Famous Trial of Scott Lee Petersen Essay Example for Free

Famous Trial of Scott lee side slamsen EssayBorn on October 2nd 1974 in San Diego atomic number 20, Scott Lee Peterson, an American, was convicted of the murder of his 8-months pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son- Peter Conner. Petersons parents were Lee Arthur Peterson and Jacqueline Helen Latham. Arthur was employed by a trucking company and later ventured into crate-packaging. Jacqueline owned the Put On boutique in La Jolla California.Lee Peterson was employed as a caddy at a golf course while schooling at the University of San Diego High School. The young Peterson was a linksman at school. He later attended California Polytechnic State University. Scott met Laci Rocha while working as a waiter at San Luis Obispo cafe as he was studying at California Polytechnic. Scott married Laci in August 1997.Scott and Arthur Peterson alleged that Phil Michelson was known to Scott. Arthur asserted that his son and Michelson were friends and that Scott abandoned his ambi tions of being a passe-partout golfer due to the f perform that Scott couldnt match Michelsons prowess (Lee, 2004, 17). Mickelson said that he couldnt remember Scott.Laci Petersons disappearanceLaci was reported wanting from their home in Modesto California on 24th December 2002 by Arthur Peterson. Laci was due to deliver on February 10th 2003.Scotts and Lacis families, Scott and the Modesto community addressed tweet gatherings. A insure observed that Scott had initially said that he was golfing and later claimed that he was fishing at Berkeley marina when Laci disappeared.Lacis and Conners bodies were discovered on different dates five kilometers from the place Scott was supposed to be fishing. Conners body was found on April 13th 2003 and Lacis on April 14th. Peterson was not initially regarded as a prime suspect by the police mainly because Lacis friends and family believed Peterson was innocent at the outset. Contradictions in Petersons statements later led police to educa te suspicious of him.Petersons many extramarital affairs came to the fore on 17th January 2003, the latest being with Amber Frey, a massage expert. Frey sought police financial aid when she learnt that Peterson was not honest with her since by lying to her about his marriage. Frey was suspicious of Peterson owing to the disappearance of his wife, the existence of whom he had hidden from Frey (http//crime.about.com/od/current/a/scott040718.htm).Lacis family stopped presuming Scotts innocence. The family was not incensed by the illicit affair but by Petersons statement to Frey that he had lost his wife and that he would be spending his first Christmas without a wife 15 days before Lacis disappearance. Frey construed Scotts statement to imply that he was a widower. The family was positive(p) that Scott had pre-planned Lacis murder before her actual disappearance. Frey was recruited as a major witness against Peterson after she conceded to police taping of her subsequent conversations with Scott. The motive was to induce Scott to confess, an act he never did.Frey and Peterson phone conversations recordings were played at the tryout and the transcripts made public. Petersons character was dented by the recordings which as well deeply implicated Scott. It was adduced that Scott be to Amber that he had traveled to Paris on holiday with his new partners Pasqual and Francois after Lacis disappearance. However, Scott was actually attending Lacis candlelit vigil at the newfangled Years Eve when he had one of the conversations.Recovery of bodiesA male fetus was found on 14th April 2003 on San Francisco Bay in Richmonds Point Isabel regions shoreline. The body had been washed ashore north of Berkeley Marina where Scott had been boating at the time of Lacis disappearance. An incomplete young-bearing(prenominal) torso without feet, hands and head was washed ashore on April 15th in the same locality. The bodies were identified to be Lacis and Conners but due to putrefa ction autopsies couldnt determine the exact time and cause of death.Laci had her 5th, 6th and 9th ribs broken before death, injuries not resulting from dragging of the body along the bay rocks. It was presume that Laci had been strangled or suffocated in the Modesto home. The FBI and Modesto Police Department undertook forensic searches at the Modesto home, Scotts tool box, Scotts truck, his warehouse and his boat. The bingle evidence adduced was a single strand of hair presumed to be Lacis on pliers found on Scotts boat (Lee, 2004, 32).Petersons arrestDetective Taylor Burlingame arrested Scott on eighteenth April 2003 in La Jolla California at a golf courses parking lot. Peterson alleged that he was due to play golf with his bewilder and Zak Oregan, his brother, at Torrey Pines golf course. Several golf-irrelevant items were found on Scott at his arrest. Peterson had 4 cell phones, $ 15,000 in cash, his family members credit cards, camping gear (knifes, food heat equipment, tar paulins, tents, water purifier), twelve pairs of shoes, a gun, changes of clothing, a map to Freys workplace printed on the same day, a shovel, a T-handled