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DNA Expert Testifies in Scott Peterson Case

Aired November 12, 2003 - 15:15   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The preliminary hearing in the Scott Peterson murder case resumed today, after a long holiday weekend. Testifying today is an FBI expert on DNA testing.
CNN's Mike Brooks is covering the case from Modesto, California.

Mike, it feels like a trial.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It does. In fact, Miles, we've been calling it the preliminary hearing trial.

But today's day eight, as you said. And on the stand all day has been Dr. Bruce Budowle, who is a senior FBI scientist from their lab in Quantico, Virginia. He is a rebuttal witness for the prosecution. And what they're trying to iron out is, the defense says that the techniques used to identify that single strand of hair found on a pair of needle-nosed pliers in Scott Peterson's boat, that the technique using mitochondrial DNA is unreliable.

The FBI says it is reliable and it is accepted in the scientific community. But one of the other things that was brought up today, right after the morning break, Miles, was, Mark Geragos, the defense attorney for Scott Peterson, said that he wanted some tapes that he thought the FBI or the Modesto police had turned over. The prosecution said that in fact there are three videotapes, about an hour long, basically surveillance tapes that were taken across the street from Scott Peterson's home.

Now, they were installed on a camera there on January 3 and just taken down last week. They said they're basically surveillance tapes of the comings and goings of Scott Peterson. But Mark Geragos said wants to see these tapes and wants them handed over. The prosecution said they are making copies of them and should make them available to Geragos' defense team later today or early tomorrow -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Mike Brooks in Modesto, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

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 November 12, 2003 - 15:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The preliminary hearing in the Scott Peterson murder case resumed today, after a long holiday weekend. Testifying today is an FBI expert on DNA testing.
CNN's Mike Brooks is covering the case from Modesto, California.

Mike, it feels like a trial.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It does. In fact, Miles, we've been calling it the preliminary hearing trial.

But today's day eight, as you said. And on the stand all day has been Dr. Bruce Budowle, who is a senior FBI scientist from their lab in Quantico, Virginia. He is a rebuttal witness for the prosecution. And what they're trying to iron out is, the defense says that the techniques used to identify that single strand of hair found on a pair of needle-nosed pliers in Scott Peterson's boat, that the technique using mitochondrial DNA is unreliable.

The FBI says it is reliable and it is accepted in the scientific community. But one of the other things that was brought up today, right after the morning break, Miles, was, Mark Geragos, the defense attorney for Scott Peterson, said that he wanted some tapes that he thought the FBI or the Modesto police had turned over. The prosecution said that in fact there are three videotapes, about an hour long, basically surveillance tapes that were taken across the street from Scott Peterson's home.

Now, they were installed on a camera there on January 3 and just taken down last week. They said they're basically surveillance tapes of the comings and goings of Scott Peterson. But Mark Geragos said wants to see these tapes and wants them handed over. The prosecution said they are making copies of them and should make them available to Geragos' defense team later today or early tomorrow -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Mike Brooks in Modesto, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

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