Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Scott Peterson in Police Custody

Aired April 19, 2003 - 12:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: It has been a climactic week in the Laci Peterson case. Two bodies were found and confirmed to be that of the missing woman and her infant son. Now her husband, Scott Peterson, is in police custody and is expected to be charged within the next few days with double homicide.
We turn to CNN's Mike Brooks, in Modesto, California, to get the latest on all the fast-moving events. Mike, what was it that tipped the scales and led police finally to arrest Scott Peterson?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrea, apparently the police had been following Scott for the past couple of weeks. Had he not been seen in Modesto. There had been, supposedly, Scott sightings. Some people said they had seen him at a bank, others said they had seen him at a Home Depot within the last week. Our crew went out to the house the other day and someone there said they saw him in Modesto about a week ago cutting the grass.

But he was arrested yesterday at approximately 11:10 a.m., in San Diego, just outside the Torrey Pines (ph) golf course in San Diego, which is actually in La Jolla, but still in San Diego County. He was arrested there by Modesto police detectives and he was driven back here to Modesto last evening, and he was booked into the Stanislaus County jail at about nine minutes after midnight this morning.

He is being held on two charges of murder, and he will be arraigned either on Monday or Tuesday in the Stanislaus County Superior Court just a few blocks from the police station, here in Modesto. Andrea?

KOPPEL: You mentioned Scott's changed appearance. I mean, it really is dramatic. He was a dark-haired man, and now he's blond with this goatee moustache. Why do you think he changed his appearance, Mike? And why do police -- were they afraid that he was going to run?

BROOKS: Well, police said yesterday at a news conference that they believed he was a flight risk. He appeared to have lost some weight. The last time we saw him publicly was after the second search of his house back in February, and he was starting to grow a goatee then. But his booking photo, or his mug shot, if will you, shows him with lost weight, lighter hair, and he looks like he also dyed his beard.

Now, yesterday, earlier this morning, we spoke with Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden. We asked him if they had not recovered the bodies of Laci and her unborn child if they had enough to still arrest him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WASDEN, POLICE CHIEF, MODESTO, CALIFORNIA: We believed that we were very close to having enough information to make an arrest in this case. Of course, the discovery of the remains were the -- really accelerated everything forward, but the detectives were working towards that conclusion. They were consulting with the prosecutors and the district attorney's office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKS: Now, again, as you said, they did believe he was a flight risk and that's why they decided to go ahead and arrest him because he was very close to Mexico. And they said they did not want to arrest him until they went ahead and found out that the DNA results came back from the California Department of Justice and positively identified the remains that were found last Sunday and Monday as those of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Connor -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: I'm sure we'll all be watching when that trial begins. Mike Brooks in Modesto, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired April 19, 2003 - 12:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: It has been a climactic week in the Laci Peterson case. Two bodies were found and confirmed to be that of the missing woman and her infant son. Now her husband, Scott Peterson, is in police custody and is expected to be charged within the next few days with double homicide.
We turn to CNN's Mike Brooks, in Modesto, California, to get the latest on all the fast-moving events. Mike, what was it that tipped the scales and led police finally to arrest Scott Peterson?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrea, apparently the police had been following Scott for the past couple of weeks. Had he not been seen in Modesto. There had been, supposedly, Scott sightings. Some people said they had seen him at a bank, others said they had seen him at a Home Depot within the last week. Our crew went out to the house the other day and someone there said they saw him in Modesto about a week ago cutting the grass.

But he was arrested yesterday at approximately 11:10 a.m., in San Diego, just outside the Torrey Pines (ph) golf course in San Diego, which is actually in La Jolla, but still in San Diego County. He was arrested there by Modesto police detectives and he was driven back here to Modesto last evening, and he was booked into the Stanislaus County jail at about nine minutes after midnight this morning.

He is being held on two charges of murder, and he will be arraigned either on Monday or Tuesday in the Stanislaus County Superior Court just a few blocks from the police station, here in Modesto. Andrea?

KOPPEL: You mentioned Scott's changed appearance. I mean, it really is dramatic. He was a dark-haired man, and now he's blond with this goatee moustache. Why do you think he changed his appearance, Mike? And why do police -- were they afraid that he was going to run?

BROOKS: Well, police said yesterday at a news conference that they believed he was a flight risk. He appeared to have lost some weight. The last time we saw him publicly was after the second search of his house back in February, and he was starting to grow a goatee then. But his booking photo, or his mug shot, if will you, shows him with lost weight, lighter hair, and he looks like he also dyed his beard.

Now, yesterday, earlier this morning, we spoke with Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden. We asked him if they had not recovered the bodies of Laci and her unborn child if they had enough to still arrest him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WASDEN, POLICE CHIEF, MODESTO, CALIFORNIA: We believed that we were very close to having enough information to make an arrest in this case. Of course, the discovery of the remains were the -- really accelerated everything forward, but the detectives were working towards that conclusion. They were consulting with the prosecutors and the district attorney's office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKS: Now, again, as you said, they did believe he was a flight risk and that's why they decided to go ahead and arrest him because he was very close to Mexico. And they said they did not want to arrest him until they went ahead and found out that the DNA results came back from the California Department of Justice and positively identified the remains that were found last Sunday and Monday as those of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Connor -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: I'm sure we'll all be watching when that trial begins. Mike Brooks in Modesto, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com