again in the mind of that person, every day for the rest of his life. >> the coroner could not tell you when this happened, where it happened, how it happened. he could be stone cold, innocent. >> if there's other evidence, and it proves that it's not him. bring the evidence forward. >> scott peterson was held without bail at the stanislaus county jail in modesto, where he would remain until trial. in the court of public opinion, peterson, easily the most hated man in america, was already guilty as charged. he did have a few supporters, and to them, his arrest was nothing more than a rush to judgment. fueled by the media and carried out by the police. but there was very little physical evidence to prove scott murdered his wife. so did he really do it? there were so many twists and turns to this story, including the testimony of the star witness at his trial. next time on part two. thanks for watching.

do with lacey's disappearance. i'm not going to waste the time defending myself. i don't i don't really care about those people out there. think when people accuse me of some involvement, and i had nothing to do with her disappearance. but people still accused me of it. my response is the same to all of them. thank you for being aware of her missing from our family, and please do what you can to bring her home welcome to how it really happened. >> i'm hill harper, by all appearances, scott and lacey peterson were a loving couple excited about the birth of their first child. but when the young mom to be vanishes on christmas eve, their storybook

romance turns into a tale of murder, lies and betrayal. no one wanted to believe that the handsome, charming husband could harm his wife or unborn child. but after their bodies washed up on the shores of the san francisco bay, scott peterson is arrested and charged with murder. so did he do it tonight? the case against scott peterson here's how it really happened cnn has confirmed that scott peterson, husband of missing laci peterson, is under arrest tonight. >> scott peterson is under 24 hour watch at the stanislaus county jail. to everyone who knew scott, the idea that he could be a suspect was unthinkable. >> if you knew scott and if you knew laci, they were the couple everybody wanted to be. >> she and scott were just thrilled about the coming of their baby boy, and this was a big event for them, and

everything was going wonderfully. on the morning of december 24th, scott says he left early in the morning to go fishing on the san francisco bay. >> early christmas eve, lacey took her dog, mckenzie, for a walk. later that morning, mckenzie was found, but lacey wasn't. >> when he had called me and told me that lacey was missing. i remember thinking to myself, missing? what do you mean missing? >> how can i help you? my daughter's been missing since this morning. >> she's eight months pregnant. >> there were many theories about what happened to lacey, but police had their suspicions early on 1122, the officer that was called to the house on the 24th of december told detectives, watch out for the husband because he's acting strangely. >> scott behaved unusual from the start. scott seemed helpful, but not 100%. there were too many things that didn't add up when he got home. >> saw that lacey's belongings were there, her vehicle in the

front drive, the dog, everything but no lacey. he took a shower. he ate some pizza, and he washed clothes. >> if he was worried about his wife, why did he wash his clothes? why did he eat the pizza? why did he take a shower all before he even called sharon to see where lacey was on the initial walkthrough of the peterson home, police spotted what you might call subtle clues there is like, you know, not any obvious evidence of foul play. >> they notice a pail and a mop. >> i said, what about the mop bucket? why is the cement all wet outside? did you like, walk in? did you mop up dog? >> when the cat followed me in? so i jumped out. that mop water. the cat went over to it. and what was he going to drink out of it or look like it to me? >> he had an excuse or an answer for everything detectives take scott to his warehouse on christmas eve.

>> he tells him there's no electricity at the warehouse, which of course was a huge lie, so it forced al to have to turn his car pointing into the warehouse with the overhead door rolled up with his headlights on so he could look around in there. >> they observe some dust on a wooden table or something that looks like he was making his own anchor. there were the concentric rings of residue that al brocchini spotted on that trailer, which suggested that it wasn't just one anchor made, but it was actually 4 or 5. >> they knew scott peterson was in the san francisco bay. he had a receipt at the berkeley marina. the prosecution's theory was, is that he used those anchors as a way to weigh down lacey's body when he threw her into the san francisco bay. so they spent a lot of time searching the bay in san francisco. >> during the search of the marina, we had set up a podium in the parking lot. we had a

