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Dr. Cyril Wecht, the Allegheny County coroner, is as brilliant as he is bombastic. And he is very brilliant. I genuinely like him, but sometimes he infuriates all of us. His dismissive comments about Christians a few days ago border on religious bigotry. He disagrees. Wecht had been hired by the defense as a consultant in the Scott Peterson murder trial. He did his own autopsy on Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Connor. Peterson, as stone cold a murderer as there is, killed his pregnant wife and dumped the body in the San Francisco Bay, while having an affair,...

Their killings produced only a few headlines, but across the country in the last decade, hundreds of pregnant women and new mothers have been slain. Even as Scott Peterson's trial became a public fascination, little was said about how often is happens, why, and whether it is a fluke or a social syndrome. First of three articlesTheir deaths passed quietly. Tara Chambers, 29, was gunned down on a June morning inside her North Carolina home. Rebecca Johnson, 16, was shot in the chest as she sat in a pickup truck in Oklahoma. Ana Diaz, 28, was killed in a parking...

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Two jury members were kicked off, the foreman was ousted, and the case was nearly deadlocked. Now jurors in the Scott Peterson case tell the story of their decision to sentence him to death. It was to be their final vote, and few in the room thought they had reached a consensus. The Scott Peterson jury had spent six months together, judged him guilty of first- and second-degree murder, but when it came to sentencing him to death or to life in prison without the possibility of parole, there appeared to be one holdout: Juror No. 2,...

Yes, by now, the world knows finality of Scott Peterson murder trial!:Jurors reach verdict in penalty phase of Scott Peterson's trial REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A jury announced Monday it has reached a verdict in the penalty phase of Scott Peterson's murder trial. The panel is expected to deliver the verdict at 1:30 p.m. PT at the San Mateo County Courthouse. Peterson, 31, faces either the death penalty or life in prison without parole for the murders of his wife and unborn son. The six men and six women reached their verdict after deliberating for about 12 hours over three...

What will death row be like for Peterson? A considerable amount of mail flows into my cell from people out there in the world asking what it's really like living day-to-day on San Quentin's Death Row. I'm always tempted to quip, its's a hell f a lot better than dying here. But then I really don't know if that's true -- yet. I answer every letter even if the writer is rapidly pro-death penalty. It's easy for me to understand their attraction to the concept of killing convicted murderers. In the abstract, the death penalty has an elegant Newtonian --...

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - A jury decided Monday that Scott Peterson (news - web sites) should be executed for murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, whose Christmas Eve disappearance two years ago was the opening act in a legal drama that captivated the nation. A cheer went up outside the courtroom as the jury announced its decision after 11 1/2 hours of deliberations over three days. 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. Peterson clenched his jaw when the verdict was read and leaned over to...

Fox News...

START OF THE MONDAY QUARTERBACKING DECISION:Courttv Blog4:00 p.m. PT In an apparent move to avoid the crowd of reporters and citizens outside the courthouse, the jurors are taken out of court through an underground parking garage instead of their usual exit on the sidewalk. Beth Karas and I are standing outside the garage when the two sheriff's vans pull out. I can see the Teamster seated in the front passenger seat of the first van. A photographer from the Modesto Bee is standing with us and he begins taking photos. The court officer driving the first van slams on the...

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's jury failed to reach a decision yesterday after deliberating all day. The jury will be sequestered for the weekend and resume deliberations Monday on whether he should get a lethal injection for killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. For the first time since the trial began, Peterson failed to show up in court. But had the jury reached a verdict, he would have been brought in to hear it.

Jurors begin deliberating possible death sentence for Scott Peterson REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Jurors began deliberating Thursday whether Scott Peterson should be put to death for the murders of his pregnant wife and unborn child. The six men and six women spent two hours weighing evidence before retiring for the night to the hotel where they will be sequestered until reaching a verdict. They are to resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Friday. The jurors started their work after listening to impassioned closing arguments in which a prosecutor described Peterson as "the worst of the worst" and deserving of the ultimate...

Life or death Blog trial of scott petersonWEDNESDAY, DEC. 8, 2004 2:19 p.m. PT The Court TV team covering the Peterson case may be missing this year's company party in New York tomorrow, but we did get some holiday cheer here in Redwood City courtesy of a dedicated fan. An Escalon, Calif., man who would only identify himself as Jeff came out to meet our very own Nancy Grace — but he didn't come alone. He brought his pet goat named Butthead, who was dressed up in full reindeer regalia. Man and beast were all smiles when they left.—Bryan Lavietes...

