking lot to show that he'd been at marina that day. Per testimony, this conversation happened around 6:15pm.
3. At around 8:00pm, Ron Granski approached Scott and asked how his golf game had been that day, Scott corrected Ron and told him he had not played golf that day, but that he had gone fishing. Ron had made the 911 call to report Laci missing. In that call, he stated that Scott had gone golfing that day. It was disclosed during trial that Sharon had assumed Scott had gone golfing that day and relayed that information to Ron prior to the 911 call.
4. Officer Letsinger was present when Scott told Officer Spurlock that he had been fishing that day. Officer Letsinger also overheard Scott tell Ron Grantski that he had not played golf, but that he had gone fishing that day.
5. Scott told Officer Spurlock he had been fishing that day.
6. When Sharon Rocha questioned Scott that evening about where he'd been that day, Scott told her he had been fishing.
7. Sharon Rocha's cousin, Gwen Kemple, asked Scott where he'd been that day and he told her that he had been fishing.
8. Scott took Detective Brocchini and Sergeant Evers to his warehouse that evening and showed them his boat and fishing gear. He also reiterated to Detective Brocchini in his one hour taped interview that evening that he had gone fishing that day at the bay.
9. On Christmas Day, in an interview with Agent Mansfield from the Department of Justice, Scott again recounted his activities from the day before with no contradiction.
Of the dozens of people that Scott spoke with on the 24th and 25th after Laci went missing, there were only three people who testified that Scott told them he had been golfing that day. The first was Amie Krigbaum, a neighbor across the street. The second was Terra Venable, who lives with Amie Krigbaum and allegedly heard the same instance of Scott saying he was fishing. The third was Harvey Kemple (Gwen Kemple's husband, listed above).
Harvey testified that he told his wife and multiple others that Scott told him that he'd gone golfing on December 24th . However, no one testified that Harvey had told them that. Harvey did not tell the police until June of 2003 that Scott told him that he'd been golfing, despite the fact that Harvey knew his wife had been told by Scott that he was fishing and the police were publicly trying to corroborate Scott's alibi for December 24th . Harvey Kemple also testified that he saw Scott lose his temper once and slam the lid to their barbeque. Scott and Laci's barbeque didn't have a lid. And finally, Harvey testified that he was told that Scott had been hanging out at the Del Rio Country Club while Laci was missing. When asked who told him that, he identified Dennis Tobin and a Country Club employee named Stephanie. Detective Grogan testified that when they followed up on Harvey's claims, they found that Dennis Tobin never saw Scott at the club while Laci was missing and there was no employee named Stephanie. So with Harvey Kemple's credibility in question, that leaves two people testifying to one instance of Scott saying that he had been golfing on December 24th . (Unlike Harvey, Amie Krigbaum did tell police in late December that Scott said he had been golfing that day. It is unclear when Terra Venable first told the police that she heard Scott say he'd been golfing.)
The prosecution suggested in their closing argument that Scott had originally planned on spending a little time on the computer for part of his alibi, then he was going to secretly drive to the bay to dump Laci's body, then head to the Country Club for a drink so he could say he was there. The prosecution's best theory was to suggest that Scott logged on his computer at work from 10:30 to 10:56 am to create a partial alibi, and that he was not going to have another 'alibi' until he showed up at the Country Club four hours later. They suggested "he just screwed up": that he ran out of time so he didn't have time to go to the club and he had been seen at the marina so now he had to say he'd been there.
To suggest that Scott somehow had 'alibi confusion' is totally contrary to the evidence. The prosecution (and media) would have you believe that Scott was walking around stumbling over his words trying to get his story straight, bouncing between his account of going to the bay and some golfing story. This simply was not the case. Officer Spurlock did testify that Scott could not immediately name what type of fish he went fishing for, but also testified "it could have been just a natural response to what everything was going on at the time". (His pregnant wife was missing!) At no time did Scott forget that he had been fishing and at no time did Scott attempt to hide the fact that he had gone fishing. Scott began with a phone call to Laci stating that he was at the marina and continued to tell the same consistent story. Even going so far as to correct Ron and tell him that he had not played golf that day.
