Scott Peterson Proclaims His Own "Death" Sentence
There seems to be much misplaced sympathy for a man who cheated on his wife, lied to her, lied to his girlfriend, lied to his mother, was an avid addict of pornography, and murdered his wife and his unborn son.
The people I have sympathy for are his family, Laci's family, Amber Frey, and all those whom he has deceived and hurt through his evil behavior. How outrageous that he put them through this horrible tragedy! Why did it happen? Was it pure selfishness? Is he a sociopath? Is he remorseful? What caused him to "lose it"?
I don't have answers to any of these questions, but I have been praying daily, asking God for His justice to prevail in this trial. Whether or not Scott gets the death sentence will be determined by the people on that jury and I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them in making this difficult decision.
Either way, Scott Peterson has proclaimed his own death sentence. He was a man who sought freedom -- the freedom to lie, cheat, do whatever he wanted, but now he must face the consequences of that "false freedom". He must face the Truth -- that he chose death rather than life; he chose slavery rather than freedom; he chose to follow the path of evil rather than that of goodness. Whether he is confined to prison for the rest of his life or whether he is given the death sentence until he confesses and repents of his sins, he will always remain a prisoner in the darkness of his soul. I pray that he will repent of this terrible atrocity and seek the mercy of the Lord.
Peterson Faces Tough Road in Penalty Phase
Scott Peterson Faces Difficult Tasks in Sentencing: Asking for Life, While Maintaining Innocence
The Associated Press
Nov. 14, 2004 - The jury that convicted Scott Peterson saw a man with two faces: in public, a loving father-to-be with a steady job and stable home, and in private a cheating husband who yearned for bachelorhood and was willing to kill for it. Convicted Friday of murdering his pregnant wife and her fetus, Peterson must now present a unified image on two fronts he must convince jurors that his life is worth sparing while arguing to the courts that he was wrongly convicted.
Some experts said he might have a chance to win an appeal, given the dismissal of two jurors during deliberations. After his sentencing, defense investigators are likely to interview panelists, looking for any signs of misconduct.
"These jurors are about to go under the microscope," said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.
Peterson faces life in prison or the death penalty for the first-degree murder of his wife, Laci, and second-degree murder of the fetus.
While the first part of the trial focused on evidence, the penalty phase, beginning Nov. 22, will be laced with raw emotion as rules of evidence that prohibit inflaming jurors are cast aside.
Blockbuster testimony is expected from Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, who will testify about losing a 27-year-old daughter and the grandson she was waiting for.
"She's going to get up there and she's going to break down. Her voice is going to crack," said Daniel Horowitz, a criminal defense attorney and regular trial observer.
Peterson is unlikely to take the stand and beg for mercy doing that would require him to admit to the murders, and throw away any chance of arguing his innocence. Instead, testimony will likely include pleas from his parents to spare his life.
Jury consultant Ed Bronson said Peterson's defense attorney, Mark Geragos, will try to tap any lingering doubt over whether Peterson was a calculated killer. The defense is expected to remind jurors that the 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman has no criminal record or history of violence.
"Are you so sure that you are willing to kill this man?" Bronson said.
But even if jurors unanimously vote for death, Peterson might not be executed for decades, if ever. Only 10 executions have been carried out since California brought back capital punishment in 1978. None of the 650 current condemned some of whom have been awaiting death for decades have completed their appeals.
"You're more likely to die of natural causes on death row than be executed," Levenson said.
On appeal, Peterson's attorneys will likely focus on two key issues during the jury's deliberations, said former San Francisco prosecutor and trial observer Jim Hammer.
"The biggest issue is juror removals," Hammer said. "Kicking someone off the jury is one of the riskiest things you can do in a trial. ... Two jurors in two days? I've never heard of that happening before."
One juror was ousted after performing her own research on the case outside of the evidence presented at trial. Violating the gag order, the juror said Friday night that she supported the verdict. Another, the jury foreman, was removed a day later. The reasons for his ousting remain sealed by the court.
The second point of appeal is the viewing of the boat prosecutors allege Peterson used to dump his wife's body into San Francisco Bay.
Jurors climbed inside the boat, parked in a garage near the courthouse, rocking it from side to side. Defense attorneys had argued it would have been nearly impossible for Peterson to have heaved his wife overboard without capsizing.
Geragos sought a mistrial after the viewing, claiming jurors violated the law by conducting an experiment. The motion was quickly denied.
"If the court of appeals finds that to be an experiment, that could lead to a reversal," Hammer said.
The judge said he expects the jury to begin deliberating Peterson's sentence by Nov 30. The jury then will be sequestered again while deciding Peterson's fate.
Regardless of any appeals, expected motions for a new trial, or the ultimate sentence, Peterson must prepare himself for prison. He remains in county jail until sentencing.
"It will be a hard time for him. Initially, he may be segregated. But life segregation can be difficult," Levenson said. "It's more likely he'll end up in general population. He's going to have to learn how to survive. As far as the inmates are concerned, he's a wife killer and a baby killer."
Associated Press Writer David Kravets contributed to this story.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press
There seems to be much misplaced sympathy for a man who cheated on his wife, lied to her, lied to his girlfriend, lied to his mother, was an avid addict of pornography, and murdered his wife and his unborn son.
The people I have sympathy for are his family, Laci's family, Amber Frey, and all those whom he has deceived and hurt through his evil behavior. How outrageous that he put them through this horrible tragedy! Why did it happen? Was it pure selfishness? Is he a sociopath? Is he remorseful? What caused him to "lose it"?
