MODESTO, Calif. -- A Stanislaus County judge Friday ruled in favor of a media motion -- filed by KTVU Channel 2, the Modesto Bee and other media outlets -- to release all or a portion of the documents filed to obtain eight search warrants in the case of Laci Peterson.

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Judge Rules To Release Peterson Warrants

Judge Roger M. Beauchesne ruled that unless "there was compelling reasons to think the release would jeopardize the investigation" the documents should be unsealed. Over the next five days, court officials will go through the 134 pages currently sealed and determine what portions will be made public.

The Modesto police, who have fought hard to keep the warrants sealed, were disappointed with Friday's decision.

"It would certainly chill information coming forward from people who might be even in jeopardy of their lives if that information were disclosed," said Modesto police chief Roy Wasden. "Clearly, it's not appropriate to have that information out in the media."

Laci's mother -- Sharon Rocha -- and sister, Amy, and brother, Brent, were in court for the hearing. They said they supported the efforts of the Modesto authorities to keep the documents sealed.

"I think the case has been handled very professionally," said Brent Rocha outside the courtroom. "We're happy with the progress. I think we feel confident we will have a positive outcome. We feel pretty comfortable right now."

The media success hinged upon their lawyers' ability to convince Beauchesne that keeping the documents sealed was a violation of the public's First Amendment right to have access to public records. State law demands that search warrants be returned to the court where they were signed after 10 days. At that point, they become public record.

In all, eight search warrants have been issued since Laci disappeared without a trace in Christmas Eve day -- two for the Peterson home, one for a warehouse Scott Peterson uses for his fertilizer business, one for his person -- thought to be for a DNA sample -- one for the couples' phone records and three others.

Modesto police have yet to either name Scott Peterson a suspect in the case nor cleared him in the case. But his actions continue to anger Laci's family.

Since Laci's disappearance, Scott has had a former mistress come forward, traded in her beloved SUV for a new truck, attempted to sell the family home, traveled on a business trip to Mexico and failed to take part in several search efforts.

Now, he apparently has left Modesto.

The Peterson home stood empty Friday morning; neighbors say they last saw Scott there mowing the lawn two weeks ago.

A yellow sign proclaiming a $500,000 reward for information in the case, leans against the green house, broken and weathered.

"It is offensive to me," Brent Rocha told the Modesto Bee. "Basically (her husband, Scott,) is saying he doesn't care about the life he had with Laci. It seems like he just abandoned that life so easily. It definitely doesn't make sense."

There were no media trucks or reporters in the neighborhood Friday, testimony to the fact that the spotlight that glared so brightly on the case for several months has dimmed in wake of the Iraq war.

Sources close to the case told KTVU's Ted Rowlands Friday that they were carefully building a "no body" prosecution against Scott Peterson, but an arrest could be months away.

Meanwhile, Modesto Police spokesman Sgt. Doug Ridenour issued a prepared statement to the station:

"The case continues to go well. We continue to follow the case in a logical way and expect to bring it to a conclusion. We've always said we would resolve this case."

The police said they were continuing -- when weather permits -- with their intensive search of the San Francisco Bay off Richmond, Calif. Scott Peterson has maintained that he was fishing at the nearby Berkeley Marina on Christmas Eve day when his wife disappeared.

Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance more than four months ago. The case was treated as a missing person case until last month when it was re-classified as a homicide.

"The case began as a missing person case and we were all hopeful that Laci would return home safely," Ridenour said at the time. "However, we have come to consider that this is now a homicide case."

Ridenour said that decision was based both on the logical progression of the case, and on developments he could not comment on.

Jackie Peterson -- Scott's mother -- was critical of the decision, telling the Modesto Bee it was "sad they made the announcement because it takes away hope."

But Ridenour once again strongly hinted that evidence of a violent crime had been found. He told the paper that he understood Jackie Peterson's emotions, but that for the family members "it's difficult because they don't know everything investigators know."