Peterson defense: Lead detective inconsistent during testimony

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

The Associated Press


REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Defense attorneys on Thursday challenged the lead detective assigned to investigate Laci Peterson's disappearance on his claim that husband Scott Peterson seemed disinterested in how the case was going.

Modesto police Detective Craig Grogan was on the witness stand for nearly eight days before concluding his testimony Thursday.

The defense used him to accuse police of narrowly focusing on their client while ignoring other possible leads. Prosecutors had Grogan catalog Peterson's apparent duplicity after his wife's disappearance.

Grogan testified Wednesday that Peterson seldom asked police about the case. On cross-examination Thursday, he acknowledged that Peterson asked about the investigation much more often.

Grogan told jurors that when he previously said Peterson contacted police about once a month he was speaking about himself, and not referring to any conversations Peterson had with other officers.

"In actuality, Scott Peterson was talking to police every single day asking about the investigation," defense lawyer Mark Geragos said.

Grogan also acknowledged that he and Peterson spoke at least 11 times during the first 10 days of the case.

The defense lawyer also pointed out that in a telephone call with Laci's brother, Peterson expressed concern that authorities weren't giving him any details.

Experts speculated that Grogan's acknowledgment under cross-examination that Peterson inquired about the case much more often than Grogan's earlier testimony suggested could hurt the government's credibility.

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