Scott Peterson Receives Death Penalty

By Linda Orlando

Convicted murderer Scott Peterson was sentenced to death Wednesday by San Mateo Superior Court Judge Alfred A. Delucci, who said he is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Peterson is guilty of murder. In handing down the sentence, Delucci said that the killings of Peterson’s pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn child, were "cruel, uncaring, heartless, and callous." The judge then agreed with the recommendation of the jury that convicted Peterson, that he be executed by lethal injection for the horrific crimes. He denied an automatic motion to mitigate Peterson’s sentence, saying that Peterson’s unborn child never had a chance to draw a breath. Delucchi also ordered Peterson to pay $10,000 to Laci’s family in restitution for her funeral expenses.

Handcuffed, shackled at the waist, and wearing a dark suit, Peterson entered a packed courtroom in Redwood City, California, to learn his fate with a sheriff’s deputy standing nearby. Ten of the 12 jurors who sentenced him to death were seated in the courtroom, along with members of both families, reporters, and heavy security. Peterson consulted briefly with his lawyers before being sentenced, but chose not to speak on his own behalf. Earlier this week his lawyers had requested a new trial, but in the judge’s opening statements he denied their request before delivering his verdict.

After the sentence was read, the victim's family members were allowed to make statements directly to Peterson, but the judge did not allow his parents to speak. However, the statements by the slain woman’s family resulted in a shouting match between members of the two families. Laci’s brother Brent Rocha told Scott Peterson, "Laci and Conner are the true victims here. I would hope that you regret the choices that you made. Maybe you don’t. Did you really hate Laci and Conner that much, or did you just dislike yourself? At that point Scott Peterson’s father, Lee, yelled from the audience, "What a liar!" Judge Delucci admonished Peterson’s father to control himself or be removed from the courtroom, whereupon Peterson’s father walked out on his own accord, followed shortly thereafter by Peterson’s mother, Jackie.

After the furor calmed, Brent Rocha continued. "You're evil and still have the readiness to commit evil," he told Peterson angrily. "How does it feel to be a baby killer?" Rocha said, "I think that my sister's head is probably rolling around in the bottom of the bay." He told Peterson he had bought a gun, but said he was glad that he had not killed his brother-in-law, saying that now Peterson would have to sit in prison and wait for death. He called Peterson "arrogant" and said it was time for him to face reality for his actions. Peterson shook his head during Rocha’s remarks, but then stared straight ahead as the remaining family members stood and spoke.

Both Laci’s father and stepfather, when making their statements to Peterson, lapsed into profanity and were also admonished by the judge. Dennis Rocha, Laci’s father, told Peterson, "I never liked you. You’re going to burn in hell." Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, told Peterson that he was "stupid to think you could get away with murder," and she noted tearfully, "You’re a coward and an evil murderer. We had to bury her without arms to hold Conner and [without] a head to look at him." Many people in the crowd wept silently as the victim’s family spoke directly to the man who killed Laci.

Peterson will be transferred within 48 hours from the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City to San Quentin State Prison, where he will be checked in as the 641st death-row inmate. But his execution won’t come anytime soon, if it ever does. The death sentence in California carries a mandatory appeal, and his attorneys will most likely file additional appeals for many years to come. Since the death penalty was reinstated in California in 1978, the state has executed only 12 people despite the huge number of people awaiting execution on death row. The most recent was carried out in January after the inmate had spent more than 20 years in prison.

Although the American justice system is strong, it is far from swift. Rather than Scott Peterson being executed for brutally murdering his wife and unborn child, he may actually die of natural causes.