| Judge stands firm against cameras for Peterson verdict Nov 4, 2004 Television viewers will be able to hear but not see the verdict in the Scott Peterson double-murder trial, a judge ruled Thursday. During a special hearing, Judge Alfred Delucchi rejected a request by the media to broadcast the verdict, but said he would allow a live audio feed. While the judge made his decision, the jury spent a second day deliberating charges against the 32-year-old fertilizer salesman. The six-man, six-woman panel asked to see photos and video taken by police at Peterson's home and warehouse on Dec. 24, 2002 — the day he reported his pregnant wife missing — and during subsequent search warrants, according to a source close to the case. The photos the jury requested include pictures of all the rooms in the Modesto home where prosecutors say Peterson smothered or suffocated his 27-year-old wife, Laci. There was no forensic evidence of a murder in the house, and police said there were no obvious signs of a struggle. The request also covered pictures of the 14-foot boat Peterson allegedly used to dump his wife's body in the San Francisco Bay and photos of cement debris on a flatbed trailer in the warehouse. Prosecutors say Peterson made cement weights to sink her body to the bay floor. Jurors deliberated about eight hours Thursday before departing for the hotel where they are sequestered until reaching a verdict. They will return Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. Delucchi, who had initially agreed to cameras, said that after talking with lawyers on both sides, he felt the cameras would turn the verdict into a "spectacle" and exploit the fragile sensibilities of relatives of both the defendant and his slain wife. "I will not be part of any situation where in any way, shape or form a meltdown of these families takes place in this courtroom," the veteran judge said. No family members were present for the hearing. An attorney for the media, Rochelle Wilcox, argued that the public had a right to see their judicial system at work, and that for most people, such information would come through a television broadcast. "Is it in the public interest to see either one of these families to have a meltdown in the courtroom? How is that in the public interest?" the judge asked, noting that reporters had been allowed in the courtroom since the first day of jury selection and could convey the news to their viewers or readers without cameras. Wilcox said that, "As society has evolved, television is where the public gets its news ..." Delucchi cut her off, asking skeptically, "You believe everything you see on television, like the [election] polls?" At the defense table, Peterson laughed loudly and ruefully. Wilcox said news outlets would position cameras so only the lawyers, judge and Peterson were filmed. The judge asked Wilcox if she could guarantee that the camera would not capture displays of emotion from the court gallery. "It would take someone coming up and over this rail for that to happen," Wilcox said, pointing to the short wall dividing the gallery from the well. "That could happen," the judge said. The prosecution and the defense filed a joint motion opposing cameras, and prosecutor Dave Harris scoffed at Wilcox's suggestion that the public could learn about the judicial system through the broadcast of the verdict. "It's a reading of 20 to 30 words. That is supposed to teach them about the system? No, it's to focus in on someone's grief, someone's anguish," he said. Delucchi also refused to unseal transcripts of dozens of closed-door hearings held throughout the trial. "Ms. Wilcox, this has not been a good day for you," he told the media lawyer. Peterson is charged with two counts of murder. If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. If he is convicted of second-degree murder, he faces 15 years to life on each count. HOME INDEX LACI TRIAL SCOTT ALIBI-WITNESS LIST WIRETAPS EVIDENCE PHOTOS |
 |
| LACI & CONNER "My prayers are always with you!" John Doucette ~ California ~ Guestbook |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|