REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Three weeks before his wife went missing, Scott Peterson tried to sell a diamond-encrusted watch she had recently inherited on eBay, but failed to find any takers for the gaudy heirloom, an employee of the online auction site testified Wednesday at his capital trial.

Nils Myers, the supervisor of eBay's fraud investigations department, took the stand at the request of prosecutors, but his testimony appeared primarily to benefit the defense.

The gold watch has never been found, and Peterson's lawyers claim his wife, Laci, may have been abducted for the flashy timepiece. Specifically, they have pointed to a pawn shop receipt indicating a woman sold a watch matching the description of the bejeweled Croton on Dec. 31, 2002, six days after the mother-to-be vanished.

About a month before her disappearance, Laci Peterson inherited the watch and a stash of jewelry from her grandmother's estate. Her half-sister, Amy Rocha, previously testified that the expectant mother wore some of the items, but turned up her nose at the fancy watch, saying it was "not her style." The Petersons pawned some of the jewelry, including a gold chain.

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Myers said Scott Peterson listed the item on Dec. 1 as an "amazing diamond" ladies' watch and asked for opening bids of $100. A week later, the auction closed with no one having met the price. Peterson tried again, but a week later, the second auction expired with still no takers.

Laci Peterson said this watch was not her style, according to her sister

"There is no evidence that watch ever sold on eBay, is there," defense lawyer Mark Geragos asked.

"No," Myers replied. "The listings indicate it was not successful."

A second watch Peterson listed, identified as a Mickey Mouse watch, did sell, Myers said.

When the defense begins its case next month, Geragos is likely to introduce the Dec. 31 pawn ticket for the watch resembling Laci Peterson's Croton. The woman who sold the item was a methamphetamine addict, and Peterson's legal team has suggested she was related to people who owned a brown van they claim was involved in Laci Peterson's disappearance.

Deanna Renfro pawned a gold watch like one belonging to Laci Peterson.

The eBay employee took the stand during a brief pause in the testimony of the prosecution's main DNA expert. Constance Fisher of the FBI's forensic laboratory is expected to testify Wednesday afternoon, as she did in a pretrial hearing, that hairs found in pliers in Peterson's fishing boat are consistent with his wife's genetic profile. Fisher's lab colleague, trace evidence examiner Karen Korsberg, testified Wednesday morning that the hair did not match Scott Peterson's.

Judge Alfred Delucchi's courtroom was abnormally empty as prosecutors began shifting their focus to dry DNA testimony. Peterson's parents and sister attended court, but the victim's mother and stepfather, who rarely miss a minute of testimony, were not present.

Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Grantski, exchanged angry words with Peterson's father, Lee, as they left court.

Also testifying Wednesday was Mark Purdom, who managed the property where Peterson's fertilizer company rented a warehouse. Purdom said Peterson wrote him a letter Jan. 31, 2003, saying he wanted to break the lease. At the time, searchers were combing northern California for any sign of Laci Peterson. Prosecutors are expected to argue that her husband's concern for anything other than her safe return was suspicious.

The trial is now in its 15th week and could last into November.

The 31-year-old faces the death penalty if convicted of killing his wife, who was eight-months pregnant, and their child.