I don't have answers to any of these questions, but I have been praying daily, asking God for His justice to prevail in this trial. Whether or not Scott gets the death sentence will be determined by the people on that jury and I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them in making this difficult decision.
Either way, Scott Peterson has proclaimed his own death sentence. He was a man who sought freedom -- the freedom to lie, cheat, do whatever he wanted, but now he must face the consequences of that "false freedom". He must face the Truth -- that he chose death rather than life; he chose slavery rather than freedom; he chose to follow the path of evil rather than that of goodness. Whether he is confined to prison for the rest of his life or whether he is given the death sentence until he confesses and repents of his sins, he will always remain a prisoner in the darkness of his soul. I pray that he will repent of this terrible atrocity and seek the mercy of the Lord.
Peterson Faces Tough Road in Penalty Phase
Scott Peterson Faces Difficult Tasks in Sentencing: Asking for Life, While Maintaining Innocence
The Associated Press
Nov. 14, 2004 - The jury that convicted Scott Peterson saw a man with two faces: in public, a loving father-to-be with a steady job and stable home, and in private a cheating husband who yearned for bachelorhood and was willing to kill for it. Convicted Friday of murdering his pregnant wife and her fetus, Peterson must now present a unified image on two fronts he must convince jurors that his life is worth sparing while arguing to the courts that he was wrongly convicted.
Some experts said he might have a chance to win an appeal, given the dismissal of two jurors during deliberations. After his sentencing, defense investigators are likely to interview panelists, looking for any signs of misconduct.
"These jurors are about to go under the microscope," said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.
Peterson faces life in prison or the death penalty for the first-degree murder of his wife, Laci, and second-degree murder of the fetus.
While the first part of the trial focused on evidence, the penalty phase, beginning Nov. 22, will be laced with raw emotion as rules of evidence that prohibit inflaming jurors are cast aside.
Blockbuster testimony is expected from Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, who will testify about losing a 27-year-old daughter and the grandson she was waiting for.
"She's going to get up there and she's going to break down. Her voice is going to crack," said Daniel Horowitz, a criminal defense attorney and regular trial observer.
Peterson is unlikely to take the stand and beg for mercy doing that would require him to admit to the murders, and throw away any chance of arguing his innocence. Instead, testimony will likely include pleas from his parents to spare his life.
Jury consultant Ed Bronson said Peterson's defense attorney, Mark Geragos, will try to tap any lingering doubt over whether Peterson was a calculated killer. The defense is expected to remind jurors that the 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman has no criminal record or history of violence.
"Are you so sure that you are willing to kill this man?" Bronson said.
But even if jurors unanimously vote for death, Peterson might not be executed for decades, if ever. Only 10 executions have been carried out since California brought back capital punishment in 1978. None of the 650 current condemned some of whom have been awaiting death for decades have completed their appeals.
"You're more likely to die of natural causes on death row than be executed," Levenson said.
On appeal, Peterson's attorneys will likely focus on two key issues during the jury's deliberations, said former San Francisco prosecutor and trial observer Jim Hammer.
"The biggest issue is juror removals," Hammer said. "Kicking someone off the jury is one of the riskiest things you can do in a trial. ... Two jurors in two days? I've never heard of that happening before."
One juror was ousted after performing her own research on the case outside of the evidence presented at trial. Violating the gag order, the juror said Friday night that she supported the verdict. Another, the jury foreman, was removed a day later. The reasons for his ousting remain sealed by the court.
The second point of appeal is the viewing of the boat prosecutors allege Peterson used to dump his wife's body into San Francisco Bay.
Jurors climbed inside the boat, parked in a garage near the courthouse, rocking it from side to side. Defense attorneys had argued it would have been nearly impossible for Peterson to have heaved his wife overboard without capsizing.
Geragos sought a mistrial after the viewing, claiming jurors violated the law by conducting an experiment. The motion was quickly denied.
"If the court of appeals finds that to be an experiment, that could lead to a reversal," Hammer said.
The judge said he expects the jury to begin deliberating Peterson's sentence by Nov 30. The jury then will be sequestered again while deciding Peterson's fate.
Regardless of any appeals, expected motions for a new trial, or the ultimate sentence, Peterson must prepare himself for prison. He remains in county jail until sentencing.
"It will be a hard time for him. Initially, he may be segregated. But life segregation can be difficult," Levenson said. "It's more likely he'll end up in general population. He's going to have to learn how to survive. As far as the inmates are concerned, he's a wife killer and a baby killer."
Associated Press Writer David Kravets contributed to this story.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press
There are 560 murderers on death row. The State of California is spending $220 million dollars for a new, improved death row!
ReplyDeleteIf we start immediately executing 2 prisoners a day, 5 days a week it will take over a year; it will save California hundreds of millions of dollars over the next twenty years. Contact Gobandor Arnold about this with the Church's support!
I would normally sign my name but I have a gangster problem where I live.
I, too, am praying with you that this man will repent of his sins.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am against the death penalty, though I doubt I'd cry if Scott Peterson were executed. But perhaps the best thing would be to keep him in jail for the rest of life and feed him nothing but bread and water, not let him see the sun ever again, receive no visitors, have no reading material, etc. That would be greater punishment.
ReplyDeleteEmily (ehelgersen@yahoo.ca)