sergeant that was assigned there that could help answer questions. the press was there. boats are out there searching, and we were keeping an eye on scott. >> we found out that scott was actually up in the san francisco bay area watching searchers search for laci during that period of time, the odd thing was that scott didn't drive his own car first. >> he borrowed one from a friend, and then he rented one from enterprise. but police were still able to track him to the berkeley marina he didn't like contact anybody there and say, how's the search going? >> or how's it going? you just watch. and then he drove all the way home. >> the investigators thought that was very suspicious, that he was watching them search the san francisco bay. >> and so a total of five times we either followed him to the marina or he we tracked him there with the tracker on his car his conduct just didn't make sense. >> there will be a candlelight

vigil in about two hours there in modesto de grace at the vigil, it became apparent that there was a stark contrast between sharon rocha and scott peterson. >> case. jordan, as you look at this, what really stands out in this case, what perplexes you the most? >> well, i think almost everyone will agree that it's the behavior of scott peterson from the very first day that laci was reported by scott as missing, his demeanor was odd. >> well, i mean, you could say he had a full plate. he was looking for his wife. he was the focus of the police investigation, and he knew that he was hounded by the media and others. it was a pretty stressful. stressful time for him. >> boy, they really seemed convinced that you are withholding something and they do seem convinced of that by

what you see in the media. >> certainly. and again, they're we're all in a terrible situation here. and i've been cooperative with the police and continued to be and no one can judge our son by his behavior because they've not been there. >> police briefing reporters tonight about their search for a missing pregnant woman talked at length about her husband. >> the longer this went on, we felt scott was involved. we thought we had enough evidence that, okay, scott did this. he's the only one that knows what really happened. >> a few days after laci disappeared, police are contacted by amber frey and she tells them that she is scott's girlfriend. >> scott told me he was not married. we did have a romantic relationship. >> laci peterson's family instantly turned on scott. scott peterson became public enemy number one. >> after the bodies were found near the san francisco bay. modesto police were able to

obtain a warrant. >> scott peterson has been arrested. >> he'll be charged with capital murder it's monday, april 21st, 2003. >> i'm wolf blitzer reporting live. first in california. scott peterson suspected of killing his wife and unborn son, just went before a judge to answer the accusations. >> at his arraignment today. he pleaded not guilty because he is charged with more than one murder. prosecutors could seek the death penalty the prosecution theory of the case was that scott peterson murdered laci sometime on the evening of december 23rd, 2002. >> and then, of course, on that same evening of laci had a phone call with her mom, sharon, which was the last time that we can show anybody actually spoke to laci outside of perhaps scott. >> police believe it was a soft kill, meaning something that doesn't leave a lot of forensic evidence behind. >> there was an indentation in

the bed that led police to believe that scott had knelt over laci and either strangled or suffocated her, killing her in the bed, having enough body weight to be able to crush three ribs as he's doing it, the medical examiner said that it appeared that the the broken ribs were around the time of death. >> they also believed that scott wrapped up her body in something, put duct tape around her and put her in his truck and transported her to the warehouse, where he then put her in a boat. >> we confirmed that somebody her size would fit in the boat, because one of the clerks that worked at the da's office was about the same stage pregnancy as laci was, and we did a photo demonstration of her curled up inside the boat where she fit in there with no problem, and then drove to the bay almost 90 miles away to dump her body. >> scott did several things that made police think maybe this was premeditated. >> he had bought a two day fishing license dated december 23rd 24th, and he bought it

just a few days earlier. like december 20th, three weeks before laci even goes missing. >> he tells amber frey that he lost his wife. >> why would he say that? he had lost his wife long before laci went missing? >> scott went right out within a month after she disappeared and sold her car. if your wife is missing and you want her to come home, why would you sell her car? >> he wanted to sell the house furnished within a month or so. >> he decides that he not only wants to rent the porn channel on his cable subscription, but he upgrades it to the triple x variety. >> all these things, if you really look at them, separate, none of them really mean anything, and they don't hold much significance. but if you put them together, it's almost like a jigsaw puzzle on your kitchen table. you might have a few pieces missing, but you know what? the picture is i think people were scrutinizing

him so closely that anybody would look peculiar. >> i do have some doubt in this case. >> andy anderson, take a seat. look at this. you're wet, disheveled. there's debris hitting you. >> why do you have that on your phone? >> i watch it all the time. hey, listen, we need to be ready for new year's eve. there could be an ice storm or a hurricane and obviously, confetti maybe you are ready. >> new year's eve, live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn and streaming live on max today. >> my friend. you did it. >> you did it. pursue a better you with centrum it's a small win toward taking charge of your health. so this year you can say. you did it when you live with diabetes, progress is

