2008 Woodie Awards
Weekly Discourse: The Peterson Trial
restored sense of justice
Laura Cabrera
Issue date: 11/18/04 Section: Op/Ed
After nearly two years, countless hours of media coverage and several bottles of hair dye, the murder case of Laci Peterson is almost closed. Scott Peterson was convicted on Friday afternoon of murdering Laci and their unborn son Conner in the first and second degrees, respectively.
Frankly, with this conviction comes the restoration of my belief in the justice system. From the get-go, I believed Scott Peterson played some part in his wife's disappearance, and as the facts presented themselves via the trial, my gut told me that he was guilty. However, my instinct-- and most of America's, for that matter--seemed to count for nothing, as the prosecution did not have any "smoking gun" type of evidence that would prove Peterson guilty of actually murdering his wife.
The prosecution had no problems whatsoever in proving that Peterson was a liar and an adulterer. However, not all sleazeballs are murderers, and this is why I was sure that Scott Peterson would walk out of the courtroom on Friday a free man.
The fact that high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos, whose clients include Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder and Roger Clinton, was leading Peterson's defense team also fostered doubt in my mind that Peterson would be convicted.
To this day I still cannot understand Geragos' reasoning in taking on this case. Scott Peterson sells fertilizer for a living, both in the literal and figurative sense, and is unable to provide Geragos with the fees that past clients have paid. Geragos is already established as a very successful, capable attorney and would not need this case to build up his reputation.
However, Geragos' illustrious record of past legal victories could not help him get Peterson off scott-free (pun intended), as the jury made its decision to convict Peterson based on his shady alibis and character in general. The whole concept of taking a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve with an eight-month pregnant wife sitting at home is beyond me; the bodies of Laci and Conner were found only three miles away from where Scott was "fishing."
Frankly, with this conviction comes the restoration of my belief in the justice system. From the get-go, I believed Scott Peterson played some part in his wife's disappearance, and as the facts presented themselves via the trial, my gut told me that he was guilty. However, my instinct-- and most of America's, for that matter--seemed to count for nothing, as the prosecution did not have any "smoking gun" type of evidence that would prove Peterson guilty of actually murdering his wife.
The prosecution had no problems whatsoever in proving that Peterson was a liar and an adulterer. However, not all sleazeballs are murderers, and this is why I was sure that Scott Peterson would walk out of the courtroom on Friday a free man.
The fact that high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos, whose clients include Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder and Roger Clinton, was leading Peterson's defense team also fostered doubt in my mind that Peterson would be convicted.
To this day I still cannot understand Geragos' reasoning in taking on this case. Scott Peterson sells fertilizer for a living, both in the literal and figurative sense, and is unable to provide Geragos with the fees that past clients have paid. Geragos is already established as a very successful, capable attorney and would not need this case to build up his reputation.
However, Geragos' illustrious record of past legal victories could not help him get Peterson off scott-free (pun intended), as the jury made its decision to convict Peterson based on his shady alibis and character in general. The whole concept of taking a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve with an eight-month pregnant wife sitting at home is beyond me; the bodies of Laci and Conner were found only three miles away from where Scott was "fishing."