Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Modesto Residents Supportive of Death Sentence for Scott Peterson; Florida, North Carolina Best Prepared for Bioterror Attack
Aired December 14, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CO-HOST: A deadly car bomb exploded near the western checkpoint to green zone in Baghdad. Hospitals say two Iraqi civilian civilians were killed and 13 others injured. Yesterday, a suicide car bomber struck in the same area, killing at least eight Iraqis.
And the Federal Reserve is meeting today. And economists do believe that policymakers will raise the short-term interest rate a quarter point. It would be the fifth rate hike just this year.
In New York, a Long Island electrician has been convicted of killing his lover's millionaire husband. Prosecutors say that Daniel Pelosi bludgeoned to death financier Ted Ammon and then went on to marry Ammon's wife, who later died of cancer.
Pelosi is facing 25 years to life in prison. His lawyers say they will appeal.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
Here we go, straight up, 11 a.m. on the East Coast, 8 a.m. out west. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CO-HOST: And I'm Daryn Kagan.
We begin this hour with a death sentence for Scott Peterson. A judge is expected to formalize the jury's recommendation on February 25.
But the bottom line is that Peterson will likely have many, many years on Death Row to ponder the crime that held a nation's attention for nearly two years.
Our David Mattingly leads off our extensive coverage of the Scott and Laci Peterson saga. He is in Modesto, California, this morning.
Good morning.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The headline that people in Modesto are waking up to is short and to the point. It simply reads, "Death." And there was a similar headline in a San Francisco paper yesterday that brought a smile to the face of Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Grantski, who talked to reporters briefly after yesterday's proceedings, saying that he believes justice has been done. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON GRANTSKI, LACI'S STEPFATHER: What a nightmare. It hasn't changed. It's still a nightmare. It should never have happened. This hurt too many people for no reason. But justice was served. They had no -- no reason to doubt that it was Scott who did what he did, and he got what he deserved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: And these are opinions being shared by people all over Modesto today. They were watching yesterday's decision quietly and today, quietly agreeing with the family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought they would at least let him stay in jail for the rest of his life.
MATTINGLY: How do you feel about the death penalty being applied in this case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, they found him guilty. And I think if that's the truth, then he deserves what he gets. If it's the death penalty, if that's what they decided it was worth, then that's what he should get.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so happy that Scott Peterson got the death penalty, because it sends a message to America that it's not okay to kill a woman and her child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy but then I'm sad for his parents.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: People now preparing for what could be years worth of appeals. They were saying that would have been the bright spot of Scott Peterson receiving life in prison without parole, that his appeals would have been relatively short.
But now everyone preparing for what could be years and years of this case continuing through the courts -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and David, and speaking of years, it's been almost two years to the day since Laci Peterson disappeared. You've been covering the story since the beginning. You were out there for some of the original searches. This has taken so many twists and turns.
Some comments and some reflections from you?
MATTINGLY: There was so much concern there in the beginning with that mysterious disappearance of Laci Peterson from her home on Christmas Eve.
We saw hundreds of people volunteering to be involved in the searches here. We had hundreds of people, thousands of people from all over the country calling in with tips to the police tip line as they investigated her disappearance.
There was widespread outrage towards Scott Peterson when it was revealed that he had been having an affair with Amber Frey. That day I remember very well, when Amber was revealed to the public by investigators here in Modesto.
That was the day that the door to the volunteer center closed, and the search for Laci Peterson ended. People very resentful that they believed they were lied to by Scott Peterson. And it was that moment that public opinion was galvanized very strongly against him.
KAGAN: Well, and it's almost odd to see that video there where he's part of the search effort and not see him in an actual courtroom.
MATTINGLY: That is true. Very -- at the very beginning people were questioning his behavior at some of the public events, seemingly smiling, joking at times with people who were there, not at all appropriate, many people thought, for a husband who is missing his wife, his wife who could be missing or dead at the time. So they were very suspicious of him from the beginning.
Then there was that feeling of resentment, and now that long sense, that lingering anger at what Scott Peterson has done to this community and to that family, the Rocha family, from the hometown friends here, very close to that family still.
