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Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: GigaShadow on December 14, 2004, 05:13:02 AM
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By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Upon learning of his death sentence, Scott Peterson (news - web sites) sat defiantly still and tight-jawed, the same vacant expression he wore throughout a murder trial in which he never spoke. And to hear the jurors tell it, Peterson\'s apparent lack of emotion — from the day his wife disappeared through the last day of testimony two years later — was the final piece that doomed him.
The same six men and six women who convicted Peterson of murdering his pregnant wife recommended Monday that he be sent to death row at San Quentin State Prison outside San Francisco, the infamous lockup overlooking the bay where Laci Peterson (news - web sites)\'s body was discarded.
A cheer went up outside the courthouse as the jury announced its decision after 11 1/2 hours of deliberations over three days.
Inside, Laci Peterson\'s mother, Sharon Rocha, cried quietly — her lips quivering after the verdict was read. Scott Peterson\'s mother, Jackie, showed no apparent emotion.
A short time later, the three jurors who agreed to speak with the media said at a press conference that they couldn\'t let go of the fact that the bodies of Laci Peterson and her fetus had washed ashore a few miles from where Scott Peterson claimed he went fishing the day she disappeared.
Juror Greg Beratlis said the jury was convinced of Peterson\'s guilt by "many, many things," but added: "Those bodies were found in the same place. That played in my mind, over and over."
Most unsettling, all three jurors seemed to agree, was Peterson\'s dispassionate demeanor, from the day Laci disappeared Christmas Eve 2002 to the moment he was convicted.
"I still would have liked to see, I don\'t know if remorse is the right word," Cardosi said. "He lost his wife and his child — it didn\'t seem to faze him. And while that was going on ... he is romancing a girlfriend. That doesn\'t make sense to me. At all."
Peterson did not testify during the six-month trial.
"Anything — a plea for his life, or just his opinion on everything that went on in the last two years. ... I would have liked to have heard his voice on that," Beratlis said.
Richelle Nice, an unemployed mother of four, said she found Peterson\'s silence to be just as profound as anything he might have said.
"We heard from him," she said, a look of disgust on her face. "For me, a big part of it was at the end — the verdict — no emotion. No anything. That spoke a thousand words — loud and clear."
Nice even took issue with Peterson\'s manner Monday in the moments before the sentence was read, chatting casually with his attorneys. "Today — the giggles at the table," she said. "Loud and clear."
Peterson was convicted Nov. 12 of one count of first-degree murder in the death of Laci, and one count of second-degree murder for the killing of her eight-month old fetus. The jury had two options in deciding the 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman\'s fate: life in prison without parole or death by injection.
Judge Alfred A. Delucchi will formally sentence Peterson on Feb. 25. The judge will have the option of reducing the sentence to life, but such a move is highly unlikely.
But Peterson still might not be executed for decades — if ever — and it can take years for even the first phase of the appeals process to begin. Since California brought back capital punishment in 1978, only 10 executions have been carried out. The last execution, in 2002, was for a murder committed in 1980. The state\'s clogged death row houses 641 prisoners.
In a brief news conference after the verdict, defense attorney Mark Geragos said he was "very disappointed." "Obviously, we plan on pursuing every and all appeals, motions for a new trial and everything else," he said.
The tale of adultery and murder set off a tabloid frenzy as suspicion began to swirl around Scott Peterson in the days and weeks after Laci\'s disappearance. The heat was turned up when Amber Frey, the massage therapist who Scott Peterson was romancing on the side, came forward.
The case made more People magazine covers than any murder investigation in the publication\'s history. Court TV thrived on it, providing countless hours of coverage on the investigation and gavel-to-gavel commentary throughout the trial. CNN\'s Larry King hosted countless shows with pundits picking apart legal strategies, testimony and even Scott Peterson\'s infamously cold demeanor.
The jury\'s decision followed seven days of tearful testimony in the penalty phase. In arguing for death last week, prosecutors called Peterson "the worst kind of monster" and said he was undeserving of sympathy. Geragos begged of jurors: "Just don\'t kill him. That\'s all I am asking of you. End this cycle."
Prosecutors spent months portraying Peterson as a cheating husband and cold-blooded killer who wanted to murder Laci to escape marriage and fatherhood for the pleasures of the freewheeling bachelor life.
"They had no reason to doubt it was Scott who did what he did," said Laci Peterson\'s stepfather, Ron Grantski, the only member of her family to speak to reporters. "He got what he deserved."
Defense attorneys argued during the trial\'s guilt phase that Peterson was framed and that the real killers dumped Laci\'s body in the water after learning of Peterson\'s widely publicized alibi. The defense fought hard to save Peterson\'s life, calling 39 witnesses over seven days in the penalty phase.
When the time came for a verdict and sentence recommendation, jurors were convinced Peterson desperately wanted out of the married life.
"I don\'t think divorce was an option," Beratlis said. "I think it was freedom."
Grantski noted that the last time he and Rocha saw Laci was almost two years ago to the day, on Dec. 15, 2002. "We have a lot of tough holidays and dates coming up that are going to be very hard for us, Grantski said
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041214/ap_on_re_us/laci_peterson
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As much as I want to see this prick get it I\'ve changed my position on the death penalty. After seeing my friend get wrongly accused of a heinous murder and almost going to trial on trumped up charges I will never feel like we can trust the system enough o kill someone.
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Originally posted by Ace
As much as I want to see this prick get it I\'ve changed my position on the death penalty. After seeing my friend get wrongly accused of a heinous murder and almost going to trial on trumped up charges I will never feel like we can trust the system enough o kill someone.
