As I predicted, the jury handed down a recommendation of a death sentence at 1:52 p.m. PST today. I was at the courthouse here in Redwood City earlier today. It was a mob scene.
The judge does not have to follow the jury's recommendation, but cases where judge's disregard a jury's recommendation are extremely rare.
Let the appelate process begin.
- dave
The best lack all conviction, while the worst are filled with passionate intensity.
The jurors have assembled before the cameras and are now doing a press conference inside the court house. There are like 50 people from the press, including CtTV Beth Karas, Greta Susteran and the major newspapers. Here is what I'm hearing as they're speaking during the Breaking News.
What attitude Scott conveyed to you during the trial? Richelle Nice said "she heard enough from him. No emotion. Loud an clear. Scott giggled at the table. I've heard enough from him."
Greg wanted to hear from Scott's mouth, anything... a plea for his life. I couldn't use anything from his voice to make his decision. No emotion much in the six months. Blank stare. Don't know why. We see he laughs at certain situation. He cried when his Alaskan cousin came and testified.
Steve Cardosi said he disagree and saw some emotions one or twice in the guilt phase. When Scott didn't agree with some things, he saw him disagreeing and Steve said he can understand that. Steve would like to see more expression of caring. He didn't seem to phase.... and during the time they were looking for his wife, Scott was romancing his girlfriend. (but that was all a script by the police)
juror Steve Cardosi, the Peterson Jury Foreman from Half Moon Bay said he considered the evidence and didn't add up to any other possibility. He said he didn't know much about the case, but once the processing in court started and listening to fellow jurors while deliberating, he thinks it was the right decision. We haven't speak nor discuss with ourselves to understand what happened. Sitting up here seems like new to us. We havene't discussed it like you people for the six months.
Regarding deliberation, when you put 12 people in a room together and expect them to agree will be naive. It takes emotions and debating to deliberate. I won't say much more than that.
They needed to prove that Scott was NOT innocent. That's how he looked at it, but can't speak for the others. The body washed up where it was. The tidal expert said that if he drop it there, that's where it would wash up. It was circumstantial case from the other facts.
In answering Beth Karas's split decision on first degree verdict, Steve Cardosi said Scott didn't want children, collectively as a group given by the verdict, it couldn't be concluded that there was premeditation.
They don't give instruction on deliberation or the process. 12 people had to agree to the process and it took some time. We've been locked up and sheltered. They spent a lot of time that was ineffective. Changed the floor person. Next day he was removed, don't know the exact reason he was removed. The reason is sealed.... the doctor/lawyer was uncomfortable which might be the reason he left.
Juror Greg Beratlis said he didn't follow the case six months ago and didn't know the magnitude of the case. He based on the information in the court room to make his decision, not just Scott Peterson's life but also on the life of many people. It wasn't based on one thing but many other things in the court room. He said it went back and forth a couple of times. He said it was the mistrust, that Laci's husband till death due us apart. It was a trust issue. It was a charade. Wasn't fair. Wasn't an act that he just did something. It was planned and that's the mistrust.
If those bodies were found in Nesemonie Park instead of the body of water, he might not have decided on guilt.
He said he wasn't persuaded by public opinion and played the balancing act everyday.
Juror Richelle Nice, the strawberry shortcake with the dyed pink hair said she's a mother of four and can't pinpoint one thing about the evidence for her decision. It was based on so many things. One that came to her mind, that Scott as the husband should have protected Laci.
Inconsistent statements made her conclude that Scott was guilty. She took those statements and believe Scott was guilty.
She said Justin Falconer is absolutely wrong about public pressure outside the courthouse as they come and go and weren't influenced. That Justin former #5 was wrong.
Juror Richelle Nice said she was strickened by Scott not protecting "The Little Man" Conner. She expected Scott to do more. That affected her decision and emotion.
Juror Greg Beratlis said he appreciates life more. His family support him. His sons didn't give him any opinions and he can't talk to anyone. Had to bottled it up for six months. Had to make sure he made the right decision. He had to hang in there not showing any emotions. He listened to it all the time and knew that it affected the man's life. It wasn't easy.
NBC asking: What emotional toll is this going to have on you as you get back to your normal life?
Juror Richelle Nice said she's changed. She looks at life much differently now and hope her family will accept her. I'm okay with the decision and won't second guess my self, if that makes it easier.
Juror Steve Cardosi said he can't predict what's going to happen. Emotionally, it's going to be hard. Said emotionally he's drained.
Juror Greg Beratlis said he has to live with the decision and it's hard. There's no one here giving each other high-fives. I respect these people (jurors.) It's been tough. I don't know what to expect or melt-down. Emotionally we're high now but hoping I don't get sick (emotionally low.) There were lots of people going through hell.
Media Question - Why didn't you think Scott Peterson killed Laci?