I freakin' love it......"He's an exceptional young man and he's my son," she said. "I know he's not perfect ... but he is genuinely a loving, caring, nurturing, kind, gentle person.".....to everyone except his 9 month pregnat wife and unborn child that is....he killed them in cold blood. Apart from that small detail he's a wonderful person!!! A frail-looking Jackie Peterson (search) tearfully pleaded with jurors Wednesday to spare her son's life, saying that "if you were to take Scott away from us ... we would lose a whole family." "It would be like Laci never existed," she said, crying...

Want Greta's blog delivered directly to your e-mail box? Click here to sign up! It If you heard my "tease" out of the first segment Monday night, you expected at some point during the show to hear from the lawyer in the Peterson (search) case who represented the bartender who was "accused" of having a discussion about the trial with a sitting juror.

Witnesses: Jury Wrongly Convicted Peterson REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — In tearful testimony, Scott Peterson's (search) family and friends pleaded with jurors to spare his life, contending that he was mistakenly convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci.Defense witnesses have already testified that Peterson sang to seniors on Sundays, distributed food and clothes in Tijuana and that he was a good friend and loving son.On the fifth day of the trial's penalty phase, Peterson's relatives questioned the jury's verdict."I don't believe he's guilty," said his uncle, John Lathamke to see him die. It would tear our family apart."But jurors showed no expression, some...

Coach, principal and others recall Scott Peterson fondly REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's high school golf coach and his sixth-grade principal were among 14 witnesses to testify Monday as his defense team continued its effort to persuade a jury the convicted killer does not deserve the death penalty. "He was one of the finest young men that I coached," David Thoennes told the six men and six women who are expected to begin deliberating Peterson's fate later this week. "I never saw Scott lose his temper," said Thoennes, who coached the golf team at Peterson's Catholic high school in...

Family, friends plead with jurors to spare Scott Peterson from executionREDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's brother, sisters-in-law and former schoolmates took the stand in the penalty phase of his capital trial Thursday and urged jurors not to sentence him to death for the murders of his pregnant wife and unborn son. "I would be devastated. I can't even imagine. I'd be wrecked," said his half-brother, John. Staring toward the defense table, he added, "My little brother, I love him." Another witness, Aaron Fritz, a friend of Peterson since high school, said a verdict of death "would be a horrendous...

Peterson Family's Plea To JuryCBS/AP) Friends and family began fighting for Scott Peterson's life today, telling jurors about a loving man they know as a do-gooder not a cold blooded killer. A day after the mother of Peterson's dead wife Laci attacked the man from the witness stand, defense lawyers presented a much calmer, detailed effort to spare the former fertilizer salesman from a death sentence. They worked to humanize Peterson and the family that has supported him. He was a good boy, a great student and a fine golfer, they said. He was generous, thoughtful and, very simply, did...

Prosecutor: Scott Peterson deserves death for killing his wife, unborn son REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — The penalty phase in Scott Peterson's capital trial began Tuesday morning with a prosecutor telling jurors the fertilizer salesman deserves the ultimate punishment for the murders of his wife and unborn son. "Based on the circumstances of this crime, the only appropriate, just punishment is death," prosecutor Dave Harris told the panel. The six men and six women convicted the 32-year-old of first-degree murder in the slaying of his wife, Laci, and of second-degree murder for the death of the child they planned to name...

Jurors face difficult decision over Scott Peterson's fate SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — If the experience of those involved in past death penalty cases is any guide, the jurors in Scott Peterson's murder trial will have to grapple with raw and deep religious, moral and legal issues as they decide whether he lives or dies. Arguments in the penalty phase are scheduled to begin Tuesday, but experts say many of the jurors may already have made up their minds about what punishment the 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman deserves. In 2001, a California jury faced a case that holds some similarities to...

SAN FRANCISCO -- He was a philandering husband convicted of the shocking murder of his young and very pregnant wife. His name wasn't Scott Peterson, though. It was Todd Garton, and in 2001, a California jury said he deserved to die. "I signed the document that the jury found for death and I think about that a lot," said Fred Castagna, who served as jury foreman. "It was emotional during deliberations, but I don't lose sleep over it." If the experience of Castagna and others involved in death penalty cases is any guide, the jurors in Peterson's murder trial will...