KAGAN: David Mattingly from Modesto, California. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: A big part of the story happened right after the decision. I don't know if you got to see it or not, but the jurors came out, and they started explaining their perspective on all of this. And they said it was his stone cold demeanor, Scott Peterson's stone cold demeanor, over the course of the six-month trial. It was a big factor in their decision.
They explained further with Soledad this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE CARDOSI, JURY FOREMAN: As I've said, there are many pieces to the puzzle. They all tended to come together and make one picture and that picture pointed out Scott Peterson.
I think one of the most significant things is that Laci and Conner's bodies both washed up where he went fishing. If they had washed up, you know, in the desert or somewhere other than that, we probably wouldn't be here.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": There were certainly lots of analysts who pointed to Amber Frey's testimony as potentially being, watching from the outside, most damaging and most damaging among the jurors. Greg, was that the case for you?
GREG BERATLIS, JUROR: It was -- it was information that was part of all the rest of the information, but it wasn't the, as everybody has been asking me, is that the one that put me over the edge? That wasn't the one issue.
It was -- it was a multitude of things that came out as evidence that -- that I wasn't aware of until I went into that courtroom and listened for those six months. It was -- that was just part of it, and we keep saying this piece of the puzzle, it just, it fits. It was all the information. And that's how we came to that decision.
O'BRIEN: Did it affect your decision making at all, gentlemen, and I'd like you both to answer this, that -- that Scott Peterson never took the stand? Did you want to hear from him?
BERATLIS: Personally, I would have liked to have heard him at -- in any part of this, any of it. If it had been in the mitigation part, it would have -- it would have been something.
I think I alluded to it earlier, that if, you know, even if he turned around and when I looked at him in the guilt phase and just said, just believe me. But he didn't do anything. He just -- he stayed Scott Peterson, the same way throughout the whole trial.
CARDOSI: I think that, you know, I understand why he didn't testify. And I think really looking back and thinking about the question, I was asked the same question yesterday. You know, given his past and his level of honesty, it probably would have done him more harm than good to talk to us, because I don't -- I don't believe we would have believed him even if he was being honest. And if he wasn't being honest, obviously that would be bad, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And of course, we've still not heard from the other woman in the Peterson case since the jury's decision, Amber Frey. She spent several days on the stand for the prosecution, describing the phone calls with Peterson that she taped for the police.
Her attorney says that Frey is glad this long ordeal is finally over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA ALLRED, AMBER FREY'S ATTORNEY: It was a very emotional day for Amber yesterday. Obviously, her feelings toward Scott Peterson are very complicated.
But Soledad, she's always said that the judge and the jury, after hearing all of the evidence, would be in the position to decide what a just result should be. And yesterday, they decided the death penalty was the recommendation of the jury.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We should also mention that Peterson will await the executioner at a notorious prison, one overlooking San Francisco Bay, the same place where he dumped his wife's body.
Here's our national correspondent now, Gary Tuchman. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): San Quentin State Prison, the home of California's Death Row for men. Scott Peterson has joined the nation's largest contingent of people waiting to be executed: 641 inmates are on Death Row in California. The state's form of execution: lethal injection.
But actually getting executed is another story. Since the resumption of the death penalty nearly three decades ago, California has executed a far lower percentage of Death Row inmates than the state that is well ahead of all the others, Texas.
Since California re-implemented the death penalty in 1978, ten people have been executed. In Texas the number is at 336 since it resumed the death penalty.
Peterson likely has many years of life still ahead of him. California has waited an average of more than 16 years to carry out each execution. The last inmate to be put to death was murderer Steven Wayne Anderson in 2002.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The insertion of the fluids began at 12:17. And death was pronounced at 12:32.
TUCHMAN: And he waited more than 20 years to be put to death.
San Quentin has a segregation unit for the worst of the condemned, but most inmates get the right to have care packages of food sent to them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honey is not allowed, because they can make wine with the sugar content of the honey.
TUCHMAN: Scott Peterson will now be living a life where the constant thought is death.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: As Gary points out, Peterson could easily die of natural causes before he's ever executed. Will this case influence public opinion and speed up executions?
A recent Gallup poll shows two-thirds of Americans favor the death penalty. If that's the case, why will someone like Scott Peterson sit on Death Row for perhaps years to come?
Let's talk to our CNN political analyst, Carlos Watson. He is joining us from California, south about an hour or so of where San Quentin sits. He's in Mountain View, California.
