Peterson's Half Sister Convinced of his Guilt

This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," March 7, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: In just nine days, Scott Peterson (search) will learn whether he will live or die in the California execution chamber. One of the key witnesses in Scott's double murder trial was his former mistress, Amber Frey (search). I asked Amber if she believes Scott killed his pregnant wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, SCOTT PETERSON'S FMR. LOVER: There's no doubt and the reason for that that I feel is that there's 12 jurors that was presented all the evidence. They heard. They seen and they made that decision that Scott Peterson was the one responsible for Laci and Conner's death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, most of Scott's family has stood at his side. At least one family member agrees with Amber and says Scott is guilty of murder. Joining us from New York is Scott Peterson's half sister Anne Bird (search) and her attorney Gloria Allred. Anne is the author of the new book "Blood Brother, 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson Is Guilty," welcome to both of you.

And, Anne first to you. You met Scott in what year?

ANNE BIRD, SCOTT PETERSON'S HALF SISTER: In 1997.

VAN SUSTEREN: And when was the last time you saw Scott?

BIRD: On January 25th of this year.

VAN SUSTEREN: What's he like?

BIRD: You know he's changed a lot. This time when I saw him I was looking at him as a guilty person, which, you know, put him in a little bit of a different light for me.

He was wearing a suicide vest called a Ferguson that velcros on the shoulders. His arms were bigger. He's been doing pushups on the side of his toilet. You know, he's very pale, some dark creases on his forehead and seemed very distant.

VAN SUSTEREN: What's the word to describe your feelings for him?

BIRD: It's sad, very, very sad. This has just been awful.

VAN SUSTEREN: When you first met him in 1997, you were how old and how old was he?

BIRD: Oh, math, let's see, 1997, I'm 39.

VAN SUSTEREN: About? I can figure it out from there and he was about and he was in his 20s is that right?

BIRD: Right, that's right.

VAN SUSTEREN: And to give some sort of background, you've written this new book and in the book you explained how your mother is Jackie and she gave you up for adoption and you grew up in a very loving family and met Scott much later in life when Jackie rejoined your life, is that fair to say?

BIRD: Right, that's fair to say, yes, accurate.

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of Jackie, what's she like?

BIRD: You know she came across to me as very loving, kind, just a wonderful human being and I think she did everything she could to defend or -- I don't want to use the word cover up -- but to help Scott, even asking the other kids to, I don't know put one cub in front of the other or how do you say that? Just a very nice person that went too far I think for one child.

VAN SUSTEREN: I'm going to ask you in a little while about, you know, what it is that changed your mind or what convinced you Scott was guilty but in terms of writing this book, I imagine that it has had quite a stir in the family. Have you talked to Jackie since she heard of the book or the book has come out?

BIRD: You know, I haven't spoken to her. I did receive an e-mail that I actually couldn't read. It was just a little too devastating for me. Gloria has read it.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Yes, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: And we're lucky, Gloria is here. Gloria, tell me what is this e-mail from Jackie?

ALLRED: It appears to be from Lee and if, in fact, it is from Lee then it suggests that Anne is no longer welcome in their house, which is really rather sad because...

VAN SUSTEREN: It suggests, Gloria, or it says?

ALLRED: Well, that's what it states.

VAN SUSTEREN: OK, so it says that?

ALLRED: Yes, but so what I'm saying is that and if those are Jackie's sentiments that would be really sad because obviously Jackie wants to have a relationship with her son, who is a convicted double murderer of her daughter-in-law and her grandson-to-be.

And yet if they don't want to have a relationship with Anne, Jackie's biological daughter who has done nothing but tell the truth as she sees it, then that would be really very unfortunate and I think also very sad.

I hope they will continue to have a relationship with Anne but Anne can only have a relationship with them if it's based on truth because truth is a value that is extremely important to Anne.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Anne, in terms of Laci you met her what words describe Laci as you recall her?

BIRD: Well, she's just a really, just a neat, wonderful person full of energy, full of life, darling, just a sweetheart and I was lucky enough to have known her for eight years.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Anne, Gloria stand by. We have much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT PETERSON, CONVICTED OF DOUBLE MURDER: People have accused me of some involvement and I had nothing to do with her disappearance but people still accuse me of it. My response is the same to all of them. Thank you for being aware of her missing from her family and please do what you can to bring her home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Anne, out of the 33 reasons is there one that was the most convincing to you that was finally sort of the straw that broke the camel's back for you to say ah-ha my half brother is guilty?

BIRD: You know, I was the first one who told him that they found the body of a woman and, you know, the day before the body of a baby and his reaction was not right. His response to finding the body of a woman was that it's not Laci and they'll keep looking for her. And his response to finding the body of a baby was "Who would do such a thing," and he yelled it.

And it made no sense to me at the time and, at that time, he was about 45 minutes away from me in Berkeley and about seven hours later he was in San Diego. So, his instinct was instead to go toward the bodies he went away from the bodies.

VAN SUSTEREN: And he was arrested a couple days later, hair color changed, any explanation for the hair color?

BIRD: He told me that he was swimming in a pool and the pool had too much chlorine in it and that's what happened.

VAN SUSTEREN: What about the money that was found on Scott at the time he was arrested and the car being in his mother's name, any explanation for that?

BIRD: From Jackie I heard four different stories about that cash.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you remember what the four were?