Juror Steve Cardosi said he had no idea why. It simply pure speculation. It could be any of those reasons.
Juror Greg Beratlis said he wanted his freedom.... and divorce was hot an option. He thought Amber was not the issue. Not lust. It was planned much earlier.
Im not so surprised that they found him guilty although I never felt they had proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt...
But Im am totally surprised at the sentence of death...no physical evidence to show that he was guilty 100 percent?
I dont agree with it....but he is better off with this verdict. A life imprisonment would have killed him quicker from the hands of another inmate long before his execution in 15 or so years...
I mean Richard Ramirez has been sitting on death row for 16 years in California...so we wont be seeing this carried out anytime soon.
Of course thats just my opinion....I could be wrong. (Dennis Miller)
"You might be the toughest little whacker. . .but in my world, you're about as worrisome as a cloudy day." (Dutch Dooley)
mystic said this in post #4 : Im not so surprised that they found him guilty although I never felt they had proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt...
But Im am totally surprised at the sentence of death...no physical evidence to show that he was guilty 100 percent?
I dont agree with it....but he is better off with this verdict. A life imprisonment would have killed him quicker from the hands of another inmate long before his execution in 15 or so years...
I mean Richard Ramirez has been sitting on death row for 16 years in California...so we wont be seeing this carried out anytime soon.
Correct. It will be up on appeal for eons. With him accused of infanticide, he would probably get whacked in the general prison population. Even if he wasn't, I tend to think that life without parole in the pen is worse than getting the needle.
- dave
The best lack all conviction, while the worst are filled with passionate intensity.
This world is so messed up when several hundred gathered outside of the courthouse and the television showed people outside giving each other high-fives when the death sentence was first heard. None of these people have anything attached to them, like the parents who are inside the courthouse. Even Amber Frey already has a multi-million book deal, negotiated by Gloria Allred.
The entire trial through the media spectrum and the talking heads 24/7 has turned into a media frenzy, jacking up people's emotions. The entire trial violated the Constitution in that Scott never got his fair trial.
1. There were more making money off this trial than cared for his fair trial.
2. There were media people who furthered their career more than for the accuracy of the details reported.
3. There were more interested in gaining ratings than balance reporting.
4. There will be more jurors interested in writing books than cared about a fair verdict.
5. These jurors from what I saw within minutes of the verdict were already dressed with makeover ready for their 15 minutes holding press conferences at the courthouse.
quote:
Jury recommends death for Scott Peterson, BRIAN SKOLOFF - Associated Press 12/13/04
A crowd of several hundred gathered outside the San Mateo County Courthouse broke out in cheers and scattered applause after the sentencing verdict was broadcast. The scene was reminiscent of the guilty verdicts Nov. 12, when about 1,000 people descended on the streets outside, most of them erupting in cheers to show their support for the jury's decision.
Amber should not get a cent for a book deal. That is just sick to profit off of the death of Laci and Connor.
It was just last week when Amber who testified against Scott had $$$$ DURING a murder trial negotiated and signed a book deal worth multi-millions. $$$$ Amber and Gloria Allred had been on the nightly news during the last two years in promoting their financial joint venture. That's seems to take Amber's court testimony into the hopper and will be ground for an Appeal. It's just another piece of the bad evidence put into the jury's head. She read of the police scripts to make herself more important than her role. Of course, Amber wanted to make BIG money off her shaded testimony so that she can get huge book ratings.
quote:
Report: Frey Signs Book Deal - 12/7/04 Amber Frey, the former girlfriend of convicted murderer Scott Peterson, could have a book published by February.
CBS 5 has learned that Frey has signed a deal with tell-all publisher Judith Regan. One source told us that the book has been fast-tracked, and could be printed and ready to go by February.
Frey's attorney Gloria Allred would not confirm or deny the news of the deal, but said, "For a long time, I have said I hope that at an appropriate time that Amber has an opportunity to tell her own story in her own voice."
Frey had a relationship with Scott Peterson before and after Laci Peterson's disappearance. She secretly recorded a number of phone conversations with Peterson for police investigators, and those tapes were widely seen as very damaging to the defense.
"I'm very troubled that the announcement of Amber Frey's book deal came before the end of this trial," said legal analyst Dean Johnson. "I think it would probably behoove the defense to make a motion for a mistrial and put that on the record, because the fact that a material witness has a financial stake in the outcome of a trial is very troubling. It's certainly something that should have been a subject for cross-examination."
Amber wasn't after the truth, but was setting up to make a couple of millions with those contrived tapes. She and Gloria Allred hatched that up.... The two agreed to trump up the relationship and Gloria would go on TV nightly to make Scott out to be the biggest liar. Judge Delucchi let so much of the audiotapes in that made everything so prejudicial against Scott. It was one of the best plot after the fact on how to score the biggest windfall from a murder trial.
