Probe Into Suspect Laci Venue Data

A state university in Modesto, Calif., has launched a formal investigation into a study cited as a reason for moving the Scott Peterson murder trial.

The school is investigating allegations the study was improperly done.

In his decision to move the trial out of Modesto, a judge cited the survey conducted by students at California State University, Stanislaus. It concluded that jurors were less biased in the San Francisco area and Southern California. Eight of those students have since told The Modesto Bee they made up results in the poll that counted toward their grade.

Meanwhile, state court officials say four counties have offered to hold the trial.

Peterson is accused of killing his wife, Laci and their unborn son.

He was expected in court in Modesto Wednesday regarding a defense motion to dismiss the charges against him.

Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in Northern California and Orange County in Southern California are possible contenders for the trial that is expected to last five months, including jury selection, said Michael Tozzi, the executive officer of Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Judge Al Girolami will hold a hearing next Tuesday to consider where the case should be moved.

On Thursday, Girolami ruled that the extensive news coverage of the killing required him to move the case out of Laci Peterson's hometown to ensure that her husband gets a fair trial.

Peterson, 31, faces the death penalty if convicted of two counts of murder.

His wife was eight months pregnant when she was reported missing from their Modesto home on Christmas Eve 2002. The bodies of the mother-to-be and the fetus of the boy she was carrying washed ashore in San Francisco Bay four months later, two miles from where Scott Peterson said he was fishing the day she vanished.

The judge said he wants to hold the case within driving distance of Modesto to accommodate witnesses. He submitted the list of three Northern California counties to the state Administrative Office of the Courts and each of those counties said they could handle the case if needed. Orange County also said it had an available courtroom and staff to hold the trial.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers were notified of the possible trial locations so they can conduct surveys to gauge potential bias of jurors in those counties.

At the hearing, they will argue over their preference for the location of the trial and prosecutors who want the case to remain in Modesto could ask the judge to reconsider his decision based on a survey of potential jurors that has come under fire.

Prosecutors said they want to speak with the students who said they falsified their responses, but they have not said whether they will appeal.

The trial is scheduled for Jan. 26, but is likely to be postponed if it is moved.