Still can't shake the Laci Peterson case...

So this weeks topic is either Storytelling or a Forensic speaking so I decided to give forensic speech a shot.  I'm not sure I've accomplished everything required which I've copied and pasted below but ya know what - I have finished this speech write up and must move on to the next fun filled assignment along the way.

Criteria: 

A forensic speech is one that seeks truth. It deals with material from the past and tries to determine, with the greatest accuracy the following; what happened, why it happened and what impact it has. Forensic speeches are found in courtrooms, boards of inquiry, airplane crash reviews, parents trying to determine which child started the fight and financial audits. Forensic speeches rely primarily on two factors: the presentation of evidence in a clear manner and linking the evidence to the central claim that is made.

My speech:

“The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children,” a quote by Elaine Heffner.  Laci Peterson never survived the birth of her son; she never got to feel labor pains or even push in the hospital room.  Laci wasn’t able to teach the art of living to her baby – she wasn’t even given the chance.  This is about a woman whose life was taken from her and a precious baby who never got to see the light of day.  I will tell you about Laci and her husband Scott, her famous case the made headlines for a year and also the outcome of the events that took place on December 24^th 2002.

Laci Denise Peterson was born May 4^th 1975 to Dennis and Sharon Rocha in Modesto, California.  “From the time Laci was a baby she woke each morning with a smile on her face…  Laci grew up to be energetic, imaginative, creating and busy,” describes Sharon Rocha, her mother in her memorial program.  Laci was a cheerleader throughout high school career and went on to attend California Polytechnic State University where she majored in horticulture in the hopes of one day opening her very own specialty plant shop.  It was there she met Scott Peterson whom she married on August 9^th 1997. 

Laci and Scott became pregnant in mid-2002.  Laci’s due date was to be February 10^th 2003 and the couple had planned to name their first son Conner Latham Peterson.

On December 24^th 2002 Laci was just shy of being eight months pregnant.  By her mother Sharon’s account “Laci was pregnant, and happy and healthy.  She was reliable, punctual and responsible… She didn’t wander off without telling someone.  She didn’t go missing.”  But everything changed on that day in December when Laci never showed up for dinner at her mother’s house.  Scott said that the last time he’d seen Laci was in the morning before he left for his fishing trip at the Berkeley Marina.  Neighbors could not recall seeing her out and about, her family hadn’t heard from her and it wasn’t like her not to say a word to anyone.  Her purse and cell phone sat in the kitchen and her Land Rover in the driveway.  Hospitals didn’t have record of her checking in – she had simply vanished.

What happened to this woman?

Massive search efforts immediately started as people looked high and low for pregnant Laci Peterson.  “This is completely out of character for her” said lead Detective Al Brocchini in a press conference with local media source the Modesto Bee.  The family offered a reward that increased all the way up to half a million dollars for any information leading to her safe return.  Posters and media attention hit America with a bang and before you knew it – everyone had heard of Laci Peterson and the missing pregnant woman in Modesto, California.  But with all the buzz and media frenzy still, nothing came and months passed and it began to look more like foul play and pretty quickly that became clear.   

Here are some proven facts about this case:

• While things appeared happy and healthy at home – Scott was a busy husband wining and dining another woman just outside of town.  He even told the other woman, known to America as Amber Frey that he was a windowed husband whose wife had died sometime ago.  Amber Frey, later aided as the main witness for the prosecution NOT the defense (on Scott’s side). 
• Scott went as far as denying having a girlfriend on the side after being asked by Laci’s family directly on several accounts. 
• Scott was never the typical grieving husband hunting for his pregnant wife.  He down right refused to talk to the media and only took a back seat in the search efforts happening regarding Laci and Conner. 
• Scott had taken out a life insurance policy on Laci for a quarter of a million dollars shortly after Laci became pregnant.  It was never confirmed if Laci even knew about the policy and her family didn’t appear to either.
• Scott never agreed to a polygraph test.  According to the ModBee.com a family member said that “if he’s innocent, fine, then take a lie detector test” but he never did.  They urged him over and over again to prove his innocence but he never seemed to be interested in clearing his name or staying out of the news in all the wrong ways.
• At the time the Peterson home was searched nothing appeared out of place but it was evident that the house had be cleaned recently and a mop and bucket was still laying out.
• Homemade cement anchors were found in Scott’s boat.  The strange part was that he had recently poured a certain number of anchors based on the potted templates still wet in the shed – however he could never account for where those extra anchors went. 
• When asked by Modesto Police what he was fishing for in the Marina that day – Scott could never come up with an answer.  Even the lures he purchased on December 20^th were still unopened in the tackle box he took fishing with him. 
• Laci and Conner did eventually turn up.  The washed up on the sands of San Francisco Bay – home of the Berkeley Marina and same place Scott claimed to have been fishing the day Laci was last said to be alive.  According to LaciPeterson.com “Police published photographs of Scott’s truck and boat and asked the public to help them corroborate Scott’s story.”  But no one could in fact confirm Scott’s boating trip that December day.