Carlos, good morning.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Daryn, I don't want to be anywhere near San Quentin.
KAGAN: No, and you're much better behaved. So let's just put that on the record there.
Let's talk about the political aspect of the death penalty. Didn't come up in the recent presidential election.
WATSON: It didn't. I was kind of surprised, because you remember 16 years ago in 1988 when the president's father ran against another Massachusetts politician, that was a big issue. And it centered around Willie Horton, and there was a very famous ad.
But we didn't hear many much about it. In fact, in the intervening 16 years, something like eight out of 10 people in the public said that they supported the death penalty strongly, back then the late '80s, early '90s.
Now, as you describe, closer to two-thirds say they support it. So there has been a slight decrease in popularity. And that may be one of the reasons. Another may be frankly, the overriding importance of terrorism.
KAGAN: Now, a topic, it's a touchy topic, something that wasn't talked a lot about during this trial, but there were two murder counts. The second one, the second degree murder, the conviction was for the baby, baby Conner. And yet this child wasn't, as far as we know, was not born, and yet there's a murder charge.
How does that play into where does life begin, anti-abortion and future murder charges?
WATSON: Well, very interesting situation here. Now, in California, California is one of 29 states where they've got an unborn victims protection law in one form or another. So there's an individual state law.
But what happened this past spring was that a federal law was signed. It was given the name Laci and Conner's law. And essentially, it allowed prosecutors to go after not only a suspected killer for killing the mother, but also potentially a fetus. And it essentially recognized life as beginning at conception.
Significant outcry about this. And this was a law that Republicans had tried to pass at least twice before, unsuccessfully. But the publicity surrounding this case helped finally push it through.
Expect, Daryn, that in the new Congress, with strengthened majorities on both sides, both in the House and the Senate for Republicans, that you might get even more conversation around where does life begin and more people pointing towards this high profile case.
So while this is a legal case out in California, could have political impact on the question of abortion and when life begins out in Washington, D.C. KAGAN: You mentioned the high profile nature of this case. It is the nature of our justice system now that with cases like this, celebrities are born. And people use something like this as a launching pad to the next step of their careers. Who do you see breaking out from this trial?
WATSON: You know, it's interesting. People can break out in one of two ways. One, we certainly in the past have seen prosecutors take on a political light after successfully handling cases.
Rudy Giuliani certainly was a former prosecutor who's gone on to some political success. Arlen Specter, the senator from Pennsylvania, is another example.
But another thing that we've seen in some cases is people don't actively run for office, but instead they lobby on important bills. And so I wouldn't be surprised to see Laci's parents become even more active in victims' rights questions. And you already saw that earlier in April when the president signed the law to have the unborn victims' rights law become part of -- part of the landscape.
KAGAN: Carlos Watson, haven't seen a lot of you since the election night marathon. Good to see you back on our radar again.
WATSON: Good to be here. Good to see you.
KAGAN: Thanks. Carlos Watson.
WATSON: Take care.
SANCHEZ: Yes. He went and took a nap, a real long nap.
KAGAN: Yes. Over a month. And earned it, by the way.
SANCHEZ: Well deserved. You're absolutely right.
What about this, if there were a bioterror attack, would the place where you live, your state, your community, be prepared? There's a new national report card that lists which places make the cut and which don't. We're going to tell you where your place stands.
KAGAN: And it might be merry, but a new study says Christmas is the deadliest day of the year. You're going to hear why.
SANCHEZ: And the world's highest bridge is open for traffic. We're going to tell you where to find this landmark. Is that pretty or what?
KAGAN: Would you drive on that, well, once it's completed? Not now.
SANCHEZ: Not right now. We'll wait. We're watching.
You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In today's "Security Watch," a report out today says that most states are not prepared for a bioterror attack. The report looks at biological and chemical threats. It says that some progress is being made, but there is a long way to go.
Our Elizabeth Cohen joins me now to talk about the report's unsettling conclusions.
Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are unsettling. This group called Trust for America's Health, it's a private group. And they took a look, are states ready to handle a bioterror attack? And the answer, according to this group, is that most states are not ready.
Let's take a look at a quote from this report. They say, "Three years after 9/11, many basic bioterrorism detection, diagnosis and response capabilities still are not in place."
