| From: RickAMorti1 GLOBE - April 12, 2004 WILL SCOTT COP A PLEA? GLOBE: LACI'S DAD: Exclusive Interview: I WANT SCOTT TO DIE by David Thompson synopsis After the judge's stunning decision that everything Scott Peterson said in TV interviews can be used by the prosecution, the family of his slain wife Laci is outraged that he may now cop a plea and escape death row. Laci's family and friends have been desperately hoping that Peterson, charged with her murder and the brutal slaying of their unborn child Conner, would stand trial, be convicted and then be forced to pay the ultimate price by lethal injection, in order to give then a sense of closure. "I hope Scott gets the death penalty for what he's done," Laci's dad, Dennis Rocha, tells GLOBE in an exclusive interview. But the family's hopes for the ultimate penalty were jeopardized March 22. That's when Redwood City, Calif., Judge Alfred Delucchi agreed to allow into evidence four incriminating television interviews Peterson gave before the bodies of his wife and child were discovered in the Bay. Meanwhile, 31 year old Peterson has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder charges that could lead to the death penalty for the former fertilizer salesman. But now that Peterson seemingly has effectively signed his own death warrant with his unguarded on-camera comments, court observers say a plea bargain is more likely. By referring to his then still missing wife Laci in the past tense during one interview-then quickly correcting himself- Peterson appeared to have signaled he was responsible for the murders. And that's just one of his many blunders. "There seems to be so much damning evidence against Scott that it's hard to believe he can carry on fighting and fighting," says a close friend. "At some point, he's going to have a reality check and realize that chances are a jury will find him guilty of double murder." Legal expert Craig Silverman agrees that Peterson will probably seek a deal with prosecutors. "Scott could agree to charges of second-degree murder, which means he admits committing the murders, but crimes were not premeditated as the prosecution now insists," explains Silverman. "Ultimately, it's up to the judge to decide whether to accept a plea bargain, but most judges won't refuse that kind of request." Another family friend tells, GLOBE, "Laci's parents deserve justice. They believe in an eye for an eye.. It would be a huge blow to them if Scott is allowed to go on living." As prosecutors prepare to go to trial with mountains of evidence against Peterson, sources say that in the end, it will be his own televised words and brazen false statements that will seal his fate. Attorney Silverman says that many of Scott's sound bites in interviews he gave could cost him his life. Silverman claims that Scott appears to have gotten a buzz out of being interviewed on TV and was more interested in massaging his own ego than anything else. "At times he looked like he was exhilarated with being interviewed by a celebrity like Diane Sawyer," says Silverman. "Instead of seeking those kind of thrills, he should have been thinking about his missing wife." Adds Rocha,"Scott has shot himself in his foot. He has always believed he has more smarts than everyone else and that we're all stupid. In reality he's the stupid one." Ruth Jones, a criminal law professor at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, Calif., calls Peterson's controversial TV interviews damning. "Peterson's own words will sink him and send him to death row," Jones tells GLOBE. "The prosecution will pick apart the interviews word by word so they can prove he's been lying all along." "He thought he could save himself by doing those interviews but they actually sealed his fate." HOME INDEX MAGAZINES LACI SCOTT TRIAL NEWS |
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