HISTORIC STEP: President Bush (right) signs the law inspired by Laci Peterson (above) as her mom, Sharon Rocha, and stepfather, Ron Grantski, look on. AP
Posted on 04/06/2004 5:35:22 AM PDT by runningbear
Peninsula's tragic endings Five men to stand trial for allegedly killing their wives.
Peninsula's tragic endings
Five men to stand trial for allegedly killing their wives.
By Jamie Casini
Staff Writer
jcasini@examiner.com
Published on Monday, April 5, 2004
REDWOOD CITY -- Sharen Theresa Sulpizio-May. Adella Samaneigo. Laci Denise Peterson. Raye Lynn Rapoza. Donna Morrow. These five women share a tragic commonality -- all were allegedly murdered at the hands of their husbands. And all five men are currently awaiting trial in San Mateo County court. Five cases of this nature are an anomaly for the county, said Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
"Usually, we have one or two [of these cases] pending. Right now, we have five and that's high," Wagstaffe said.
As for whether a history of domestic violence exists in these homicide cases, Wagstaffe said the pattern is inexplicable.
"When a husband murders his wife, no pattern seems to exist," he said. "There is a lot of anger and frustration. Some are well planned executions, while others tend to be explosions of anger."
Women are much more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner, and on average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Although charges are often pressed quickly in the cases of murder against a spouse, it is often a long wait for family members hoping for justice.
Joseph Morrow's trial on charges he murdered his wife, Donna Morrow, in 1991, will likely be delayed several months, according to Wagstaffe.
Eddie Rapoza is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluations to see whether he is competent to stand trial for murdering his seven-months pregnant wife, Raye Rapoza, and their 4-year old daughter, Tehani, in 2002. Scott Peterson's double-murder trial is expected to begin May 17.
Tirso Banuelos Erena's trial is scheduled for Aug. 9. He is charged with killing his estranged wife Adella Samaneigo by gunfire after an argument in March 2003. And most recently, Lawrence Edward May allegedly stabbed his wife to death after the pair attended a child custody mediation session in San Mateo on March 25. He is scheduled to make a plea on Tuesday.
On March 10, both May and Sulpizio-May filed applications for temporary restraining orders against one another. At the time of her death, both requests were pending hearings..........
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HISTORIC STEP: President Bush (right) signs the law inspired by Laci Peterson (above) as her mom, Sharon Rocha, and stepfather, Ron Grantski, look on. AP
BUSH INKS LACI LAW
By ADAM MILLER
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April 2, 2004 -- The emotional family of pregnant murder victim Laci Peterson joined President Bush at the White House yesterday as he signed into a law a fetus-rights bill dubbed "Laci and Connor's Law."
Flanked by Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, and stepfather, Ron Grantski, Bush inked the history-making legislation, which makes it a crime to harm a fetus during an assault on a pregnant woman.
"His little soul never saw light, but he was loved, and he is remembered," Bush said of Connor, Laci's unborn child.
"And his name is forever joined with that of his mom in this statute," Bush said during the ceremony in the East Room. "All who knew Laci Peterson have mourned two deaths and the law cannot look away and pretend there was just one."
"The suffering of two victims can never equal one offense."
Laci was eight months pregnant when she was murdered in 2002. ........
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Two more prospective Peterson jurors chosen this morning
Posted on Mon, Apr. 05, 2004
Two more prospective Peterson jurors chosen this morning
By Brian Anderson
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
REDWOOD CITY - Lawyers and a judge were batting 1,000 this morning, moving two more prospective jurors to the final selection phase in the continuing murder case of Scott Peterson.
Both of the two San Mateo County residents brought into court for individual questioning before the lunch break were qualified to serve on the jury panel.
The first, an employment recruiter for Bank of America Securities, said she had heard about the case, but said she could be fair. She had been judged all her life as had her parents, she told defense attorney Mark Geragos after being asked for the reason behind her vow of fairness.
"I'm Asian," she said, adding that she grew up in a white world. "I've been judged all my life. My parents were Chinese. They lived in Taiwan. I know what it's like to be judged."
Judge Alfred Delucchi qualified the second juror over a prosecutor's objection that she had formed opinions about the case. Juror 6012 said she waffled on Peterson's guilt, saying at times that he might be guilty and at other times that he did not commit the crime.
The woman, a high school teacher, ultimately concluded that she did not have enough information to form a definitive opinion on whether Peterson is guilty of killing his wife Laci, 27, and the couple's unborn son.