Now, they rank states on a scale of one to ten. The best prepared states were Florida and North Carolina. And what they found, they had a score out of ten of nine. The most poorly prepared states were Alaska and Massachusetts. They had a score of only three out of ten.
Now what does this group mean when they say poorly prepared? Well, here are some examples.
They say, for example, that most states don't have a good, substantial plan for how to respond if there were, let's say an anthrax attack or a smallpox attack. Or if they do have a plan, they haven't practiced the plan to make sure that people really know what they're doing.
Another example is they say that only five states have labs that would be prepared and staffed and ready to detect if an attack were, let's say, anthrax or the plague. In other words, would have the mechanisms in place to really figure out what that attack was, what the agent was used in the attack.
KAGAN: So you know what everyone's doing. They're looking at their list thinking, you know, well, where does my state fall? If you fall in a state that's not prepared, what do you do? Are you -- do you move or do you just accept it?
COHEN: Well -- well, what you can do is you can certainly urge your state, you know, legislators and state leaders to sort of try to do more.
But here's some -- here's some important things that -- that states need to do better, according to this report. For example, states need to have bioterrorism plans in place. There's a shortage of money for public health basics, things like labs, things like that.
Also, improve practice, practice drills. You can have any plan you want in place. If you haven't practiced, practiced, practiced, that plan may not be particularly effective.
Also, encourage vaccine production. I mean, we've seen with just the flu, I mean, something we vaccinate for every year, that there was a severe shortage this year. So what happens if there were a smallpox attack? What happens if there was an anthrax attack?
Concerns for example, the federal government keeps a big stockpile of antidotes and keeps a big stockpile of vaccines. Well, what happens when it gets to the states? What they found is that most states don't have a plan to distribute those. So the federal government could get it to the states...
KAGAN: Then what?
COHEN: ... but could the states get it to the people who need it? And they found that most states can't.
KAGAN: A lot of work still to be done. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.
COHEN: Thank you.
KAGAN: For more on the nation's bioterrorism threat, you can look in on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's tonight. We're going to have a special investigative report on a possibly faulty anthrax vaccine. Tonight, 8 Eastern.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
SANCHEZ: You may remember the sarin gas attack. It was on a Tokyo subway several years ago. Well, Japan has made some serious changes since then. We're going to tell you why the United States might want to take some similar steps.
KAGAN: And in just a few minutes, President Bush is scheduled to award the Medal of Freedom to a few familiar faces. We will bring that to you live right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Let's talk to you about that bridge that we told you about a little bit earlier. There it is.
Drivers in southern France are going to be able to take a ride in the sky, literally. Today, France officials dedicated the world's tallest bridge. The bridge towers 891 feet -- 891 feet above the Tarn River Valley.
The bridge is expected to ease traffic in the heavily visited tourist area, especially during the summer months.
I believe it connects France and Spain. Did we say that? If we didn't, we just did.
KAGAN: We just did. Beautiful. Beautiful. I wonder what the folks there think? They might think, well, a blot on the landscape.
SANCHEZ: It looks kind of like the one in San Francisco.
KAGAN: Well done.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
KAGAN: We have Jacqui Jeras with weather right now.
Hey, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wouldn't that scare you to drive across that? It's a mile and a half.
SANCHEZ: Where I come from we've got something called the Seven Mile Bridge. It takes you all the way to just the point of Key West.
KAGAN: Is it so high?
SANCHEZ: Well, when it's windy or during hurricanes, they don't let people get on it, because it's just too much. It can actually blow you into the ocean. A big old shark would come out.
KAGAN: Something about being so high up, though.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: All right, Jacqui. Thank you for that one.
We go live to the White House now. Just minutes away from President Bush awarding three medals of freedom.
SANCHEZ: yes. Suzanne Malveaux is going to be following things there for us.
KAGAN: Look how beautiful the White House looks at Christmas.
SANCHEZ: It does look real pretty, doesn't it? Look at those Christmas trees. One, two, three. I bet there's another one if the camera were to keep going to the left there.
KAGAN: Just lovely.
SANCHEZ: Not sure. But let's go over to Suzanne Malveaux. She's going to be setting this up for us.
And Suzanne, over to you.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Rick.
Actually, it's a lovely view from the East Room of the White House.
