Peterson family planning funeral

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Family members of slaying victim Laci Peterson secluded themselves to plan a funeral for her and her unborn son, as her teaching colleagues recalled her bubbly spirit.

Her accused husband Scott Peterson remained in jail, meanwhile, facing what experts say could be years of legal proceedings.

Peterson, 30, pleaded innocent Monday to murdering his wife and unborn son who disappeared on Christmas Eve. Their bodies washed ashore last week in San Francisco Bay, three miles from where he said he was fishing.

The remains were being held at the Contra Costa County Coroner's office as forensic experts tried to determine a cause of death.

Contra Costa Sheriff's officials said funeral dates depend on whether they can soon pinpoint precisely how Laci Peterson died. Her relatives said a funeral or formal memorial services could be two weeks away.

A forensic anthropologist from the University of California at Santa Cruz "will exhaust all procedures to reach a determination," sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said Tuesday. He said there was a possibility that authorities may never know how she died.

Kari Shack, who worked with Laci Peterson in Modesto, remembered the 27-year-old mom-to-be as an energetic teacher who connected easily with students even though she was a substitute.

"She adored the kids, and I think they felt that," Shack told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday.

Prosecutors plan to decide by May 19 whether to seek the death penalty against Scott Peterson, a fertilizer salesman. District Attorney Jim Brazelton said he hopes for a July preliminary hearing to present evidence necessary to take Peterson to trial, but conceded it could take up to two years before a trial begins.

Some murder cases, legal experts said, can take three to five years to go to trial.

Peterson, represented by a public defender after an abrupt split last weekend with his private attorney, has a May 6 bail hearing to consider if he will be freed while awaiting his evidentiary hearing and possible trial. Prosecutors intend to argue against bail, Brazelton said.

Tim Bazar, Peterson's court-appointed attorney, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

Brazelton alleged that Peterson killed his wife at their Modesto home late Dec. 23 or early Dec. 24. He also claimed a special double-murder circumstance, allowing him to consider seeking the death penalty.

That could trigger a change in the trial location and bring on 10 to 15 years of legal proceedings, common in capital punishment cases, experts said.