In the Scott Peterson double-murder case, Lee and Jackie Peterson -- Scott's parents -- took the stand, hoping to convince the jury their son is not a murderer.
Scott's parents looked at their son repeatedly as they testified on his behalf, knowing that his life hangs in the balance. They tried to offer the jury some explanations for their son's allegedly suspicious behavior.
The couple's testimony was fairly straightforward and not emotional, but Jackie Peterson testified first and set the tone. When defense attorney Mark Geragos asked her to confirm that she is Scott's mom, she answered, "Proudly so."
Lee and Jackie Peterson have attended every day of their son's murder trial. They usually sit right behind him, offering silent support from the gallery.
Much of the testimony from Scott's parents centered on his arrest. Prosecutors portrayed Scott as a man on the run. He had two IDs when he was arrested, his own and his brother's, according to testimony.
On Monday, Lee Peterson said that was his idea, and that he urged Scott to borrow his brother's ID to get the local discount at a golf course.
Scott Peterson was arrested with $15,000 in cash. Jackie Peterson said that money came from her to help his brother buy a truck, and then a repayment of an accounting mistake just the day before Scott was arrested.
But legal analysts pointed out that the jury may consider the story is coming from Scott's mother.
"Would she lie for him when his life is on the line?" asked legal analyst Chuck Smith. "One would think most mothers would. The prosecution will argue that this explanation about the large amount of cash is simply false."
Jackie Peterson also offered an explanation for why Scott bought a Mercedes in her name shortly before his arrest. She said she told him to do that because police had impounded his truck, and he couldn't afford to lose another car.
The defense also used Scott's own words to explain his actions the day of his arrest. He had driven erratically for hours, according to prosecutors. They said it was to evade law enforcement surveillance teams that were following him.
Prosecutors played a conversation between Scott and his brother, Joe, the morning he was allegedly driving erratically:
Scott: "I can't lose these private investigators."
Joe: "Oh gosh."
Scott: "I lost them, and another set got me."
Based in part on Scott using the words "private investigators" in the wiretapped call, the defense will argue that Scott was a man on the run, but he thought he was running from investigators hired by the media.
On Tuesday, jurors will hear from a Modesto police officer who investigated a burglary in the Peterson's neighborhood in the days after Laci disappeared.
Testimony is scheduled to wrap up by the end of Thursday. The jury is still on track to begin deliberations by the middle of next week.
Also Monday, a Stanislaus County judge who heard arguments from attorneys in the early stages of the Peterson murder case died.
Judge Wray Ladine died early Monday morning. He was in his chambers when he suffered an apparent heart attack.
Ladine was first appointed to the bench in 2000. He served on several high-profile cases in his four years as a superior court judge.
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