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like a brand new pair of jeans. >> i feel like taking chances. i feel alive brand new oh learn more about celebrity cruises latest offers. >> when a tough car finds you on the go, it would be silly. >> hey, try nic robertson sa'ar juice pack with the power of robitussin and every bite easy to take cough relief anywhere. >> chew on relief, chew on a vorozhba doesn't. >> we're not into arguing reasonable doubt in this case, we've set the bar extremely high. and that's to prove that scott is not only factually innocent, but to figure out exactly who it is did this horrible thing to scott's wife and to scott's son, and to their grandson. >> you got to understand that a

lot of murders don't happen in front of witnesses. so this case had to be built on circumstantial evidence, but there's no evidence of it. exactly. when she died or how she died. so police had to look at scott peterson's conduct and his many lies. >> i do have some doubt in this case. >> i think people were scrutinizing him so closely that anybody would look peculiar from the very instant that the police encountered scott peterson. >> they were suspicious. >> scott peterson knew he was a suspect in this case because the police were rummaging through his home within days of his wife's disappearance. >> within 2 or 3 days of scott being put under the microscope, he hired local attorney kirk mcallister, who was a former prosecutor. >> mcallister was soon replaced after scott's parents reached out to high profile defense attorney mark geragos. >> i got a phone call from scott's dad, and then i ended

up talking to scott's mom, and by the time i was done talking to them, i was intrigued, and they asked me to go visit him, and i did, and i became convinced once i visited him that he wasn't good for this. >> scott's parents have gone public saying that they believe that the police here bungled this investigation, and the police did a lousy investigation. >> they should go back and look at it again. >> someone took laci and her and the baby's life, and we're going to find them. we're going to make every effort. >> they believe that there were other credible leads that weren't followed because they were so focused on their son, scott. >> parents have been saying that the police have convicted their son before even a trial, and insists that the police are avoiding other leads. >> what other leads are they referring to? >> the defense strategy relied heavily on unexplained events that coincided with laci's disappearance. >> first, there are laci sighting witnesses, people who saw laci walking the dog after scott left for the marina.

>> we had tips from people saying they thought they saw laci walking the dog in the neighborhood. >> the fact is that the eyewitnesses who saw laci peterson all share a common theme, and that's the fact that they phoned the police, that they tried to tell their stories. and in every case, the police failed to follow up with them. >> one of the reports that came out was that someone had seen a brown van in the neighborhood. that caused a lot of suspicion. >> there was a woman who was sexually assaulted in a van in a park. >> it was a tip that was called in to our tip line from a sexual assault counselor. >> people who assaulted her were satanists. >> there have been news reports suggesting that maybe the people in the van had six, six, six on their shirts. >> now, the cops did go out and they talked to people they thought were the right people in the van, and that was it. that was the end of that. >> there was no evidence that laci was ever in that van. >> hi, larry. >> my question is there were

reports that lacey's neighbor was robbed the same day as her disappearance. could there be any connection to that? >> the date of the burglary is still a sticking point between prosecutors and scott's lawyers, because it basically sets the timeline of what happened the defense insists that the burglary took place on the 24th, the same morning that lacey disappeared. police believe the burglars the burglars told them that, yes, they're guilty of the burglary, but it happened on the 26th. >> that's two days after lacey disappeared, making the burglary irrelevant. but it's still a bone of contention today. >> on the 26th, there was a media camped out on that front lawn, literally doing live shots where they're facing the house that was burglarized. >> what they said was when they did the burglary, all the cameras were out there. >> the modesto pd had said, well, the burglars had said it was the 26th. so we believe the

burglars and i just, you know, really they both took polygraphs. >> they both passed polygraphs. >> but the peterson family specifically and his attorneys believe this was a huge mistake by the modesto police mark geragos gave a bold finish to opening statements proclaiming, scott peterson is not only innocent, but stone cold innocent. >> i've never seen anything like this. >> it was a complete disaster for prosecutors. >> this holiday season, find the perfect gift at cnn underscored from the latest fashion to expert approved tech to the best beauty finds. discover it all at underscore. com it's the most wonderful time with verizon. >> trade in any phone, any condition. it's your last chance to get iphone 16 pro on u.s. and ipad and apple watch series ten. all three on us