"I never really made a decision," Juror 6012 said.
Prosecutors have said they will seek a death sentence if he is found guilty of two murder counts and a special circumstance. Peterson has pleaded not guilty.
Delucchi and lawyers on both sides of the case are working to seat 12 jurors and six alternates. They have qualified 17 people thus far for the final phase in May, at which the final panel will be selected.........
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Peterson Judge 'Pleased as Punch'
Peterson Judge 'Pleased as Punch'
Ryan McKeel
Two more people qualified Monday as potential jurors in the Scott Peterson double murder trial.
Judge Al Delucchi said he was "pleased as punch" that the number of possible jurors has reached 17. Delucchi has said he hopes to have between .......
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Jury pool reaches 17 potentials
Posted on Tue, Apr. 06, 2004
Jury pool reaches 17 potentials
By Brian Anderson
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
REDWOOD CITY - Officials moved a step closer to seating a jury in the Scott Peterson trial Monday, qualifying two additional prospective jurors for the final phase of the selection process.
After seven days of questioning possible jurors, Judge Alfred Delucchi has tallied a pool of 17 San Mateo County residents from which to pick a final jury panel. They hope to find about 50 more.
The two most recent additions -- an employment recruiter and a high school teacher -- said they had heard about the case, but could be fair. One, the teacher, said she had even mentioned to someone that she believed Peterson might have killed his wife, Laci, 27, and the couple's unborn son.
The move prompted prosecutors to challenge the woman. But Delucchi noted the woman also had said Peterson might be innocent and that she agreed to set aside any prior thoughts. She was asked to return May 13 for the final stage of jury selection.
Also qualifying was a headhunter for Bank of America .........
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Public Wants Televised Coverage of Case
Public Wants Televised Coverage of Case
REDWOOD CITY — The judge in Scott Peterson's double-murder trial says he's received letters from members of the public who are upset that he is not allowing the trial to be televised.
Judge Alfred A. Delucchi says one woman expressed concerns that she had been following the case closely and was upset she would not be able to watch the trial unfold on television.
The trial was moved from Modesto to Redwood City after a judge found that an impartial jury couldn't be seated in Peterson's hometown.
Delucchi has commented that pretrial .........
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Posted on Tue, Apr. 06, 2004
MONDAY'S DEVELOPMENTS
Jury selection continued at the San Mateo County courthouse in Redwood City. Last month, the jury pool was reduced from 1,000 to about 300, mainly because most of the prospective jurors' employers would not pay them for the duration of the estimated six-month trial. In the current, more in-depth selection phase known as Hovey voir dire, those who were not initially dismissed have returned to be individually questioned.
In this phase, people are dismissed for being adamantly for or against the death penalty, and for having a strong belief that Scott Peterson is guilty of killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. About 12 people have come to court for questioning each day. Hovey voir dire began March 22 and is expected to last through early May.
Those who are not dismissed will return to court May 13, known as the ``Big Spin'' day, when the pool will be narrowed to 12 jurors and six alternates. Opening arguments are scheduled May 17.
Also on Monday, the prosecution and defense teams got new, padded chairs to replace the hard, wooden ones they had been using. They requested the new chairs a few days ago, prompting Judge Alfred Delucchi, who presides over the case, to call them ``cream puffs.''
``They're much more comfortable,'' said Peterson's attorney, Mark Geragos, outside court.
People chosen Monday to return to court: 2
People chosen to return since Hovey voir dire began: 17
Those chosen Monday to return included a woman who recruits brokers for a financial firm and said she could understand being on trial because she is Asian and has ``been judged all my life.'' The second person asked to return was a woman who looked to be in her early 20s, who is interested in Scientology and cosmetology and who is willing to quit her temporary teaching job to serve on the jury.
WHAT'S NEXT
Jury selection will continue through Thursday. Court is closed Fridays........
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Calif. Man Held Liable for Killing Unborn Victim
(Excerpt) Read more at sfexaminer.com ...
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Some of the public, anyway...
"And his name is forever joined with that of his mom in this statute," Bush said during the ceremony in the East Room.
"All who knew Laci Peterson have mourned two deaths and the law cannot look away and pretend there was just one."
Lovely words of comfort from GW to Laci's family...
Nearly 1,600 domestic disturbance calls were handled last year alone, representing an average of four every day of the year (and nearly one-third of those calls resulted in arrest)."
We only have a population of about 40,000. I can't imagine what the statistics are in bigger cities.
Also what does this say about what is happening to our society?
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