Peterson defense witness dies
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(CNN) -- A woman who said she saw Laci Peterson alive and well the morning authorities allege she was dead at the hands of her husband has died.
Vivian Mitchell, of Modesto, California, lived nine blocks away from Laci and Scott Peterson. Mitchell said she saw Laci walking her dog around 10:15 a.m. on December 24, 2002, hours after prosecutors allege she was murdered by Scott.
Mitchell's husband, Bill, told reporters his 78-year-old wife died early Wednesday morning of natural causes.
Mitchell was one of three people who told reporters they saw Laci Peterson on December 24, 2002. Authorities have said Laci and her unborn son were killed on the night of December 23 or in the early morning hours of December 24.
Scott Peterson, 31, is scheduled to go on trial in Redwood City, California, later this month. He has maintained his innocence, saying his wife intended to take their dog for a walk the morning of December 24, after he left to go fishing at the Berkeley Marina.
The bodies of Laci and the Peterson's unborn son washed ashore along San Francisco Bay last April, two miles from where Scott Peterson said he was fishing on Christmas Eve 2002.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