double edged knife, rope, Viagra, 24 packs of sleeping pills, and a brothers drivers license.Scoot had also dyed his hair and beard blond, but he alleged that the color resulted from chlorine after swimming at a friends pool. The said friend later asserted that Peterson had never used his pool or his hot tub. Police concluded that Peterson was planning to put off probably to Mexico (Posey, 2005, 50).The trial of Scott PetersonThe Stanislaus County Public Defenders Office was assigned to be Petersons defense on Scotts request. Kent Faulkner, Chief surrogate Public Defender and Maureen Keller, Deputy Public Defender, were the attorneys in the case. Later Peterson chose to hire attorney Mark Geragos as private counsel. Owing to mounting hostility to Scott and much media attention, Petersons trial was transferred from Modesto to s equoia City, California.The People of the State of California vs. Scott Peterson trial was opened in June 2004 with Rick Distaso as lead prosecutor. Amber Frey, the prosecution witness, hired attorney Gloria Allred, not unfastened to the gag order, to protect her privacy from the press. She held that Frey couldnt confirm or deny Petersons guilty consciencey. Allred appeared severally on TV criticizing the defense thus displaying her solidarity with the prosecution (Graber, 1997, 5). defense mechanism lawyers at Petersons case capitalized on the lack of evidence and quashed circumstantial evidence. They argued that Conner was a full-grown infant and suggested that somebody else had abducted Laci, detained her up to birth and dumped the two bodies. Geragos had Dr. Charles butt on to show that Conner died one week after the prosecutors time estimates. The prosecutions medical team proved that Conner had not fully grown and that Laci and the baby died simultaneously.Geragos argued th at a satanic cult had kidnapped the expectant woman. Peterson was viewed as an immoral person for cheating on his wife but not a murderer. One juror was eliminated earlier in the trial owing to misconduct and replaced by an alternate. This followed CourtTVs complaint that Lacis older brother, Brent Rocha and the juror exchanged words in court. A video footage was shown to conduct credence to these claims (http//crime.about.com/od/current/a/scott040718.htm).Gregory capital of Mississippi, a medical student and the jury foreman, was later removed on his request made during jury deliberations. Jackson could have asked to be removed because he was due for replacement although Geragos indicated that Jackson had been threatened. An alternate replaced Jackson.Peterson was found to be guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstances for cleanup his wife and second degree murder for killing Conner on 12th November 2004. The trials punishment period commenced on 30th November and e nded on 13th December. The twelve-member jury recommended death sentence for Peterson on 13th December at 150 PM PST (Scott, 2008, 7).The jury indicated that Scotts behavior peculiarly his lack of remorse and his phone conversation with Amber after Lacis disappearance pointed to his guilt. The sentence was based on the many circumstantial evidence elaborate deduced from the trial. Petersons absconding of his duty to protect his family also earned him the verdict.EvidenceThe evidence was purely circumstantial. Peterson altered his looks to camouflage himself from the press and purchased a car in his mothers name. A day after Lacis disappearance, Scott subscribed to 2 hardcore pornography TV channels, a pointer that he was sure his wife would not return. Scott wanted to sell the family home and he sold Lacis land rover. A United States Hydrological Survey hydrologist, Ralph Cheng also a San Francisco Bay tides expert, and a witness said that tides arent violent enough to drown perso n. Cheng also couldnt explain how the bodies were transported and deposited. Petersons affair with Amber and the conversations they had was also evidence for Scotts guilt (Scott, 2008, 9).MotivesThe prosecution surmised that Peterson killed his wife owing to his affair with Amber. Increasing debt and a yearning to be free from coming family obligations could also be one of Scotts motives.Sentencing figure Alfred A. Delluchi sentenced Peterson to death by lethal injection on 16th march 2005. Defenses requests for a re-trial pleading juror misconduct and media meddling in the earlier trial were quashed. Peterson was taken to San Quentin State Prison on 17th March 2005. His case is on automatic appeal to the Supreme Court of California in Sacramento.LegacyA TV film starring Dean Cain was aired in 2004. Amber Frey published a book detailing her experiences with Scott Peterson in January 2005. Richelle Nice, a member of jury in Scotts case, is one of Petersons correspondents in prison.Co nclusionSince Petersons trial was based solely on circumstantial evidence, rules of cancel justice dictate that a retrial should be done to try to adduce concrete evidence against Scott. The failure to determine the exact time and cause of Conner and Laci is also a pointer that Petersons case was not conclusive. Scott could be suffering innocently in prison.