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>> access over 90 free channels, plus record, pause and replay, all with zero monthly fees or contracts. >> order a tableau total system today. >> tonight. scott peterson back in court with jury selection underway for his upcoming double murder trial. who's going to decide his fate? >> the first of hundreds of potential jurors started filling out a 30 page questionnaires today. >> you could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom as the first 100 prospective jurors were introduced to the defendant, scott peterson stood, turned to the audience and said, hello, good morning to you, and smiled. >> he stood up and kind of just waved, kind of almost like a, you know, one of those pageant waves, you know, at the crowd and smiled. >> there may have been quiet in the courtroom, but just outside it was more like a circus. >> the trial is in the san francisco bay area and near the courthouse. a radio station took out this huge billboard picture of scott, orange hair

in an orange jumpsuit that said something like, man or monster. any potential juror heading to the courthouse would have seen that billboard. >> obviously, the community had judged scott guilty. i wanted a change of venue. >> jury selection delayed in scott peterson's murder trial so the judge can consider a new motion for a change of venue. >> well, i can understand why mark geragos says it's so hard to get a jury because he wants to go to a different location. >> i wanted orange county. i figured that would probably have the greatest percentage of adulterous golfers anywhere. >> the judge denied the change of venue request because he believed they could find an impartial jury in san mateo county. >> the jury selection process concluded here this morning. six men and six women have been chosen to decide scott peterson's fate. i think everybody was pretty nervous. i was pretty somber about it. you know, i did not know what to expect. >> today, 12 jurors in redwood city, california, heard opening statements in peterson's trial

day one of the scott peterson trial proving to be a one sided affair as the prosecution is taking all day to lay out its opening remarks. >> it was one of the most thorough opening statements i've ever seen. >> he dismantled scott peterson's multiple statements to the police, to the media, where he made inconsistent statements, where he lied. >> the problem was that one of scott's lies that they presented to the jury, they didn't quite get right in the opening statements. >> the prosecution screwed up horribly. >> they came out and told the jury that scott had lied about watching martha stewart on tv. >> the prosecution claimed that when laci disappeared, scott said she was watching the martha stewart show. >> they told the jury the show scott claimed to watch never aired that day. >> while it did air, and the defense played it for the jury. >> this is a recipe inspired by one of my favorite pastry chefs in paris, monsieur laroche. >> that hurt because the

prosecution had said, oh, that was one of scott's lies. >> i played it twice in case brocchini missed it the first time i showed it the defense had two words for the prosecution's case against scott peterson today flimsy and circumstantial. >> geragos, in his opening statement, was able to throw a lot of doubt into the prosecution's theories in less than three hours. >> geragos showed the jury maps pinpointing multiple laci peterson sightings the day of her disappearance, autopsy photos of the baby the family called conner saying the baby was born alive after laci disappeared, and he pointed out how detailed searches of the peterson house and warehouse produced no evidence of murder. mark geragos gave a bold finish to opening statements proclaiming scott peterson is not only innocent, but stone cold, innocent. >> it was a complete disaster for prosecutors in the early stages of this trial. every witness they put on mark

geragos would twist and turn and flip that person into a defense witness. >> there are a lot of cynics who were commenting that there was a lot of smoke. but, you know, nothing that was really solid against scott peterson. >> there are many questions. how did laci peterson die? was her baby born alive? >> the defense was basically saying, you know, we're going to show you how the prosecution did not do their due diligence in this investigation. >> the defense wants the jury to know that many tips in this case were not investigated by police. >> they were actually asking the prosecution, did you ever investigate? did you ever follow up? did you talk to the person on the bridge? did you check with the bikers in the neighborhood? i mean, it was just kind of like there was a lot of loose ends then just three weeks into the trial, a jury shakeup. >> one of the jurors was accused of misconduct. >> is there jury trouble at the scott peterson trial? >> fairly early on in the