It is not reasonable to call Scott a liar when the abundance of evidence and testimony reveals that he was being truthful about his whereabouts on December 24th , 2002. As previously outlined in our article, "Scott's Timeline", there were eighteen sources and/or witnesses from court that show how truthful Scott was about the details of his day on December 24th. This alleged lie to Amie Krigbaum and Terra Venable is the only exception.
The Alleged 'Longview' Lies:
The prosecution alleged that Scott was lying when he said that he'd been in touch with the Longview Police Department regarding a reported sighting of Laci that came in. The prosecution insinuated that Scott knew Laci was dead and therefore made no attempt to follow up on the tip.
In late January of 2003, a female clerk reported seeing Laci in a grocery store in late December of 2002. While questioning Investigator Jacobson during the trial, the prosecution attempted to use the following four phone calls from the wire tap to call Scott a liar in regards to the Longview, Washington tip:
Jan. 30, 2003 at 9:09pm:
Scott received an incoming call from Rita Cosby discussing the tip. Investigator Jacobson testified that this was the first recorded wiretap call where Scott is heard discussing the tip, but it is clear from what Scott says to Rita that he was already aware of the tip prior to this call.
Scott PETERSON: Hello.
Rita COSBY: Hey, Scott, it's Rita Cosby.
Scott PETERSON: Hi, Rita.
Rita COSBY: Hey, did you hear about this thing in Washington State?
Scott PETERSON: Yeah, definitely.
Rita COSBY: This is amazing. I just wanted to make sure you got all the latest information. I mean this is really incredible.
Scott PETERSON: Well, I just heard that there was um,...I don't have all the details I don't think.
Rita COSBY: I can't tell you...I can tell you at least what I know that um...
Scott PETERSON: I would appreciate it.
Jan. 30, 2003 at 9:18pm
Scott speaks with friends, Aaron and Heidi Fritz, and tells them that he has been in touch with the Longview Police Department. (The prosecution said this was a lie.)
Jan. 31, 2003 at 9:28am
Scott tells his mom, Jackie Peterson, that he has talked to the Longview Police Department. (The prosecution said this was also a lie.)
Jan. 31, 2003 at 10:02am
Scott called 411 from his cell phone and was connected with a Rendy Jacobs of the Longview Police Department. The length of the call was four minutes and fifty-four seconds. The call showed on his phone bill as a directory assistance call. The entire call was not captured by the wire tap because it was interrupted by an incoming call.
The prosecution alleged that this was the first call that Scott made to the Longview Police Department. They implied that Scott knew it wasn't Laci so he had not immediately followed up like he said. They stated the following in their closing argument:
"Remember that false sighting of Laci in Longview, Washington? He lies to a number of people about when he contacted them up there, you know."
When Detective Jacobson was cross-examined by the defense, the following phone calls revealed Scott's previous attempt to follow up on this tip and find his wife:
Jan. 30, 2003 at 4:44pm
Scott made a call to his attorney, Kirk McAllister. This call could not be recorded on the wiretap because of attorney/client privilege.
Jan. 30, 2003 at 4:47pm
Right after hanging up with his attorney, Scott made a call to 411. It is a two minute and nine second call for which there is no audio from the wire tap. The data on this call is identical to the call Scott made the next day to 411 where he was connected with the Longview Police. Because of the call's duration, Investigator Jacobson testified that it was most likely a call that was connected.
What Scott discussed with his attorney is not known and it is also not known who the 411 call was to or what was discussed. Therefore, the prosecution can not state that Scott did not talk to the Longview Police Department prior to the January 31st phone call. (People's Exhibit 203 was used during this testimony. It covers Scott's cell phone calls from January 26, 2003 through February 4, 2003. Of the roughly 950 calls dialed, only four of them were to 411.)