Did you see Larry King Live on CNN tonight where all the legal analysts are saying that had NOT Amber Frey's audiotapes and testimony influenced the jurors, that this murder case like all the others would not even made it to trial, much less get a conviction.
lCARDOZA: With all the emotion that followed this case, I don't agree with Nancy. I think a jury would have a much more difficult time in convicting him. That was the one thing they looked to. 100 miles away was the body, 100 miles away was where Peterson went fishing. They really looked to, how did you act after? Nothing before. How did you act after? That's what walked this guy right into at first.
KING: Chuck, do you agree?
SMITH: I agree with Michael. If on December 25 Scott Peterson had said to Amber Frey, I'm not talking to you anymore, Amber, my wife's missing, I'm desperately searching for her, stopped the relationship, he'd be walking the streets today instead of sitting in the jail beyond my shoulder.
KING: Richard, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) he was convicted on what he -- not that he murdered her but what he did after her murdered her?
COLE: I think there's a great deal of truth to that. I think if you listen to the jurors and you heard what they said, when they got emotional, when they got upset, when they went back to what really convinced them, it was things like that . It was talking to Amber Frey from his wife's memorial service. It was lies that he told. I agree with the contention...
SMITH: Without those Amber tapes, Nancy, they would have lost. They would not have won but for the Amber tapes.
KING: Trent, what do you think?
COLE: I think once Amber Frey and those tapes were introduced into this case, everything seemed to change. The jury was able to look at Scott Peterson differently. To hear that Scott Peterson was talking to Amber Frey, his mistress, while at his wife's vigil, whispering sweet nothings to her, talking about travel plans they would make together, changed the complexion of the case, changed how the jury was able to see him.I don't think that this case would have been tried as a first degree death penalty case had it not been for Amber Frey and the existence of those tapes.
KING: But being a cad does count, doesn't it, Michael?
CARDOZA: It does count.
KING: You are what you are.
CARDOZA: It does count. When you look at the evidence after, it's circumstantial evidence. What the jury did was bootstrap backwards and say, look how he acted, he acted guilty . One would make that argument. I really disagree with Nancy. I agree with Chuck, I think he would have walked on this or he would have had a hung jury.
Ken NJ said this in post #6 : This world is so messed up when several hundred gathered outside of the courthouse and the television showed people outside giving each other high-fives when the death sentence was first heard. None of these people have anything attached to them, like the parents who are inside the courthouse. Even Amber Frey already has a multi-million book deal, negotiated by Gloria Allred.
The entire trial through the media spectrum and the talking heads 24/7 has turned into a media frenzy, jacking up people's emotions. The entire trial violated the Constitution in that Scott never got his fair trial.
1. There were more making money off this trial than cared for his fair trial.
2. There were media people who furthered their career more than for the accuracy of the details reported.
3. There were more interested in gaining ratings than balance reporting.
4. There will be more jurors interested in writing books than cared about a fair verdict.
5. These jurors from what I saw within minutes of the verdict were already dressed with makeover ready for their 15 minutes holding press conferences at the courthouse.
Ken its obvious you saw a different Jury then I did,
You may not like the verdict,but if you had watched and listened to these dedicated people who served, It would have should have made you proud of the Judicial System.
They were not "made over" they were fresh out of the draining episode in their lives, one which neither you nor I Can ever relate to.
We only watched and commented on the sidelines.
If you have a gripe then take it to Gerogas for not putting on a good defense for the Scott. For promising in opening to prove Scott was stone cold innocent He didn't and he had a sociopath to work with who couldn't even work up enough emotions to beg for his own life.'
Are you going to talk about this trial for years?
And as far as books go, who cares? Its always that way, remember OJ? Everyone wrote a book, Its the public,you and me or others who support this kind of garbage.
I said a long time ago we were dealing with a sociopath and had contention from Mystic and You Ken, Now that its becoming a household term I feel vindicated.
D
aka deltacent aka deltater
Life may not be the party I had hoped for.......
But while I'm here I might just as well listen to the music and dance..
You know...you might be right...I never really threw the term around so freely as you did...but here I was today and it hit me...right after I read your thought on this...I thought to myself..
What a sociopath.
Wow...it really is a household term.
Of course thats just my opinion....I could be wrong. (Dennis Miller)
"You might be the toughest little whacker. . .but in my world, you're about as worrisome as a cloudy day." (Dutch Dooley)
12-13-2004 09:51 PM
The entire trial through the media spectrum and the talking heads 24/7 has turned into a media frenzy, jacking up people's emotions. The entire trial violated the Constitution in that Scott never got his fair trial. 
Amber Frey, the former girlfriend of convicted murderer Scott Peterson, could have a book published by February.
CBS 5 has learned that Frey has signed a deal with tell-all publisher Judith Regan. One source told us that the book has been fast-tracked, and could be printed and ready to go by February. 
