SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -Prosecutors have decided to seek the ultimate punishment against Scott Peterson, the man accused of killing his pregnant wife on Christmas Eve.
“A decision has been made to seek the death penalty in the case of People of California vs Scott Peterson,” according to a statement by Stanislaus County District Attorney James Brazelton.
The bodies of Laci Peterson, 27, and the unborn son the couple had planned to name Conner washed ashore last week in San Francisco Bay, about three miles from where Scott Peterson said he was fishing when his wife vanished.
Peterson, 30, a former fertilizer salesman, pleaded innocent at his arraignment Monday, declaring “I am not guilty” before an audience that included his in-laws and parents. He appeared to be holding back tears as he was ushered from the courtroom in ankle chains and handcuffs.
He is being held without bail.
Family and friends of Laci Peterson planned a vigil Saturday in Modesto in memory of the slain mother-to-be and other women recently killed in California.
Scott Peterson has maintained he played no role in his wife’s disappearance. He took part in many searches as hundreds of volunteers joined police to spread out across California, looking in creeks, canals and reservoirs.
Modesto police arrested him in San Diego on April 18, before the bodies had been identified. Authorities had feared Peterson, who had dyed his dark hair blond, grown a beard and was carrying $10,000 in cash, would flee to Mexico.
Police have not suggested a motive for the killing, but Peterson acknowledged having an extramarital affair with a Fresno woman.
Scott Peterson’s parents have said they think their son is innocent and that police have bungled the case.
Laci Peterson’s family has not said whether they supported capital punishment for her killer. Her mother, Sharon Rocha, said Monday that she would seek justice for her daughter and unborn grandson.
She had this message for the killer: “I can only hope that the sound of Laci’s voice, begging for her life, begging for the life of her unborn child, is heard over and over and over again in the mind of that person every day for the rest of his life.”
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On the Net: http://www.lacipeterson.com
AP-ES-04-26-03 0501EDT
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