prosecution's case in chief, a juror number five, justin falconer, had actually spoken to laci's brother, brant rocha. >> at the metal detectors, there was a pool camera which caught a juror actually talking to laci peterson's brother. >> so you're not supposed to have any contact with the family and falconer had to have known who rocha was. >> justin falconer is a 28 year old airport screener. today, he was thrown off the case. >> he was very pro-defense. >> then falconer started showing up on tv talk shows. oh, he'd be innocent. >> the prosecution hasn't shown us any reason to believe otherwise. >> i remember being annoyed at that only because he didn't hear all the evidence. >> the only thing solid they have is the fact that, you know, laci did wash up where she did, and scott did place himself there. but even that speculation as to how she got there, it seemed like he was everywhere speaking his mind. >> and according to his mind. scott peterson should get off stories of sex and suspicion.

>> those tape recordings spoke for themselves, but they were about an affair, not about his. >> maybe killing his wife. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn. >> my name is dan. i live here in san antonio, texas. i ran my own hvac business and now i'm retired. i'm not good at being retired. i'm a pain in the neck. i like to be able to have a purpose. about 3 or 4 years ago, i felt like i was starting to slip. i saw the commercials after a short amount of time taking prevagen, i started noticing a difference. i stopped taking prevagen and i found myself slacking back, so i jumped right back on it. i've been taking prevagen for about two years now and i found a huge difference prevagen at stores everywhere without a prescription. >> everyone's running to subway for three. all new spicy footlongs. wait, subway did what? that's right. they're bringing the heat with creamy sriracha, jalapenos and all new ghost pepper bread. but hurry,

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gun. a shotgun for ten years. >> i got called for jury duty. they said it'll be a short trial this murder was a savage crime committed by an evil man. >> let me just ask you one thing. did you guys look at any other suspect? juror number two, streaming exclusively on max welcome back to how it really happened. >> the prosecution's case against scott peterson was built largely on circumstantial evidence that the defense appeared to easily undermine momentum was shifting, and it looked like peterson might just

get off until amber frey, the state's star witness, took the stand tonight. >> the star witness in the scott peterson case, champagne, strawberries and sex. the ex-mistress takes the stand detailing their relationship, including the first date which ended with them spending an intimate night together. >> up until amber frey took the stand, the prosecution seemed to be stumbling. >> amber frey had secretly recorded more than 100 phone calls with scott, all after his wife had disappeared. >> i can't stress enough how the tables turned in the trial. once amber frey was on the stand, and these recordings were played, the tapes, recorded at the request of the modesto police, dropped bombshell after bombshell amber tells the jury about the call that she received three weeks before laci disappeared, where scott told her that he had lost his wife.

>> you came and told me this elaborate lie about her missing and his tragedy, and that i said that i lost my wife. >> yes, you did. >> i did, and yes. >> how did you lose her then? before she was lost? >> there are different kinds of loss, amber. >> there was a physical reaction that you could see in the jurors. they were getting disgusted. >> she starts to press him and saying, hey, what's going on, scott? what's the deal? >> why did you tell me it would be the first holidays without her? >> i can't explain anymore. now. i'm so sorry. you should be so angry at me and i. god, i hope you are. >> they looked at scott peterson as being so odd, so different that he was not only a cheat, but in their minds he was capable of anything, including murder. >> and it just got worse for the defense. the jury heard how scott had lied to amber. he told her he was in paris on new year's eve, but he was actually in modesto at a vigil for his missing wife that i'm

here. >> i wish you could hear me. >> i wish i could hear her. i'm. i near the eiffel tower or new year celebration is unreal. the crowd is huge. >> he's at a vigil for laci and he's calling his mistress. >> he was in the crowd, refusing to go up on the stage with all the other family members. >> he had some fireworks near the eiffel tower. which is a some people playing american rock songs. >> huh? >> that's pretty funny. >> jurors were absolutely disgusted listening to this guy tell these incredible lies. >> so what do you want to be together with me like this? >> i said, i think it will be wonderful because you're so special. >> those tape recordings spoke for themselves, but they were about an affair, not about his. maybe killing his wife. >> the prosecution's final