This case was not the typical slam dunk case with DNA evidence and a messy crime scene – but there was a body – actually there were two.  A young mother who never got to meet her baby boy.  There was a husband who by all accounts didn’t act right… didn’t look the profile but his actions fit it completely.  He never had answers.  He never seemed distraught at the loss of his wife and unborn son.  In all actuality, he seemed eager to sell everything they had as a couple and move on with his life.

Perhaps Scott could answer why cement anchors missing from his home.  The State believes the evidence shows that Scott used those anchors to hoist Laci’s body into the Bay the evening before she went “missing”.  After all, he was the last person to actually see her.  Did he want the insurance money to start a new life?  He had the motive, the time and the desire to start something new with someone new.  He had the resources and he thought he had the perfect story as a cover up.

However, Scott’s luck ran out.  After Laci and Conner’s body turned up he was arrested on April 18^th 2003.  In his car he had his brother’s fake ID, $15,000 in cash, camping equipment and pure motive to flee from the chaos he himself created.

Scott plead not guilty on two counts of capital murder.  The trial started in 2004 and the State brought everything they had including his actions, his possible motives and his lack of cooperation on top of the questionable evidence on his property that connected him to a thought through crime.  On November 12^th, 2004 a verdict was handed down – GUILTY on BOTH accounts and Scott would be taken to San Quiten State Prison to carry out a Death Row term for the killing of Laci & Conner Peterson.  There is no doubt in the eyes of those who worked the case that the right man is in fact where he should be and the family can rest easy that he will never be able to hurt anyone else – ever again. 

For us watching on the sidelines our hearts break for a mother who never got to hold her unborn child and for a life cut to short.  Scott Peterson did murder his pregnant wife and that will haunt him for the rest of his life.  I have laid out the facts and given you several motives on why his life was better without her.  By all accounts the right man is serving in the only place he can’t hurt anyone else.  Behind bars until death… right where he belongs. 

I’ll leave you with Sharon’s final echo at Laci memorial service on August 29^th 2003 taken from LaciPeterson.com.  “For those fortunate enough to have had Laci in their lives, she leaves behind a legacy of wonderful memories for her family and friends to cherish and hold very close to their hearts.”  

Sources:

LaciPeterson.com. Laci Peterson Family. 2008. 28 May 2012.  http://www.lacipeterson.com/index.html

FoxNews.com.  Fox News Network, LLC.  2012.  29 May 2012.  http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,84572,00.html

Rocha, Sharon.  For Laci: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Justice.  New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006.  Print.

Modbee.com.  The Modesto Bee & McClatchy Company.  2012.  29 May 2012.  http://www.modbee.com/peterson

Oh Couponing - to me... you ARE an informative topic!

Well, I completed Speech #2 last night and I haven't got my grade but I think I did okay... it was a bit longer but I think I cut all the fluff I could to make it this short.  Ended up being 5mins and 20secs which was only supposed to be 4.  What can I say - don't get me started about couponing right!?! :) 

Anyway, if bored --- enjoy --- maybe you'll learn something since the topic was "informative".  There will be a quiz 5mins after completing the reading.  No pressure :) jk

Couponing is my new way of life.  Here’s how it all started for me.  My coupon guru friend took me to the store with her to show me this world I obviously knew absolutely nothing about.  Coupons housed in a little envelope, typed lists, strictly sticking to items she came in the store for and most importantly checking prices at the register – what in the world is going on I thought?!  To say the least as she handed over her mountain of coupons I immediately was baffled at the numbers dropping like hot cakes at the register before my eyes.  I couldn’t believe such a thing was even possible.  I began to sweat – I was literally watching my back leaving the store wondering what manager was going to tackle us for getting away with so much for so little!

