Free Republic

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) -- Scott Peterson's defense lawyers want to seat a new jury in another county to weigh whether Peterson deserves to die for the murders of his pregnant wife and the fetus she carried, according to a motion filed Wednesday. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos filed the motion in San Mateo County Superior Court. The details will not be made public until after Judge Alfred A. Delucchi reviews the file Monday morning before the scheduled start of the penalty phase. The 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman was convicted Friday on one count of first-degree murder in the death of...

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Scott Peterson (news - web sites)'s attorney wants a new jury in a different county to decide whether the former fertilizer salesman gets the death penalty or life in prison without parole for killing his wife and the fetus she carried. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos made the request in a motion filed Wednesday in San Mateo County Superior Court. The details will not be made public until after Judge Alfred A. Delucchi reviews the file before the scheduled start of the penalty phase Monday morning, which could now be delayed. The motion marks the second time...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The cost to investigate, arrest and prosecute Scott Peterson for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci, has reached nearly $2.5 million so far, and state taxpayers might have to pick up the tab. Estimating that the costs could reach $5 million with appeals, Republican state Sen. Jeff Denham said he will introduce a bill when the Legislature convenes next month to get the state to cover 100 percent of the bills. Authorities in Stanislaus County and Modesto, where Scott and Laci Peterson lived, have spent about $2.1 million so far. San Mateo County, where the...

Please Freep this poll!Do you think Scot Peterson will get the Death Penalty?

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Scott Peterson could spend his remaining years catching glimpses of the bay where he launched his boat on Christmas Eve 2002, not far from where the bodies of his pregnant wife and unborn child eventually floated to shore. Now convicted of their murders, Peterson will be transported to San Quentin State Prison overlooking San Francisco Bay if the jury recommends a death sentence following a hearing that begins Monday. Cell doors on two of the three units at San Quentin look past walkways patrolled by rifle-toting guards, out at the same water that doomed Peterson when jurors...

Peterson May Join 'The Qs' Infamous Death Row SAN QUENTIN -- If Scott Peterson is condemned to die he would become the latest addition to a San Quentin Death Row that already houses serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker, Richard Allen Davis, the killer of Polly Klaas, David Carpenter, the Trailside Killer, and recently arrived Cary Stayner. Ironically, Peterson could also catch an occasional glimpse across the San Francisco Bay waters of the spot where he launched his boat on Christmas Eve 2002, not far from where the bodies of his pregnant wife and unborn child eventually...

The judge in the Scott Peterson murder trial denied defense motions Monday for a new jury and a new venue for the penalty phase of the case, and rescheduled the process to begin Nov. 30. The penalty phase had been set to begin Monday, 10 days after Peterson was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing Laci Peterson and second-degree murder for killing her fetus. Jurors must choose between a life sentence or execution. "We're going to have to go with this jury," Judge Alfred A. Delucci said in rejecting the defense arguments. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos argued that a...