The following series of events further help outline Scott's conversations about the tip and his efforts to follow up on it:
Jan. 31, 2003 at 10:11am
Within five minutes of hanging up with the Longview Police Department, Scott called his mom again. He told her that he had just talked to the Longview Police again and they had told him that they had 50 hours of tape to look at.
Feb. 1, 2003 at 1:06pm
Scott said the following while on the phone with Amber:
"But if it was even close to her description I need to see that tape because I'm gonna know better than anyone else if it's her or not. And frankly the police aren't even looking for her so they may not have even looked at it. So it's absolutely worth any effort if there's a chance."
Feb. 3, 2003 at 2:49pm
Scott talked with the Longview Police again. Detective Jacobs told Scott that he had reviewed the tapes and Laci was not on them. He also told Scott that a copy of the tapes would be sent to the Modesto Police Department. The length of the call was two minutes and four seconds.
Feb. 3, 2003 at 3pm
Within ten minutes of hanging up with Detective Jacobs of the Longview Police, Scott called the Modesto Police Department. He left a message for Lieutenant Aja regarding the Longview tapes.
Feb. 3, 2003 at 3:33pm
Lieutenant Aja returned Scott's phone call. Scott requested to see the tapes from Longview when they arrive. He apologized to Lieutenant Aja about saying he wouldn't trust anyone else, but for his own peace of mind he wants to view the tapes himself.
Feb. 18, 2003
While the second search warrant was being executed on Scott's home, he asked Detective Grogan if the Modesto Police Department had received the Longview tapes. Detective Grogan (the lead detective on the case) didn't know whether or not the tapes had been received by MPD. Detective Grogan also told Scott that someone had viewed the tapes and that the witness had failed a voice stress analysis and left the interview. Scott said asa member of Laci's family, he should be allowed to view the tapes. In court, Detective Grogan testified that the tapes were never provided for Scott to review and to his knowledge, no one from the Modesto Police Department ever viewed the tapes from Longview.
The above facts show that it is inaccurate to call Scott a liar with respect to the Longview, Washington tip. The facts also show Scott made multiple attempts to follow up on the tip with both the Longview Police and the Modesto Police.
As we stated at the beginning of the article, we do intend to cover the lies that Scott did tell in an upcoming Featured Fact. You can help us be as thorough as possible by contacting us if there are any specific lies you would like us to address.
The prosecution alleged that Scott was lying when he said that he'd been in touch with the Longview Police Department regarding a reported sighting of Laci that came in. The prosecution insinuated that Scott knew Laci was dead and therefore made no attempt to follow up on the tip.
In late January of 2003, a female clerk reported seeing Laci in a grocery store in late December of 2002. While questioning Investigator Jacobson during the trial, the prosecution attempted to use the following four phone calls from the wire tap to call Scott a liar in regards to the Longview, Washington tip:
Jan. 30, 2003 at 9:09pm:
Scott received an incoming call from Rita Cosby discussing the tip. Investigator Jacobson testified that this was the first recorded wiretap call where Scott is heard discussing the tip, but it is clear from what Scott says to Rita that he was already aware of the tip prior to this call.
Scott PETERSON: Hello.
Rita COSBY: Hey, Scott, it's Rita Cosby.
Scott PETERSON: Hi, Rita.
Rita COSBY: Hey, did you hear about this thing in Washington State?
Scott PETERSON: Yeah, definitely.
Rita COSBY: This is amazing. I just wanted to make sure you got all the latest information. I mean this is really incredible.
Scott PETERSON: Well, I just heard that there was um,...I don't have all the details I don't think.
Rita COSBY: I can't tell you...I can tell you at least what I know that um...
Scott PETERSON: I would appreciate it.
Jan. 30, 2003 at 9:18pm
Scott speaks with friends, Aaron and Heidi Fritz, and tells them that he has been in touch with the Longview Police Department. (The prosecution said this was a lie.)
Jan. 31, 2003 at 9:28am
Scott tells his mom, Jackie Peterson, that he has talked to the Longview Police Department. (The prosecution said this was also a lie.)