Immediately I told myself to shape up and get on board or else I would drastically be missing out on the possibilities of having money for other things minus $300 a pop on groceries every other week.  I used to dread the register at Publix, I could never calculate on the fly to see where I’d be and when I would it only hurt worse because I was way over what I expected. 

So I set out to find out everything I could about this exciting world of couponing.  I took a class through True Couponing; which is based in the Tampa Bay Area.  This class changed my family’s life. My major take away from the class was through this quote from the Holy Bible, Proverbs 3:9-10; “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all the crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine”.  Basically I’ve applied this to couponing, getting abundance for my family to build our nest and then sharing it with others including my family, friends and charities in need for essential everyday items.

First, let me talk about the benefits of couponing.  Couponing offers many women and even men a hobby plain and simple.  You may not have a lot of time in the evenings after you come home from work but it’s a good way to relax and it’s cheap entertainment! 

In addition to a hobby it expands your critical thinking skills – playing out scenarios in your head to get you the best savings.  Couponing makes you get organized which could be a huge benefit in every aspect of your life.  You also become a frugal shopper instead of a money waster and you get to a point where you’re hunting for coupons for restaurants and even shops in the mall.  You’re able to set the bar and find deals that are out there and more in your monthly budget.

The overall concept of couponing is very simple.  Dustin Smith, a TLC spokesman said it best when he quoted, "It's not an instructional or how-to program.”  Couponing becomes a new way of life. 

To start you have to get a newspaper subscription.  I’d like to point out that I had never even purchased a newspaper prior to couponing so don’t worry if you don’t know why you even need a newspaper. 

Sunday newspapers contain coupon booklets – they vary by the week and some weeks have better coupon bundles than others.  To start, you’re basically looking for two major coupon books in the whole paper – the Red Plum and the other called the SmartSouce.  When those arrive at your doorstep immediately take them out of the paper and file them in a file box noting the date on the front of each booklet. 

Let me say that again, you want to file them away immediately.  I constantly tell my friends not to be “flippers” and by that I mean those who flip through the entire booklet clipping coupons as they see items they normal buy.  When you do this you’re defeating the overall coupon theory, which is basically this:  hold the coupons until they are at their lowest price likely BOGO known as “Buy One, Get One” deals.  Then, (and only then) dig out those coupons and go to the store during the sale week. 

Now that we talked about actually collecting coupons you also have to know the sales tactics of a store.  Generally speaking, most items go BOGO every three months so you should plan to buy accordingly.  For our family of three I buy in groups of four.  Four spaghetti sauces generally last us two months and I only buy sauces during a BOGO sale.  This means that by the time we’re on our last sauce, I’m hitting the sale at my local grocery the coming week to restock my supply.

Sometimes there’s a misconception about coupons: people tend to believe the store is being cleaned out or ripped off.  For citing purposes, How it Works on Discovery Channel notes that  “Manufacturers will reimburse you for face value of this coupon plus eight cents if submitted in compliance with our coupon redemption policy”.  This actually is on manufacture coupon in fine print.  This means the grocery store has the potential to make money on the coupons you use – even when you combine them on BOGO items and sale prices.

While that leaves you something to think about let me quickly mention the value this has on everyday life.  If you’ve ever had a tight finance month couponing, can take the heat of another high value expense because when you start couponing you watch your grocery bill drop in half as you get better and better at couponing.  Couponing gives you the freedom to save for things you wouldn’t normally be able to purchase on a whim – for example a family vacation, a new iPad, maybe add to you retirement nest egg… whatever it is that you want, couponing can pave the path to seeing enough savings to be able to apply it to something you would like to have down the road.

In conclusion I’d like to leave you with this passage.  Timothy 6:18 “Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.” Kati founder of True Couponing closes her workshops by saying, “now go and be a blessing to others”, such a fitting statement for someone who’s changed MY life and shown me how to coupon, the benefits of couponing and also the value it’s added to our family. 

Sources:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+3%3A9-10&version=NIV

New International Version, Proverbs 3:9-10. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011.  BibleGateway.com.  Web. May 2012. 

http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/question426.htm

How Stuff Works – A Discovery Company How, How do store coupons work? [North Carolina] StuffWorks, Inc., 2012.  Howstuffworks.com. Web May 2012.

