We have covered everything it seems — from murder (e.g. Peterson) to politics (e.g. Presidential races) to weather (e.g. Katrina) to the economy!
Around Christmas 2002, 10 months after I joined Fox, pregnant Laci Peterson disappeared. Her remains (and that of her child) washed ashore about 90 miles from their home a few months later. Her husband Scott was arrested for her murder, tried, convicted of the murder and condemned to die. I have no doubt he did it – but I do think his conviction will be reversed because of a serious constitutional error. If I am right, he will be retried or he will be offered a plea of guilty for something short of the death penalty (life in prison?)
We – ON THE RECORD at 10pm – covered the investigation and murder trial (and so did just about everyone from the Today Show to the evening news on the networks.) We spent many weeks in California and not just covered the trial but brought you to the key places – e.g. inside the Peterson home where the murder is thought to have occurred and 90 miles away where the remains washed ashore.
There are a few interesting tidbits (behind the scenes factoids.) It was at the trial that I met Laura Ingle. She was a radio reporter at the time and I was amazed at her talents and hard work. What a reporter! I later recommended to Fox that she be interviewed for a job, they interviewed her and she was hired.
Here are just some sample pics from that story:
This (below) was Laci and Scott Peterson’s home — the prosecutors say Laci’s murder occurred inside.
Below is the living room inside the home …and then the next picture is the area going into the kitchen. It was never established where exactly the prosecutors thought the murder occurred in the home – only that it did occur there.
Gloria Allred represented Scott Peterson’s girlfriend — the girlfriend was thought to be a part of Scott’s murder motivation (and that he did not want to have a child with Laci.) The girlfriend was told a story from Peterson and she did not know he was married – nor that his wife was pregnant with their child. She fully cooperated with law enforcement.
Below are Scott Peterson’s parents going into the courthouse. As you might expect, they got mobbed by the cameras and tried to slip in without getting cameras shoved in their faces. They stood by their son throughout the entire trial. I assume they still stand by him. (Incidentally, he is on death row in a prison in northern California.)
Below are Claudia Cowan (SF based correspondent) and you know the other two. They were sitting there because they were about to go on a news show and that is a live shot area.
Below are Jim Hammer, Laura Ingle (who worked for a radio show out of LA) and, again, Gloria Allred
Below is Trace Gallagher (who at the time was an LA based Fox News Channel correspondent. He later moved to NYC to become a Fox anchor and he is now back in LA)
Adam Housley at the live shot outside the courthouse:
Below is where the remains washed ashore…
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