These are three individuals that are going to get the highest honor that a president can give to a civilian. And all three of them are central to the president's Iraq policy.
The first person who will be named is General Tommy Franks. He, as you know, oversaw the combat mission in Afghanistan, the initial invasion in Iraq. He is a retired four-star general, very loyal to the president. He spoke at the Republican National Convention, also campaigned with the president during the fall.
Also as well, receiving the award is former CIA director George Tenet. He had retired after seven years as director, a controversial figure. As you know, created quite a bit of accomplishments within the department but also raised some questions about intelligence failings, whether or not he missed clues leading to the 9/11 attacks.
And also this is the individual who said that weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a slam-dunk case. As we know, it was not the case. But he is going to be awarded as well today.
And finally, former Iraq administrator Paul Bremer. He was the top U.S. official in Iraq. This was right after the transition of power to help get that interim government started.
He raised some eyebrows in the fall. That is when he had criticized the administration saying there weren't enough U.S. troops immediately after the invasion. This really gave quite a bit of fodder to the critics who said that the administration did not adequately plan for after the Iraq invasion.
But White House press secretary Scott McClellan saying that none of those issues are really going to come up. This is a time to honor these individuals for their service to the country, when they came forward.
This is something that the president feels that it not only acknowledges their service but also, really, does validate his Iraq policy, despite some of the difficulties that we're seeing on the ground now.
Just a little bit of history. If you'd like to know, it first started under President Truman back in 1945 to acknowledge civilians who -- for their efforts in World War II. It was reinstated by President Kennedy for distinguished honors among civilians.
And just to give you a sense of the company that these three individuals are keeping, some past recipient recipients include Pope John Paul II, the late Reverend Martin -- Martin Luther Kin, as well as Julia Child, the world class chef, civil rights leader Dr. Dorothy Height and then lots of former presidents and first ladies, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady B. -- Lady Bird Johnson, Gerald and Betty Ford, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter as well as Ronald and Nancy Reagan -- Rick, Daryn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 14, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CO-HOST: A deadly car bomb exploded near the western checkpoint to green zone in Baghdad. Hospitals say two Iraqi civilian civilians were killed and 13 others injured. Yesterday, a suicide car bomber struck in the same area, killing at least eight Iraqis.
And the Federal Reserve is meeting today. And economists do believe that policymakers will raise the short-term interest rate a quarter point. It would be the fifth rate hike just this year.
In New York, a Long Island electrician has been convicted of killing his lover's millionaire husband. Prosecutors say that Daniel Pelosi bludgeoned to death financier Ted Ammon and then went on to marry Ammon's wife, who later died of cancer.
Pelosi is facing 25 years to life in prison. His lawyers say they will appeal.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
Here we go, straight up, 11 a.m. on the East Coast, 8 a.m. out west. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CO-HOST: And I'm Daryn Kagan.
We begin this hour with a death sentence for Scott Peterson. A judge is expected to formalize the jury's recommendation on February 25.
But the bottom line is that Peterson will likely have many, many years on Death Row to ponder the crime that held a nation's attention for nearly two years.
Our David Mattingly leads off our extensive coverage of the Scott and Laci Peterson saga. He is in Modesto, California, this morning.
Good morning.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The headline that people in Modesto are waking up to is short and to the point. It simply reads, "Death." And there was a similar headline in a San Francisco paper yesterday that brought a smile to the face of Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Grantski, who talked to reporters briefly after yesterday's proceedings, saying that he believes justice has been done. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON GRANTSKI, LACI'S STEPFATHER: What a nightmare. It hasn't changed. It's still a nightmare. It should never have happened. This hurt too many people for no reason. But justice was served. They had no -- no reason to doubt that it was Scott who did what he did, and he got what he deserved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: And these are opinions being shared by people all over Modesto today. They were watching yesterday's decision quietly and today, quietly agreeing with the family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought they would at least let him stay in jail for the rest of his life.
MATTINGLY: How do you feel about the death penalty being applied in this case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, they found him guilty. And I think if that's the truth, then he deserves what he gets. If it's the death penalty, if that's what they decided it was worth, then that's what he should get.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so happy that Scott Peterson got the death penalty, because it sends a message to America that it's not okay to kill a woman and her child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy but then I'm sad for his parents.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: People now preparing for what could be years worth of appeals. They were saying that would have been the bright spot of Scott Peterson receiving life in prison without parole, that his appeals would have been relatively short.