witness, number 174, was detective jon buehler. and he described for the jury what was in scott's possession at the time he was arrested. >> he was in san diego and clearly headed for the mexican border. >> scott was in a little two door convertible red mercedes. he had 2 or 3 cell phones, climbing rope, neckties, a toothbrush, his brother's driver's license, a book from amber, a picture of his wife's shoes, hiking shoes and flip flops. he's got $14,932 in cash. he could go from the beach to the yacht club to the sierras in the same day, and look like he belonged at all three places. these were the things that i was explaining to the jury, so that they could draw their own conclusion. >> after 19 weeks of testimony, the state has finally rested. the evidence is on the table. but is it enough to get a guilty verdict? >> then it was the defense's turn tonight. >> scott peterson's defense finally making its case. will mark geragos put scott peterson on the stand? >> the defense had made a lot

of bold promises during opening statements. >> what the defense felt was a critical demonstration involving scott's boat was denied by the judge. >> the state's theory was that he had four anchors, that he had made four cement anchors. >> they charge. he used them to weigh down his wife's body when he threw her into the water. >> but the defense reached a different decision. so they got the same model boat and they got a mannequin rigged up with the exact weight of laci. they put on four anchors. >> they went out into the bay and they videotaped it, and they pushed that dummy over the side of the boat. and in each of those tests, the boat capsized. they went back to court, wanted that videotape into evidence, and judge dollarhide said, no, it's not scientifically accepted. >> observers say. so far, geragos is not delivering the dramatic case he promised in opening statements, many thought that the only person who could save scott peterson

was scott peterson. >> would he take the stand? >> we're going to start tonight with michael cardoza. >> the defense team came to me and asked me if i would conduct a mock cross examination of scott peterson. i can't tell you how he did. i think you can draw your own inferences. scott peterson did not testify in the trial. >> after just one week, the defense rests, and now it's in the jury's hands. >> out of the blue, she goes. he's got a fry. he's guilty. she was ready to hang him at that point. >> what the hell is going on, nancy grace? there's no other way to put it. where are we, larry? >> you're right. there is no other way to put it can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. never too much new year's day on cnn.

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the face of a e w there are not enough people to stop me. >> run while you have a chance. >> aew wednesday night dynamite at eight on tbs how can you convince a jury that someone who may look so normal is capable of doing something so extraordinarily evil? >> redwood city, california. >> after months of testimony, hundreds of witnesses, the jury finally has the scott peterson case. >> as a member of the media covering the trial, once it went to the jury, you have nothing to cover except the weight and you could feel the tension. >> they've been in the jury room for two days now and still no sign of a verdict. >> like everything else in this case, even jury deliberations were filled with drama. >> emotions in the scott peterson trial are running high. tonight, the six men and six women of the jury are

apparently deeply divided. >> i just remember the deliberation was really tense. i think everybody was pretty nervous tonight. >> a scott peterson jury shake of juror number seven dismissed after a hearing into possible misconduct during deliberations. >> juror number seven, a woman was dismissed because she had gone online to look at something. and that's a no no. >> all of a sudden, she says, i think i might have done something that i shouldn't have done. >> she did some sort of independent research and came back and reported her findings. >> in other words, you're not allowed to learn more. >> you have to get all of your evidence from the witness stand. >> the woman who replaced juror number seven was rochelle. nice. >> rochelle comes in and we're starting all over because now we've got another juror and we want to do it right. >> a lot of the jurors had nicknames from the press, and her nickname was strawberry shortcake, which was, you know, a term of endearment. >> this is a woman who was in her late 20s, early 30s. she's referred to by some as strawberry shortcake. she dyes

her hair different colors. she has four children and has been very emotional during the trial. >> so now we start all over again so we went through it and out of the blue she goes, he's got a fry. he's guilty. >> that is not a person that vetted this evidence that went through it carefully. she was running on all emotion. >> and we're like, no, no, cool your jets. we want to go through this. we're not going to be swayed just because you walk in and say, we're going to move forward. we had a process and we want to make sure we just don't make a decision just like that tonight, another scott peterson juror dismissed second 1 in 2 days. >> and this time it's the foreman the foreman basically quit the jury. >> we understand there had been a battle in the jury room early on. a lot of contention that was allegedly with juror number five, apparently, when he was removed, it removed a lot of that contention.

