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| GERAGOS & HARRIS |
| Harris, a lawyer in Geragos' firm who handled about 20 mostly minor witnesses during the guilt phase of the trial, delivered the opening statement and questioned Lee Peterson and three other witnesses Wednesday. Geragos questioned only Caudillo. Although Harris did not explain the switch to jurors, second-chair attorneys sometimes take over in the penalty phase if the defense determines the main attorney lost credibility with a jury in the guilt phase by arguing for the client's innocence. Geragos told jurors his client was "stone-cold innocent" and failed to deliver on promises of evidence that would prove someone else carried out the crimes. Some jurors stared at the floor rather than make eye contact with him during his summation last month. In his opening statement, Harris acknowledged the jury's finding that Peterson was guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his wife, Laci, and of second- degree murder in the death of the son the couple planned to name Conner. "We don't agree with it, but we respect the fact you came up with it, and it's time to move forward," Harris told the jury. He promised a wide-ranging defense case with testimony from friends, teachers, a golf coach, former employers, an ex-girlfriend, and relatives who would all describe the 32-year-old as a man "who affected people's lives in a million small ways" from the time he was a small boy. "When we show you these 30 years, I think we will show you this is a life worth saving," he said. Peterson's mother, Jackie, will be the final witness to plead for his life, making his parents "bookends" to his life story, Harris said. HOME INDEX LACI CONNER WITNESSES ALBUM LACI'S FAMILY SCOTT WIRETAPS VERDICT |
| Second-chair lawyer
December 1, 2004 The day began with a surprise when Peterson's high-profile attorney, Mark Geragos, chose to let Harris, his second chair for the trial, take the lead in the penalty phase. |
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