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American Morning
Search for Laci Peterson
Aired April 18, 2003 - 09:25 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin is here now to take a look at this and give us some reaction. What do you make of these comments?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think it's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard a prosecutor say. Why speculate about something like this? There are DNA tests underway, and we are going to know in the next week or two weeks whether it's true or not. Why torture this poor family more by speculating? You know, it's -- it is a possibility, but it doesn't settle anything, and it just makes them feel worse. I just think it's idiotic.
COLLINS: It does seem a little bit rare that somebody would come out that close to the case with the authority to say something that definitive.
TOOBIN: It's rare, because cop usually aren't that stupid.
COLLINS: If the body is hers, though, what does it mean for the case? Does this make it easier to solve?
TOOBIN: Well, certainly, the most important thing it does, is it gives a little peace to the family to know for sure. Obviously, it's not the news they wanted, but it's better than not knowing. In the law enforcement perspective, it all depends on what evidence you can get. We all remember the Chandra Levy case, and there was supposedly a big break in that case when her body was discovered. That case is still on a slow boat to nowhere. There is no progress apparently being made there.
Unless you can really determine a cause of death and with a body decaying for this long, it's very difficult. It may not mean that much progress in the investigation.
COLLINS: There has been a lot of speculation and now, of course, with this discovery, even possibly more speculation about Scott Peterson.
TOOBIN: Right.
COLLINS: And the case against him. In fact, Laci's dad has even come out and mentioned him and sort of pointed his finger at him. What does this mean for him at this point?
TOOBIN: Scott Peterson has been convicted in every water cooler in America about this case. But I think it's important to say, there doesn't appear to be that much solid evidence against him. He was having an affair, so maybe you can say there was motive. This body, if it is, in fact, his wife, was discovered about three miles away from where he said he was fishing in this somewhat fishy story he told about the day he was -- the day she disappeared. I don't know what else there is against him -- murder weapon, a method of killing, none of that is clear, and as far as I can tell, there's not evidence to charge him at this point.
COLLINS: All right, we will have to wait for that.
TOOBIN: We will.
COLLINS: Jeffrey Toobin, CNN legal analyst, thanks so 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 18, 2003 - 09:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin is here now to take a look at this and give us some reaction. What do you make of these comments?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think it's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard a prosecutor say. Why speculate about something like this? There are DNA tests underway, and we are going to know in the next week or two weeks whether it's true or not. Why torture this poor family more by speculating? You know, it's -- it is a possibility, but it doesn't settle anything, and it just makes them feel worse. I just think it's idiotic.
COLLINS: It does seem a little bit rare that somebody would come out that close to the case with the authority to say something that definitive.
TOOBIN: It's rare, because cop usually aren't that stupid.
COLLINS: If the body is hers, though, what does it mean for the case? Does this make it easier to solve?
TOOBIN: Well, certainly, the most important thing it does, is it gives a little peace to the family to know for sure. Obviously, it's not the news they wanted, but it's better than not knowing. In the law enforcement perspective, it all depends on what evidence you can get. We all remember the Chandra Levy case, and there was supposedly a big break in that case when her body was discovered. That case is still on a slow boat to nowhere. There is no progress apparently being made there.
Unless you can really determine a cause of death and with a body decaying for this long, it's very difficult. It may not mean that much progress in the investigation.
COLLINS: There has been a lot of speculation and now, of course, with this discovery, even possibly more speculation about Scott Peterson.
TOOBIN: Right.
COLLINS: And the case against him. In fact, Laci's dad has even come out and mentioned him and sort of pointed his finger at him. What does this mean for him at this point?
TOOBIN: Scott Peterson has been convicted in every water cooler in America about this case. But I think it's important to say, there doesn't appear to be that much solid evidence against him. He was having an affair, so maybe you can say there was motive. This body, if it is, in fact, his wife, was discovered about three miles away from where he said he was fishing in this somewhat fishy story he told about the day he was -- the day she disappeared. I don't know what else there is against him -- murder weapon, a method of killing, none of that is clear, and as far as I can tell, there's not evidence to charge him at this point.
COLLINS: All right, we will have to wait for that.
TOOBIN: We will.
COLLINS: Jeffrey Toobin, CNN legal analyst, thanks so 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
