CBS News Special Report - Scott Peterson verdict - 2004-12-13

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:05] This is a CBS News special report. Dan

[0:07] Rather reporting from [music] CBS News

[0:09] World Headquarters in New York. Good

[0:10] day. We're on the air because the jury

[0:12] has reached a decision in the penalty

[0:14] phase of the Scott Peterson trial.

[0:17] Peterson was convicted last month of

[0:19] murdering his wife, Lacy, and his unborn

[0:21] son, Connor. The jury could recommend

[0:24] the death sentence or life without

[0:26] parole. CBS News correspondent John

[0:28] Blackstone is at the courthouse in

[0:30] Redwood City, California. John,

[0:34] >> well, Dan, uh, in the last two hours

[0:35] since it was announced that that the

[0:37] jury had reached a decision on whether

[0:39] Scott Peterson should be executed or

[0:41] spent his life in prison without the

[0:43] possibility of parole, quite a crowd has

[0:45] gathered here outside the courthouse.

[0:47] This, of course, has been an emotional

[0:49] case since the beginning. Uh and I think

[0:51] the crowd that's gathered here

[0:52] demonstrates the interest that uh that

[0:55] has been around this case for six months

[0:57] now. This jury uh deliberated over three

[1:00] days, the punishment deliberate

[1:02] deliberated over 3 days, spent about

[1:04] almost 12 hours in deliberations. Uh

[1:07] just after they began lunch today, they

[1:10] uh reached a decision on whether uh

[1:12] Scott Peterson uh should uh should live

[1:15] or die. I'm just uh now getting messages

[1:18] from my colleague inside the courtroom

[1:21] and uh we're waiting to hear what that

[1:24] verdict what that decision will be. Uh

[1:27] the uh the decision if the jury does

[1:29] decide that Scott Peterson should be

[1:30] executed. This will not be uh final. It

[1:33] must be confirmed by the judge, Judge

[1:35] Alfred Dookuchi, could still overturn a

[1:38] a decision of uh execution and um and

[1:42] give Scott Peterson life in prison

[1:44] without parole. That however is

[1:46] unlikely, but that could happen. We're

[1:47] waiting to see what the jury recommends.

[1:50] >> Important point though, John Blackstone,

[1:52] the jury does not actually sentence

[1:55] Scott Peterson, they recommend a

[1:58] sentence. It is up to the judge to

[2:00] impose the sentence. And while he cannot

[2:02] revise it upward, that is, he can't take

[2:05] the jury's recommendation of say life in

[2:07] prison and change it to death, he does

[2:10] have the discretion to revise it

[2:11] downward. Let's go to the courtroom now.

[2:15] This should be audio only.

[2:36] People of state of California versus

[2:38] Scott Peterson. We the jury in the above

[2:40] entitled cause fix the penalty at death

[2:43] dated December 13th 2004 poor person

[2:47] number six.

[2:48] >> Number six is that the unanimous verdict

[2:50] of the jury with respect to the penalty

[2:52] phase. It is your honor.

[2:54] >> All right. Mr. Garvis, you want the

[2:55] jury?

[2:56] >> Yes.

[2:56] >> All right. Would you call the jury,

[2:57] please?

[2:59] >> Ladies [clears throat] and gentlemen of

[3:00] the jury, please answer yes or no as I

[3:02] call your juror number as seated and ask

[3:05] the following question. Was the verdict

[3:07] as just read your true and individual

[3:10] verdict? Juror number one,

[3:13] >> yes.

[3:13] >> Juror number two,

[3:15] >> yes.

[3:16] >> Juror number three,

[3:17] >> yes.

[3:18] >> Juror number four,

[3:19] >> yes.

[3:20] >> Juror number five,

[3:21] >> yes.

[3:21] >> Juror number six,

[3:22] >> yes.

[3:23] >> Juror number seven,

[3:24] >> yes.

[3:24] >> Juror number eight,

[3:25] >> yes.

[3:26] >> Juror number nine,

[3:27] >> yes.

[3:27] >> Juror number 10,

[3:28] >> yes.

[3:29] >> Juror number 11,

[3:30] >> yes.

[3:30] >> Juror number 12,

[3:31] >> yes. Your honor, the jury has been

[3:34] pulled and the verdict is unanimously

[3:36] affirmed.

[3:39] [clears throat]

[3:41] >> So, there you have it. The jury having

[3:42] been pled and confirming a death

[3:45] sentence for Scott Peterson in the

[3:48] murder of his wife and unborn son.

[3:52] There will be more about the Peterson

[3:54] story in your local news on this CBS

[3:56] station and of course on tonight's CBS

[3:58] Evening News. In the meantime, Dan

[4:00] Rather reporting. [music] CBS News New

[4:02] York. I'll see you later.