But now everyone preparing for what could be years and years of this case continuing through the courts -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and David, and speaking of years, it's been almost two years to the day since Laci Peterson disappeared. You've been covering the story since the beginning. You were out there for some of the original searches. This has taken so many twists and turns.
Some comments and some reflections from you?
MATTINGLY: There was so much concern there in the beginning with that mysterious disappearance of Laci Peterson from her home on Christmas Eve.
We saw hundreds of people volunteering to be involved in the searches here. We had hundreds of people, thousands of people from all over the country calling in with tips to the police tip line as they investigated her disappearance.
There was widespread outrage towards Scott Peterson when it was revealed that he had been having an affair with Amber Frey. That day I remember very well, when Amber was revealed to the public by investigators here in Modesto.
That was the day that the door to the volunteer center closed, and the search for Laci Peterson ended. People very resentful that they believed they were lied to by Scott Peterson. And it was that moment that public opinion was galvanized very strongly against him.
KAGAN: Well, and it's almost odd to see that video there where he's part of the search effort and not see him in an actual courtroom.
MATTINGLY: That is true. Very -- at the very beginning people were questioning his behavior at some of the public events, seemingly smiling, joking at times with people who were there, not at all appropriate, many people thought, for a husband who is missing his wife, his wife who could be missing or dead at the time. So they were very suspicious of him from the beginning.
Then there was that feeling of resentment, and now that long sense, that lingering anger at what Scott Peterson has done to this community and to that family, the Rocha family, from the hometown friends here, very close to that family still.
KAGAN: David Mattingly from Modesto, California. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: A big part of the story happened right after the decision. I don't know if you got to see it or not, but the jurors came out, and they started explaining their perspective on all of this. And they said it was his stone cold demeanor, Scott Peterson's stone cold demeanor, over the course of the six-month trial. It was a big factor in their decision.
They explained further with Soledad this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE CARDOSI, JURY FOREMAN: As I've said, there are many pieces to the puzzle. They all tended to come together and make one picture and that picture pointed out Scott Peterson.
I think one of the most significant things is that Laci and Conner's bodies both washed up where he went fishing. If they had washed up, you know, in the desert or somewhere other than that, we probably wouldn't be here.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": There were certainly lots of analysts who pointed to Amber Frey's testimony as potentially being, watching from the outside, most damaging and most damaging among the jurors. Greg, was that the case for you?
GREG BERATLIS, JUROR: It was -- it was information that was part of all the rest of the information, but it wasn't the, as everybody has been asking me, is that the one that put me over the edge? That wasn't the one issue.
It was -- it was a multitude of things that came out as evidence that -- that I wasn't aware of until I went into that courtroom and listened for those six months. It was -- that was just part of it, and we keep saying this piece of the puzzle, it just, it fits. It was all the information. And that's how we came to that decision.
O'BRIEN: Did it affect your decision making at all, gentlemen, and I'd like you both to answer this, that -- that Scott Peterson never took the stand? Did you want to hear from him?
BERATLIS: Personally, I would have liked to have heard him at -- in any part of this, any of it. If it had been in the mitigation part, it would have -- it would have been something.
I think I alluded to it earlier, that if, you know, even if he turned around and when I looked at him in the guilt phase and just said, just believe me. But he didn't do anything. He just -- he stayed Scott Peterson, the same way throughout the whole trial.
CARDOSI: I think that, you know, I understand why he didn't testify. And I think really looking back and thinking about the question, I was asked the same question yesterday. You know, given his past and his level of honesty, it probably would have done him more harm than good to talk to us, because I don't -- I don't believe we would have believed him even if he was being honest. And if he wasn't being honest, obviously that would be bad, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And of course, we've still not heard from the other woman in the Peterson case since the jury's decision, Amber Frey. She spent several days on the stand for the prosecution, describing the phone calls with Peterson that she taped for the police.
Her attorney says that Frey is glad this long ordeal is finally over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA ALLRED, AMBER FREY'S ATTORNEY: It was a very emotional day for Amber yesterday. Obviously, her feelings toward Scott Peterson are very complicated.
