Bay. After Peterson was arrested, police conducted further searches in the bay in an attempt to locate the anchors, but nothing was found. Arrest Peterson was arrested on April 18, 2003, near a La Jolla golf course. He told police that he was meeting his father and brother for a game of golf. His naturally dark brown hair had been dyed blonde, and he had grown a mustache and goatee. His Mercedes-Benz was "overstuffed" with miscellaneous items, including nearly $15,000 in cash, twelve Viagra tablets, survival gear, camping equipment, several changes of clothes, four cell phones, and his brother's driver's license, in addition to his own. Peterson's father explained that he used his brother's license the day before to get a San Diego resident discount at the golf course and that Peterson had been living out of his car because of the media attention. However, police suspected these items were an indication that Peterson planned to flee to Mexico, an idea prosecutors would later concur with. On April 21, 2003, Peterson was arraigned before Judge Nancy Ashley in Stanislaus County Superior Court. He was charged with two felony counts of murder with premeditation and special circumstances: the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Conner. He pleaded not guilty, and was held without bail. Trial Before his arraignment, Peterson had been represented by Kirk McAllister, a veteran criminal defense attorney from Modesto. Chief Deputy Public Defender Kent Faulkner was also assigned to the case. Peterson later indicated that he could afford a private attorney, namely Mark Geragos, who had done other high-profile criminal defense work. On January 20, 2004, a judge changed the venue of the trial from Modesto to Redwood City, because Peterson was the victim of increasing hostility in the Modesto area. Peterson's trial began on June 1, 2004, and was followed closely by the news media. The lead prosecutor was Rick Distaso while Geragos led Peterson's defense. In opening statements, Geragos claimed Peterson was "a cad" for cheating on Laci but was not a murderer. Prosecution witness Frey hired her own attorney, Gloria Allred, to represent her. Allred was not bound by the gag order imposed on those involved in the trial. Although she maintained that her client had no opinion about whether Peterson was guilty, Allred was openly sympathetic to the prosecution. She appeared frequently on television news programs during the trial. Prosecutors claimed