>> he held a degree as a doctor and held a degree in law. so we thought he was the perfect choice for a four person. but you just saw his demeanor change. >> he wanted to go very slowly through all the evidence that the prosecution has laid out. a lot of jurors didn't want to do that. they were saying, come on, there's enough here. and they argued, and they argued it was the way he was conducting the proceedings. >> it really alienated some of the jurors who were upset. so he wanted out and he got replaced. >> what the hell is going on, nancy grace? there's no other way to put it. where are we, larry? you're right. >> there is no other way to put it. having three jurors thrown off of one jury in this short space of time is basically unheard of. >> a new day, a new juror. it is the latest surprise from the tumultuous jury deliberations in the scott peterson trial. >> there's a lot of speculation. there could be a

hung jury. >> i think so many of us were convinced that this jury would just never be able to reach a verdict. >> we figured, all right, it's going to be several more days then. but it only took a matter of hours. and we got word that there was a verdict. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> the verdict in the scott peterson murder trial is finally in. >> the judge did allow an audio feed, meaning like big speakers were outside on the plaza to hear the reading of the verdict. people are filing into the courtroom, and the judge is taking a seat on the bench outside the courthouse. >> hundreds of people who have been following this trial came to see the verdict firsthand. to the end, this was really a cliffhanger for everyone. >> no one knew which way this was going to go. >> i'm watching the jury file in and the jurors are coming into their seats, and i saw the

black female juror looking sharon roach's direction and give a i was thinking, oh my god, he's going to be convicted. >> state of california versus scott peterson. we the jury in the above entitled cause find the defendant scott lee peterson, guilty of the crime of murder of laci denise peterson. >> we were stunned. >> i do remember looking over at scott when the verdict was looking for a reaction. and scott, i don't know if he was drugged up or not, but there was no reaction. it was basically maybe disbelief, but he just kind of stared into space. >> peterson guilty of the crime of murder. >> once you got over that shock, you could hear outside the roar of the crowd it was as if we were in the roman coliseum and the the emperor had given the thumbs

down sign, and everyone was thrilled that that poor christian was going to get eaten by a lion. >> i do remember from where we were, we could hear the crowd through the window screaming and horns honking it didn't make us happy. it was a quiet moment. >> scott peterson is guilty of murder, first degree murder for killing his wife, laci, and he's guilty of second degree murder for killing their unborn son, connor scott didn't really show much reaction to the guilty verdict, but according to a recent a&e documentary and it's his first interview since his conviction, he told his sister in law janey something completely different i was staggered my head. >> i had no idea i couldn't feel my feet on the floor. i couldn't feel the chair i was in. my vision was even a little blurry and i just had this

weird sensation. that i was falling forward and forward and down and. there was going to be no end to this moment, forward and down, like there was no floor to land on prosecutor dave harris told jurors, quote, the only appropriate and just penalty is death. >> after the verdict and during the sentencing phase, laci peterson's mother, sharon rocha, got up and spoke. you could feel her pain and her anger. she turned to scott and said, you could have gotten a divorce. why did you have to kill her? >> sharon couldn't have been more powerful. she was moving. she was articulate emotional. it was everything a prosecutor could ask for there was a juror that come to find out later, had lied about her past. >> i have one comment for scott

and it has been one wild year. >> i know that whole new live stream was crazy. >> what you have been following actual news right oh boy. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn and streaming live on max. i feel like new sunglasses, like a brand new pair of jeans brand new. learn more about celebrity cruises latest offers come play with me get 2.99% apr plus. >> eligible owners can get $2,000 on the gv70 exclusively at your local genesis retailers. >> do we get something for my dad? >> i'll grab the car keys. >> looking for a last minute gift idea? give hands free sketcher slip ins. the perfect gift for everybody from kids to grandparents. >> just step in and run. >> there's no bending down and

