Judge removes juror; orders panel to start over

BEE STAFF REPORTS

E-Mail

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

2:44 p.m.: REDWOOD CITY -- A juror was dismissed from Scott Peterson’s double-murder trial this afternoon for unknown reasons and was replaced with one of five remaining alternate jurors.

Judge Alfred Delucchi instructed the jurors, 11 of whom had been deliberating for the equivalent of five days, to start over with the new juror.

Juror 7, a woman in her 50s who works or previously worked for PG&E, was replaced by Alternate 2, a woman in her 30s who has four boys and nine tattoos. The new juror dyed about half the length of her hair bright pinkish-red just before deliberations began Wednesday.

During jury selection, the new juror has said her bank job would not pay her if she were picked for the Peterson jury but that the absence wouldn’t create a financial hardship.

She previously worked for a law firm and attended a police academy,and her brother was repeatedly imprisoned on drug charges. Her mother worked as a drug counselor at a clinic for heroin addicts.

Many jurors wore somber expressions today as they quickly entered the courtroom at 2:11 p.m. As Delucchi announced the replacement - and directed them to go back to Square 1 - one juror sternly shook her head from side to side, then rested it wearily on one hand.

“We’re going to send you back, and you’ll start all over again,” Delucchi told them. “We’ll keep in touch.”

Jury selection for the capital murder trial started in March. Opening statements began June 1, and testimony continued for five months before jurors started deliberating on Wednesday.

Peterson, 32, could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.