Wow. I really dont mean this to seem like a crazy liberal poking fun, but thats a statement that i never thought would come out of your mouth or almost any other republican on these forums. Dont get me wrong - i dont hate republicans but it just seemed that it was looked upon as a good thing (the death penalty) by a few of the republican members here *looks in giga\'s direction*. J/K.
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I am all for the death penalty, but in this case the evidence was entirely circumstantial. Do I think he is guilty? Yes. However, even though 99 percent of me does think he is guilty, one percent says that the prosecution didn\'t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty. They don\'t know how he killed her, where he killed her or when he killed her. To me that leaves just a little doubt in my mind and enough to spare him the death sentence.
That being said, he doesn\'t have to worry much about being executed by lethal injection (in the arm anyway ;)) as I doubt California will ever get around to executing him before his he dies of natural or not so natural causes.
On a different note, I can\'t believe the lack emotion he showed throughout the trial and the so called "snickering" he did during certain parts of the trial. I know if I was innocent, I would have been visibley upset about the death of the wife and child and you better believe I would take the stand to proclaim my innocence. You wouldn\'t be able to stop me from taking the stand. Scott Peterson is a POS and a stupid one at that.
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Originally posted by GigaShadow
On a different note, I can\'t believe the lack emotion he showed throughout the trial and the so called "snickering" he did during certain parts of the trial. I know if I was innocent, I would have been visibley upset about the death of the wife and child and you better believe I would take the stand to proclaim my innocence. You wouldn\'t be able to stop me from taking the stand. Scott Peterson is a POS and a stupid one at that.
Agreed
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Why is this trial such a big deal?
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Because he killed a white lady with a soon to born child. It has the who done it movie atmosphere. Now if this had been some cracked out couple we\'d not be seeing this on tv. Just a cynical thought.
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It is shocking because apparently he didn\'t know the meaning of the word divorce.
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The guy was f***ed up in the head. I think he deserves it. I think the death penalty should be used for heinous crimes and if he can be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
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This is a big case because back when it happened there was no news going on. IT had some hollywood style to it.
The guy is a complete dirt bag. Death though? I mean no one saw him do it.
A corrections officer called the Glen Beck show today and made one point. With Life with no parole he gets to be in the general population. He gets to exercise. He gets to play cards. Etc. etc.
With the death sentence he has solitary for 23 hours a day.
He\'s in California. If he really gets put to death it won\'t be for 20+ years.
At least this way we know he is rotting in there.
But I really don\'t think he should have gotten death. I\'m all for the death penalty, but let him rot in prison.
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In Texas, It costs 1 million dollars for each death row prisoner a year. Thats Texas, we have a friggen express lane just imagine California.
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Originally posted by mjps21983
Because he killed a white lady with a soon to born child. It has the who done it movie atmosphere. Now if this had been some cracked out couple we\'d not be seeing this on tv. Just a cynical thought.
You guys are full of surprises
In Texas, It costs 1 million dollars for each death row prisoner a year. Thats Texas, we have a friggen express lane just imagine California.
And 1 Mil for each of those bastards? To put them away or what? And how does that cost compare to life long inmates? (lots of questions i know)
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The guy is a complete dirt bag. Death though? I mean no one saw him do it.
Yeah...right...of course, because whenever a murder occurs, someone is always there to see it. *not really*
As much as I want to see this prick get it I\'ve changed my position on the death penalty. After seeing my friend get wrongly accused of a heinous murder and almost going to trial on trumped up charges I will never feel like we can trust the system enough o kill someone.
I know exactly how you feel with my friend and this BS f^cking rape charge [I\'ve only known him my entire life]. The system is so screwy...
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I didn\'t really mean that someone needed to see it, but all of the evidence was circumstantial. Highly incriminating, but circumstantial.
But honestly, I don\'t really care. Not like he is going to come after me if he lives. He\'ll still rot in jail.
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Originally posted by Titan
I think the death penalty should be used for heinous crimes and if he can be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
I definately need to get some sleep because I read that as hilarious crimes.
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Originally posted by Lord Nicon
You guys are full of surprises
And 1 Mil for each of those bastards? To put them away or what? And how does that cost compare to life long inmates? (lots of questions i know)
An average of $1million a year for each inmate mainly due to the court cost (as it gets closer to the day of execution) incurred by defense lawyers trying to get the sentence changed from death row to life imprisonment. Taxes pay for the cost since the inmate has no income.
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Originally posted by Black Samurai
I definately need to get some sleep because I read that as hilarious crimes.
:laughing: A hilarious crime would be a clown robbing a bank and running into the glass door trying to escape. Or rather this one that really happened. A guy was being chased by police, drove up to a building and ran inside to escape. He actually ran into the prison where they arrested him. Now that is a hilarious crime :)
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Stupid, white people...
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How did Mystiq get Ashfords password?
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Mystiq hacked in. Ban him :evil:
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meh doesn\'t make a difference to me...in some instances life in prison can be worse than death....anyway all fingers pointed to him doin it...he even told that chick he was seeing that he missed his wife BEFORE she dissappeared...F**k him...there\'s no pussy in the world worth killin\' for...get that divorce..man up and pay that child support....now look at him..he\'s completely f**ked!
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Goona have to side with Halberto on this one...who the hell cares?
The dude\'s ****ed up in the head. Congrats, so is about 5% of the rest of the population, if not more. Basically, there\'s more cyincal assholes just like him, we\'re not goona be able to put em\' all to death :-P
No other news, so lets track a murder trial...lord. Gotta love that "shock" value. Lord help us.
See Yuz.
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Originally posted by ROL Jamas
we\'re not goona be able to put em\' all to death :-P
Send him to Texas then.