Quotes:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sc-cons-0421-frugalista-coupon-fraud-20110426,0,2329448.story

"It's not an instructional or how-to program.” Quoted Dustin Smith a TLC spokesman.

Chicago Tribune, Business Section.  [Chicago, Illinois]: Tribune Iteratice, Inc “TI”, 2012.  ChicagoTribune.com.  Web. May 2012.

Public Speaking - Yes, I'm totally serious.

So, I must first say - public speaking is something I absolutely hate and fear drastically.  And as luck should have it - it's "required" for my graduation which has already been an almost ten year plan let's be honest! :)  So here I am, sweating bullets before speaking, hands shaking, heart racing, fidgeting like a fool... but here we go, I can overcome this... or at least do well enough to get a passing grade in this blasted class. 

For those starving for something to read or to be entertained - here's my first speech of my 6 week struggle.  At least this was a pleasant topic on "introductions" so I chose my amazing Grandmother Heidi who absolutely warms my heart to the core.  

My speech:

"There must be no majority decisions, but only responsible persons, and the word 'council' must be restored to its original meaning. Surely every man will have advisers by his side, but the decision will be made by one man.", quoted Hilter to his German Army during the war.  World War II wasn’t just a battle it was a way of life for many men and women in the late 1930’s and early 19040’s.  Among those German citizens was my grandmother, Heidi Pfeiffer just 14 when the war officially started.  I’m going to talk to you about Heidi’s life and her road to 87 years old.

Heidi was born April 3, 1925 in Neunkirchen Germany and the second oldest of five children.

Before the age of twenty Heidi had quite a job assisting the military. She was required to shine lights on US Military planes as they flew over the city in the night.  She was told this was to distract pilots and also give the German military visual targets to take down plans who might bomb the city.  It was then that Heidi began to dream about a better life. 

After three long years on a waiting list Heidi was granted approval to head to America by a sponsor named; Else McDowell, known to me as my Aunt through marriage.  After a two-week long boat ride and severe sea sickness she had finally arrived.  Like many immigrants her first sight was the famous Statue of Liberty in New York City.  She still remembers the beauty in that moment – surely, here, in America dreams will come true.

Shortly after arriving to America Heidi move to Orlando, Florida to live with Else and her husband.  Heidi took a job as a nanny for Mr. & Mrs. Fortune.  This Americanize family helped her perfect her English, taught her to drive a vehicle and took her everywhere with them.  Little did Heidi know she was working for the family who later developed a $39-million dollar resort known today as the Trade Winds Hotel and Beach Resort right here in our home turf.

Down the road Heidi was talked into going to a US Military ball.  It was here that she met Glenn Gisin, a studly Air Force pilot and conquincidently a potential target in Heidi’s light shining days.  Two people that were once at war on opposing sides now found love in each other.

Heidi Pfeiffer became Heidi P Gisin and they had three beautiful girls; Diana, Karen & Vera.  As a military wife Heidi traveled all over the world and gave birth in Louisiana to Diana, then in Superior delivering Karen and finally the last of three girls - Vera in Ankara, Turkey.

Heidi mastered sewing clothing for all the girls and was an amazing cook spoiling her family with only the best German cuisine including my personal favorite Rouladen and German style pastries. 

Later, Heidi was blessed with two grandchildren; myself and my brother; Derek, whom she continues to spoil by putting us both through college and slipping us $20’s at every visit.

As the years passed both her daughter Karen and her husband Glenn have passed away but she remains in the home they built to raise their family here in Orlando, Florida.  At the age of eighty-seven she’s still going strong carrying the pride of achieving the American dream and finding the ultimate loving husband.  In the last two years she’s welcomed a great grandson who brings such joy to her world.  She enjoys Thursdays and Saturday’s at her local church, bingo on Wednesday’s twice a month and the promise the live out her American dream surrounded by her loving family. 

Heidi laughs at us kids as we talk about our struggles in everyday life reminding us that she knows the true meaning struggle in her early years in Germany.  She was the fitting definition you hear from time to time “one pair of shoes for a years, traveling up hill to and from school”.   Heidi survived complete devastation throughout World War II and came to America on a whim to achieve her American Dream.

 

Hilter quote taken from:

http://www.military-quotes.com/Hitler.htm

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19850620&id=M-kLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xlkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6516,909494