Inside the Courtroom: The Peterson Verdict
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This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," November 12, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.
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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: KOVR's Gloria Gomez is one of the few people who interviewed Scott Peterson in January of 2003, when Laci was reportedly still missing. That interview was part of the state's evidence in this case.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - JANUARY 2003)
GLORIA GOMEZ, KOVR-TV: OK. I know that you mentioned on "Good Morning America" that it wouldn't surprise you if they found blood...
SCOTT PETERSON, CONVICTED OF DOUBLE MURDER: Sure.
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GOMEZ: ... in your vehicle. Explain why.
PETERSON: Well, take a look at my hands, and you can see, you know, cuts here on my knuckles, numerous scars. I work on farms. I work with machinery. I know I cut my knuckle that day.
GOMEZ: On what day?
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PETERSON: On Christmas Eve.
GOMEZ: Doing what?
PETERSON: Reaching in the toolbox of my truck and then into the pocket on the door. I cut open my knuckle, and there's a blood stain on the door.
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(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAN SUSTEREN: Gloria Gomez joins us here in Redwood City. Gloria, a very different scene inside the courtroom today than outside the courtroom, so let's talk inside the courtroom. What did you notice about the jury, anything, sitting there watching as this proceeding developed?
GLORIA GOMEZ, KOVR-TV: I think right off the bat of calling it the pre-verdict because as juror No. 11 sat down — this is an African-American woman — she turned to Sharon Rocha, who's right up in the front, and gives her a — that to me indicated this was not going to go well for Scott Peterson. As a matter of fact, there were other reporters in my row who said, Whoa. Did you see that? And most of us are saying, Guilty, guilty. They just felt it.
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And then sure enough, as these counts started going down, I was watching that jury, and they were just piercing at Scott Peterson throughout. And then they would look at Sharon to see her reaction, as well. That's what I noticed right away. I was looking to see how Scott was reacting — stone-faced, no reaction at all.
VAN SUSTEREN: And the Peterson family? I mean, this is obviously very tough. We all watched poor Sharon full of grief, but this is also a very grief-stricken time for the Peterson family, as well.
GOMEZ: I looked there, as well, to see how Jackie Peterson was reacting because you know, as you know, Lee Peterson was not here today. And I looked at her, just very still, no visible reaction.
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VAN SUSTEREN: And we should probably tell the viewers that Lee Peterson, apparently thinking that nothing would happen today, had gone home for 24 hours. He has been here almost every single day. But because it was only a half day, he left for the day, too.
GOMEZ: Greta, let me just share some insight, as well. I know, based on sources of mine, that this is being — this has been very, very difficult for Lee Peterson. This is what I'm hearing, that he's had a lot of emotional down moments, and the family's just been helping him day by day with this. But it was obviously a very, very traumatic time in the courtroom, and we expected him, and of course, Mark Geragos, to be there, as well.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right…
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