The jury in the Scott Peterson case recommended that he get the death penalty for killing his wife, Laci and their unborn child, Conner Peterson.
Article found here
Judge gives final decision on Feb. 25
BEE STAFF REPORTS
Last Updated: December 13, 2004, 06:00:30 PM PST
REDWOOD CITY - Scott Peterson should die for killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and unborn son, jurors recommended today in a dramatic ending to the Modesto man’s murder trial.
Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson's mother, cried quietly after the verdict was read about 1:45 p.m.
Before the verdict was read, Juror 7, a mother of four with dyed pinkish-red hair, winked at the Rocha family from the jury box.
Juror 9, whose husband was killed in prison after he was convicted of murder, wiped away tears after the judge had polled jurors individually - at the defense's request - to confirm the verdict was unanimous.
Two female jurors nodded their heads slightly and smiled faintly at Sharon Rocha as they left the jury box.
Judge Alfred Delucchi can reduce the sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole at Peterson’s sentencing Feb. 25.
In the prosecution’s closing argument Thursday, Dave Harris said, “He lies, he fools, he manipulates. He is not a person who deserves your sympathy.”
Sharon Rocha delivered a searing rebuke of her son-in-law during the trial’s penalty phase, screaming that “divorce was always an option, not murder.”
Thirty-nine defense witnesses tried to overcome Rocha’s unforgettable testimony by describing Scott Peterson as warm, caring and respectful, and some openly disagreed with the jury’s Nov. 12 conviction.
The same six-woman, six-man jury, after a five-month trial, had declared Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his wife, Laci, and second-degree murder for killing his unborn son, Conner Peterson.
Scott Peterson strangled or smothered his wife on or just before Christmas Eve 2002, prosecutors said, and dumped her body into San Francisco Bay. Peterson had claimed he went fishing alone Christmas Eve. The remains of mother and son were recovered near his boating route four months later.
Peterson was a candidate for a death sentence because there were multiple victims. Death Row inmates in California are subject to lethal injection, though executions are rare and typically delayed many years by appeals.
Details of today’s action will appear at this Web site as they become available, followed by complete coverage in Tuesday's Bee and Modbee.com.
Posted by Valkyre at December 13, 2004 09:59 PM