BIRD: I do. The first was that she was purchasing a car and one of them was she was transferring money. One of them was about Scott carrying that much cash. And the other one, I can't -- I'm sorry.

VAN SUSTEREN: I mean it's a very tragic story. You've got, you know, poor Laci and her family and Conner and you've also got Jackie, who at least from the way you write the book is, you know, blinded by her son. At least that's what I take away from the book.

What's your feeling towards Jackie? I mean you reunited with her after being an adoptive child with a whole new family and new parents. How do you feel about Jackie?

BIRD: You know, that's a really hard question to answer. It's a loaded question. You know, I did try to tell her that, you know, I did feel that Scott was guilty and she said that she was very disappointed in me, that the whole family was disappointed in me and that Scott would be very disappointed with me.

And so, I can't really have this opinion that he's guilty without being condemned for it. And, you know, without being allowed to do that I can't live with, you know, all these lies and that was part of the reason why I wrote this.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did Scott know when you visited him in January that you had started the book and did Jackie know at that point?

BIRD: No, no one knew.

VAN SUSTEREN: And did you tell Jackie the book was coming out or how did she find out?

BIRD: You know, I didn't say anything to anyone. The book was actually written in one week and it was a very fast turnaround time and then it was announced on the news.

VAN SUSTEREN: What happened in Disneyland? What was that story?

BIRD: Scott and Laci and Jackie and John and Allison (ph), Scott's brother and my brother John and his wife Allison joined us in Disneyland. We spent two days there right before Thanksgiving.

And, you know, it's one of the last two times that I saw Laci and she was absolutely overjoyed to be a mother. You know, she just looked adorable in her maternity outfits.

She wore a dress to dinner one night and to this day I have never seen a cuter pregnant person in my life. So, you know, that was kind of the last trip that I took with them.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Anne, Gloria, stand by please. We have more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAN SUSTEREN: One month after Laci Peterson disappeared, Scott spoke about the day Laci was reported missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETERSON: I left the house here right around 9:30. Laci was still in the house at that time. There's been some erroneous reports. That is the fact. She was in the house. I left at 9:30. The dog was returned to the yard by a neighbor with his leash on at 10:30.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: However, Scott's sister has a very different idea about what happened that fateful day and how Laci died.

We're back with Anne Bird and Gloria Allred. Anne, how did he do it?

BIRD: You know, I'm not sure how all the steps occurred but my feeling was that it had something to do with their swimming pool. He left our house about three times to go clean the pool, which I thought was odd, you know, when his wife's missing why are you cleaning your pool?

And I asked him and he said he didn't want it to turn green, that he didn't want the neighbors to look at a green pool, which I saw on the news that there was a very large fence between the properties so I didn't quite understand any of that.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you ever confront him and say, "Scott, did you do it?"

BIRD: No, I didn't and I think that's how I ended up knowing so much. I was never confrontational. I was never judgmental. You know, I had a newborn and a 3-year-old at the time and so our house was a little chaotic but I was doing a lot of observing, you know, so I think I just learned a lot that way but I never asked him point blank.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you ever talk to Sharon Rocha, Laci's mother?

BIRD: No, I didn't.

VAN SUSTEREN: During the course of the trial you didn't testify at all but was there ever any discussion either side that you might be a witness?

BIRD: Yes, Gloria can answer that question.

ALLRED: Yes, absolutely, Greta. Of course, at first she thought that Scott was innocent. The defense did interview her but didn't choose to call her. Later after she came to me and after I was sure that she had ultimately concluded that her observations of Scott led her to believe that he was, in fact, guilty and that she was willing to share that with the police and the prosecution, we did meet with the prosecutor and with the police and it's my opinion...

VAN SUSTEREN: Were you representing her then, Gloria?

ALLRED: I was and it's my opinion that they considered calling her as a rebuttal witness depending on what the defense was going to present. And ultimately, however, the defense case was so weak that there was nothing to rebut.

I think they made a tactical judgment. They didn't share with me what that judgment was but I'm taking an educated guess they made that judgment that it wasn't necessary to call any rebuttal witnesses and so Anne never had to testify and I was very happy that she didn't have to.

The important point was she was willing to testify for the prosecution if it would have been helpful to the prosecution and that meant that she made the decision that if it meant severing her relationship with Jackie, she would do it.

She didn't want to but she had to account to her own conscience and to the memory of Laci and Conner and she was determined to tell the truth if it was necessary to do so.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, go it.

All right, Anne, in terms of this very costly defense any idea where Jackie and Lee, did they pay for the defense for Scott?

BIRD: You know, I do know that. I don't know if I'm at liberty to say, so I'm going to hold back on that question.

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of, I mean do you know how they're doing, whether there's financial ruin as a result of this case?

BIRD: I have an idea.

VAN SUSTEREN: And your idea is?

BIRD: That, you know, I'm going to refrain from that, answering that.

VAN SUSTEREN: OK. In terms of Laci, you write in the book about Jackie's views of Laci. They were not particularly flattering of Jackie. Why did you write that?

BIRD: You know that really upset me that she was a bit critical of Laci, you know, especially in regards to the thank you note. I got a lovely thank you note from Laci and Jackie didn't like hers and wanted to send a book on how to write thank you notes to Laci, who was eight months pregnant. And, I can't even believe she got thank you notes out and Christmas cards and I got mine actually after she disappeared.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Anne, Gloria thank you very much. I appreciate it.

ALLRED: Thank you, Greta.

BIRD: Thank you.

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