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>> go to deal dash dot com right now and see how much you can save. >> i'm warren lieberman at the pentagon and this is cnn. >> abundant life the tension here is mounting. there are already a couple of hundred people here anxious to hear what the final judgment will be against scott peterson. will it be a life in prison without parole, or will they sentence him to death? >> the audio feed is starting. let's listen to the courtroom. >> people of state of california versus scott peterson. we, the jury in the above entitled cause fix the penalty at death there were no tears. >> scott peterson showed no emotion. very, very stoic, very

somber. >> in that courtroom tonight, scott peterson's jury recommends the death penalty, and his attorney vows to pursue all avenues of appeal. >> it became apparent to me within the first week or two weeks of the trial that there were jurors on that case who they didn't care about the evidence. they had an agenda mark geragos said he always had reservations about that jury pool. >> but i don't think anyone expected what happened next to make outside of the courthouse, a few of the jurors held an impromptu press conference. >> he is a jerk. >> and i have one comment for scott. you look somebody in the face when they're talking to you. >> well, scott came in with a great big smile on his face, laughing. if you saw the reaction of the jurors to the verdict when they came out and they were basically trash talking, you could see that this was not a deliberative process for them. he's on his way home. scott figures. well, guess what, scotty san quentin

is your new home and it's illegal to kill your wife and child in california. i was really disgusted by that. the way they reacted with the emotion, with the viciousness. i just turned away and said, my god, this is a mob. the juror called strawberry shortcake. my lord, there was a juror that came to find out later had lied in voir dire about her past and having her been a victim of domestic violence. >> scott peterson was lacey's husband, conner's daddy, and for him to have done that, we know now, according to the defense, that she wasn't completely candid in her jury questionnaire. >> rachelle, mind you, was not in the jury initially. she's the subject of the appeal, and rightfully so. >> juror richelle nice denies that she lied in her jury

questionnaire. but that's just one of the many issues that come up in scott peterson's appeal. his appeal also places a lot of emphasis on his attorney, mark geragos, and it cites ineffective assistance of counsel. >> nancy, what did you think? >> well, i'll be blunt. i think he lost basically an opening statement when he promised to deliver things to a jury. he never brought forward one thing the defense cannot say is that they didn't get a fair trial. >> mark geragos promised the jury that they would hear from witnesses who saw lacey after scott left to go fishing, but he never put them on. but he could have, and he didn't. >> scott's appeal argues that there were several pieces of evidence that were never presented at trial, and his new lawyers believe that may have cost scott his freedom. >> look, if i get found. ineffective on on this case, what's called iac, more power to them. nothing would make me

happier if he gets a new trial based on that. i want that to happen. i don't believe the appeal is going to work in this case. i believe that the most scott peterson can hope for is that the supreme court reduces his death penalty to a life without possibility of parole. i think that this case will get reversed. i mean, if there's a there's any justice in this case will get reversed did scott peterson really kill laci? >> it really all depends on who you ask. >> i don't doubt that scott peterson is a schmuck and the strangest man i've ever encountered, and his behavior is unexplainable, but i have my doubts in how he was able to pull it off, how he was able to physically pull it off without leaving a shred of evidence. >> the last person that ever saw laci alive was scott peterson, and the last person that saw her dead was scott peterson. so there's no doubt in my mind that scott peterson

did it. >> i'm one of those small guys on the island of scott's innocence. i probably will go to my grave believing that i believe the jury in this case was a very thoughtful jury. >> they took one vote and they took it seriously, and it was unanimous for his guilt when they delivered that verdict. i don't think there was a person in america that thought they got it wrong. >> i don't regret my decision making. on his guilt. i believe he's guilty of that. i listened to what was said in that courtroom. i followed what i was told by the letter of the law, and i didn't do anything else. we found him for death. we basically killed a man. i don't take that lightly scott peterson was sent to death row at san quentin state prison in california. >> the prosecutor spent $2.6 million on a trial that put him there. 184 witnesses testified,

and 12 jurors sealed. his fate. was he railroaded as the defense claims, or did he, as the jury concluded, commit these heinous crimes in 2004, sharon rocha played a key role in getting laci and conner's law passed, known as the unborn victims of violence act, the federal law makes it a crime against a pregnant woman, a crime against two separate people. i'm hill harper. thanks for watching.