Peterson appears in court for sentencing

REDWOOD CITY - Scott Peterson appeared in court this morning in a dark blue suit and waist chains.

Family members of both the defendant and his wife, Laci Peterson, are in court, as are 13 of the 15 jurors and alternates who served in Peterson's double-murder trial.

The 32-year-old Modesto man was convicted in November of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn son, Conner. In December, jurors recommended a death sentence. But the final turn of the screw, aside from post-verdict appeals, comes today, when Judge Alfred Delucchi affirms Peterson’s execution or downgrades the sentence to life in prison without parole.

The case of the photogenic missing mother-to-be and her darkly handsome, philandering husband has driven headlines, provided fodder for countless talk shows and TV movies and true-crime novels. More than 800 journalists are credentialed to cover today’s formal sentencing.