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| LEE & LACI PETERSON |
| AT THE PENALTY PHASE FOR SCOTT PETERSON LEE PETERSON TAKES THE STAND TRYING TO SAVE HIS SON'S LIFE by Harriet Ryan - Court TV December 1, 2004 |
| Scott Peterson didn't flinch when a jury convicted him of murdering his wife, and he showed no emotion when her grief-stricken mother screamed at him from across the courtroom. |
| But Wednesday, when his father took the witness stand to persuade jurors to spare him from the death penalty, he broke down and wept. "I love him very much. I have great respect for him," Lee Peterson told the jury, pursing his lips and looking toward his youngest child at the defense table. As his voice quivered and his eyes welled, the elder Peterson added, "I'm frightened. I'm depressed, I guess you could say. Deeply saddened." Scott Peterson cried quietly and blotted his eyes with a tissue during his father's three hours on the stand. The 65-year-old never directly asked the panel for a sentence of life in prison without parole rather than death, but his emotional testimony left no doubt about his opinion. "What effect would having your son get the death penalty have?" defense lawyer Pat Harris asked. Lee Peterson paused, shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and put his hand to his face. "I don't know, I don't even want to entertain that thought. I just can't imagine anything worse," he said finally. 'Shiny' baby Lee Peterson described his son as a happy "shiny" baby who rarely cried and grew into a hard-working, young man. He talked extensively about Peterson's devotion to golf and his dreams to play professionally. "He lost several matches because he didn't finish the job off. He didn't want to hurt the other guy's feelings, I swear," he testified. Lee Peterson noted that Phil Mickelson, the 34-year-old U.S. Masters Champion, was a teammate in high school in San Diego and in college at Arizona State. "They were friends. Not close friends, but friends," the elder Peterson said. He said his son gave up on his dreams of a professional career because he knew he did not have Mickelson's ability. He said Laci Peterson was the first girlfriend his son introduced to him, and said of their wedding, "I made a foolish speech and had a great time." He said the loss of the 27-year-old mother-to-be was compounded for his family. "Losing someone you love and now having your son in this kind of jeopardy is beyond belief. It is not something I thought I would have to go through," he said. Family roots As the defense attorneys questioned witnesses, they seemed to focus as much on the good qualities of Peterson's family, particularly his father, as on the attributes of the defendant himself. Before even mentioning his son, Lee Peterson offered a minutely detailed account of his life that began with his grandmother's emigration from Lithuania to Minnesota. He recalled living in a home with no running water and accompanying his mother on her job cleaning the homes of wealthy families. Capital defenses often focus on the neglectful or abusive childhood of the defendant, but Peterson grew up in an affluent, two-parent family who provided a home with a pool and all the golf lessons he wanted. Harris told jurors in his opening that the experiences of his parents impacted Peterson's own behavior. Both parents, he said, were raised to keep their emotions private. Peterson, 32, is the only child of his father's second marriage. Lee Peterson had three sons and a daughter from his first marriage and Jackie Peterson had three children of her own. "[Scott] just brought our family together. He kind of connected everybody. He kind of completed our blended family. He made us whole, I think," Caudillo said. Prosecutors declined to cross-examine any of the witnesses called Wednesday. Jurors appeared attentive to testimony, but they showed none of the emotion they demonstrated Tuesday when Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, testified. As she angrily confronted Peterson, all six female panelists cried and several male jurors dabbed at their eyes. HOME INDEX LACI TRIAL ALIBI-WITNESS LIST SCOTT VERDICT LACI'S FAMILY CONNER SCOTT'S FAMILY |
| LACI & CONNER "Rest in peace. You will always be remembered. Thy will be done." TERI ~ TAMPA, FL ~ GUESTBOOK |