| 2 more sent to final round of Peterson jury selection Thursday, March 25, 2004 An ex-Marine who, like the man he could end up judging, said he was arrested for a crime he did not commit has made it to the final round of jury selection in the Scott Peterson murder trial. Juror 4741 was one of only two people Wednesday who Judge Alfred Delucchi moved one step closer to hearing the high-profile case. They will seat 12 people and six alternates on the jury panel. JUROR #4 was JUROR 4741 A former Colma community service police officer, an officer in a labor union, and a former U.S. Marine - Now works as a quality-assurance manager for Georgia Pacific, appears to be in his 40s, said he could vote for the death penalty, but that it depended on the circumstances of the case. He joked with the judge about whether he would be paid if he were picked for the jury. "I hope so," the prospective juror chuckled. "I hope so, too," Delucchi replied. "You're going to be here half the year." He had said in his questionnaire that he did not know enough about the case to form an opinion on whether Peterson killed his wife, Laci Peterson, 27, and the couple's unborn son. Prosecutors are seeking a death sentence for Peterson, who has pleaded not guilty saying through his attorney Mark Geragos that others could be responsible for the crime. Juror 4741, a bear of man with gold-rimmed glasses, and an easy courtoom manner, posed an interesting riddle for attorneys looking to pick jurors more sympathetic to their sides. The prospective juror said he was a former Marine and community-service police officer willing to consider the death penalty. But he also said he had been arrested for trying to buy alcohol under- age and for assault and battery on a police officer. The latter charges were dismissed, he said. "I was arrested on occasions and I didn't do anything," Juror 4741 said. "The point is, if you're arrested, that doesn't mean you're guilty. It's that simple." The assault-and-battery incident occurred when he was 28 and an officer in a labor organization. The man said he brought donations to striking workers, and there was "some interaction" between the strikers and workers when their shift ended. "I observed some nonprofessional acts by officers," Juror 4741 said. "An officer took his baton out and came at me. Not thinking, I disarmed the officer." The prospective juror said his military training had taken over when the officer approached, but he added that he then apologized and gave the baton back. Prosecutor Dave Harris asked the man if he would have "flashbacks" to that incident when police officers testified in the Peterson case. The man said he wouldn't and would judge police testimony equally with that of other witnesses. Defense attorney Mark Geragos asked whether the fact that Peterson had been arrested and was seated in court as a defendant in a murder trial indicated guilt to the potential juror. "It just means he has a chair at the table," the man replied. *************************** Also qualified on Wednesday was a woman who worked in a medical facility. Juror 21244 said she had never formed an opinion on Peterson's innocence or guilt and what she has heard about the case could be set aside. She said she was willing to apply a death sentence, if that's what a case warranted, and was not easily swayed. "When I make a decision," she told Geragos, "I stay with it." THE JURORS - WHO THEY ARE HOME INDEX TRIAL NEWS EVIDENCE-NEWS PETERSON TREE SCOTT PETERSON INDEX |
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| LACI & CONNER May Justice Prevail |
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