- He earned his law degree in 1970 from the University of Santa Clara. Girolami met Accurso at an anniversary party for Accurso's parents in 1971.
- Accurso was leaving the Stanislaus County district attorney's office and suggested that Girolami apply to take his place.
- Girolami has said moving Peterson's trial to another county would cause added expense for the public and is "not a desirable option." Defense attorney Mark Geragos has indicated he would seek to move the trial.
- Girolami also has a reputation for frugality that rankles some defense attorneys, who rely on court money to conduct investigations and retain expert witnesses for indigent defendants.
- After serving two years in an Army artillery unit, where he earned the rank of first lieutenant, Girolami took a job in 1964 as an insurance claims adjuster.
- Several people who are familiar with the judge said it likely will be his last before retiring. Girolami, 64, declined to be interviewed.
- Girolami got the job. He advanced steadily to become District Attorney Donald Stahl's "right-hand man" before Gov. Deukmejian appointed him to the bench in 1984.
- Judge Aldo "Al" Girolami is methodical, effiecient and perhaps facing the last trial of his career. "When he's done with the Peterson case, he'll be ready for retirement," said former Judge Augustus Accurso, who swore in Girolami to the Stanislaus County Municipal Court in 1984.
- But acquaintances said his meticulous approach and calm demeanor make him ideally suited to handle a case marked by public outcry, swarming media, a celebrity defense attorney and a police investigation that ranged from hypnosis to satellite tracking devices.
- But perhaps Girolami's overriding quality is the widespread belief he is largely fair.
- The double-murder case against Scott Peterson is certainly the biggest case Girolami has presided over in his 19 years on the bench, first in Municipal Court and then in Superior Court.
- And Girolami expects much of the same from attorneys who appear before him, demanding they be on time and prepared, observers said.
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