Courthouse regular Courthouse regular (July 30, 2004)

Local resident plans to write book about Peterson trial

By Jon Wiener

You might think you've been following the Scott Peterson trial. But unless your name is Mark Geragos or Rick Distaso, you probably haven't been following it as closely as Valerie Harris.

Harris, a Mountain View resident, goes to Redwood City every day to watch the trial unfold and talk to the main players. In the evenings, she writes up her notes and e-mails them to more than 400 people. In recent months, she has also visited the Berkeley Marina area where Peterson said he was fishing the day prosecutors say he dumped the body of his pregnant wife Laci, the Richmond discovery site a few miles away where police found the bodies of Laci and their unborn son Connor, and even the Modesto park where some witnesses said they saw Laci after Scott allegedly killed her.

"This has really taken over my life," said Harris, who also works as a freelance Web designer. "It's a good whodunit; you can't read ahead and see the last chapter."

Harris said she first got interested in the case back in February, when she traveled to a preliminary hearing in Modesto to watch her friend, a sketch artist from Stanislaus County, work. Harris said she found herself fascinated by the legal struggle between prosecutor Rick Distaso and defense attorney Mark Geragos. When jury selection began, "it dawned on me that a lot of people were taking my notes seriously."

She began working as a sort of volunteer journalist, putting together her observations on the day's events for distribution via her e-mail list, which includes viewers from as far away as Denmark and Germany. She is planning to write a book on the trial and perhaps make a documentary.

Harris followed the trial from Modesto to San Mateo County, where a raffle is held every morning between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. for members of the public who want to watch the trial.

According to Harris, the reporters who have flocked to the courthouse to cover the trial have been remarkably accurate. On the other hand, she thinks the prosecution has struggled to present enough evidence to convict Scott Peterson.

Harris is planning to stick out the remainder of the trial from her seat in the back of the courthouse. Asked what she has taken away from her experience, Harris said, "Don't ever talk to the cops without a lawyer."

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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