Jan. 31, 2003 at 10:02am
Scott called 411 from his cell phone and was connected with a Rendy Jacobs of the Longview Police Department. The length of the call was four minutes and fifty-four seconds. The call showed on his phone bill as a directory assistance call. The entire call was not captured by the wire tap because it was interrupted by an incoming call.
The prosecution alleged that this was the first call that Scott made to the Longview Police Department. They implied that Scott knew it wasn't Laci so he had not immediately followed up like he said. They stated the following in their closing argument:
"Remember that false sighting of Laci in Longview, Washington? He lies to a number of people about when he contacted them up there, you know."
When Detective Jacobson was cross-examined by the defense, the following phone calls revealed Scott's previous attempt to follow up on this tip and find his wife:
Jan. 30, 2003 at 4:44pm
Scott made a call to his attorney, Kirk McAllister. This call could not be recorded on the wiretap because of attorney/client privilege.
Jan. 30, 2003 at 4:47pm
Right after hanging up with his attorney, Scott made a call to 411. It is a two minute and nine second call for which there is no audio from the wire tap. The data on this call is identical to the call Scott made the next day to 411 where he was connected with the Longview Police. Because of the call's duration, Investigator Jacobson testified that it was most likely a call that was connected.
What Scott discussed with his attorney is not known and it is also not known who the 411 call was to or what was discussed. Therefore, the prosecution can not state that Scott did not talk to the Longview Police Department prior to the January 31st phone call. (People's Exhibit 203 was used during this testimony. It covers Scott's cell phone calls from January 26, 2003 through February 4, 2003. Of the roughly 950 calls dialed, only four of them were to 411.)
The following series of events further help outline Scott's conversations about the tip and his efforts to follow up on it:
Jan. 31, 2003 at 10:11am
Within five minutes of hanging up with the Longview Police Department, Scott called his mom again. He told her that he had just talked to the Longview Police again and they had told him that they had 50 hours of tape to look at.
Feb. 1, 2003 at 1:06pm
Scott said the following while on the phone with Amber:
"But if it was even close to her description I need to see that tape because I'm gonna know better than anyone else if it's her or not. And frankly the police aren't even looking for her so they may not have even looked at it. So it's absolutely worth any effort if there's a chance."
Feb. 3, 2003 at 2:49pm
Scott talked with the Longview Police again. Detective Jacobs told Scott that he had reviewed the tapes and Laci was not on them. He also told Scott that a copy of the tapes would be sent to the Modesto Police Department. The length of the call was two minutes and four seconds.
Feb. 3, 2003 at 3pm
Within ten minutes of hanging up with Detective Jacobs of the Longview Police, Scott called the Modesto Police Department. He left a message for Lieutenant Aja regarding the Longview tapes.
Feb. 3, 2003 at 3:33pm
Lieutenant Aja returned Scott's phone call. Scott requested to see the tapes from Longview when they arrive. He apologized to Lieutenant Aja about saying he wouldn't trust anyone else, but for his own peace of mind he wants to view the tapes himself.
Feb. 18, 2003
While the second search warrant was being executed on Scott's home, he asked Detective Grogan if the Modesto Police Department had received the Longview tapes. Detective Grogan (the lead detective on the case) didn't know whether or not the tapes had been received by MPD. Detective Grogan also told Scott that someone had viewed the tapes and that the witness had failed a voice stress analysis and left the interview. Scott said asa member of Laci's family, he should be allowed to view the tapes. In court, Detective Grogan testified that the tapes were never provided for Scott to review and to his knowledge, no one from the Modesto Police Department ever viewed the tapes from Longview.
The above facts show that it is inaccurate to call Scott a liar with respect to the Longview, Washington tip. The facts also show Scott made multiple attempts to follow up on the tip with both the Longview Police and the Modesto Police.
As we stated at the beginning of the article, we do intend to cover the lies that Scott did tell in an upcoming Featured Fact. You can help us be as thorough as possible by contacting us if there are any specific lies you would like us to address.