But Soledad, she's always said that the judge and the jury, after hearing all of the evidence, would be in the position to decide what a just result should be. And yesterday, they decided the death penalty was the recommendation of the jury.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We should also mention that Peterson will await the executioner at a notorious prison, one overlooking San Francisco Bay, the same place where he dumped his wife's body.
Here's our national correspondent now, Gary Tuchman. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): San Quentin State Prison, the home of California's Death Row for men. Scott Peterson has joined the nation's largest contingent of people waiting to be executed: 641 inmates are on Death Row in California. The state's form of execution: lethal injection.
But actually getting executed is another story. Since the resumption of the death penalty nearly three decades ago, California has executed a far lower percentage of Death Row inmates than the state that is well ahead of all the others, Texas.
Since California re-implemented the death penalty in 1978, ten people have been executed. In Texas the number is at 336 since it resumed the death penalty.
Peterson likely has many years of life still ahead of him. California has waited an average of more than 16 years to carry out each execution. The last inmate to be put to death was murderer Steven Wayne Anderson in 2002.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The insertion of the fluids began at 12:17. And death was pronounced at 12:32.
TUCHMAN: And he waited more than 20 years to be put to death.
San Quentin has a segregation unit for the worst of the condemned, but most inmates get the right to have care packages of food sent to them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honey is not allowed, because they can make wine with the sugar content of the honey.
TUCHMAN: Scott Peterson will now be living a life where the constant thought is death.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: As Gary points out, Peterson could easily die of natural causes before he's ever executed. Will this case influence public opinion and speed up executions?
A recent Gallup poll shows two-thirds of Americans favor the death penalty. If that's the case, why will someone like Scott Peterson sit on Death Row for perhaps years to come?
Let's talk to our CNN political analyst, Carlos Watson. He is joining us from California, south about an hour or so of where San Quentin sits. He's in Mountain View, California.
Carlos, good morning.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Daryn, I don't want to be anywhere near San Quentin.
KAGAN: No, and you're much better behaved. So let's just put that on the record there.
Let's talk about the political aspect of the death penalty. Didn't come up in the recent presidential election.
WATSON: It didn't. I was kind of surprised, because you remember 16 years ago in 1988 when the president's father ran against another Massachusetts politician, that was a big issue. And it centered around Willie Horton, and there was a very famous ad.
But we didn't hear many much about it. In fact, in the intervening 16 years, something like eight out of 10 people in the public said that they supported the death penalty strongly, back then the late '80s, early '90s.
Now, as you describe, closer to two-thirds say they support it. So there has been a slight decrease in popularity. And that may be one of the reasons. Another may be frankly, the overriding importance of terrorism.
KAGAN: Now, a topic, it's a touchy topic, something that wasn't talked a lot about during this trial, but there were two murder counts. The second one, the second degree murder, the conviction was for the baby, baby Conner. And yet this child wasn't, as far as we know, was not born, and yet there's a murder charge.
How does that play into where does life begin, anti-abortion and future murder charges?
WATSON: Well, very interesting situation here. Now, in California, California is one of 29 states where they've got an unborn victims protection law in one form or another. So there's an individual state law.
But what happened this past spring was that a federal law was signed. It was given the name Laci and Conner's law. And essentially, it allowed prosecutors to go after not only a suspected killer for killing the mother, but also potentially a fetus. And it essentially recognized life as beginning at conception.
Significant outcry about this. And this was a law that Republicans had tried to pass at least twice before, unsuccessfully. But the publicity surrounding this case helped finally push it through.
Expect, Daryn, that in the new Congress, with strengthened majorities on both sides, both in the House and the Senate for Republicans, that you might get even more conversation around where does life begin and more people pointing towards this high profile case.
So while this is a legal case out in California, could have political impact on the question of abortion and when life begins out in Washington, D.C. KAGAN: You mentioned the high profile nature of this case. It is the nature of our justice system now that with cases like this, celebrities are born. And people use something like this as a launching pad to the next step of their careers. Who do you see breaking out from this trial?
WATSON: You know, it's interesting. People can break out in one of two ways. One, we certainly in the past have seen prosecutors take on a political light after successfully handling cases.
Rudy Giuliani certainly was a former prosecutor who's gone on to some political success. Arlen Specter, the senator from Pennsylvania, is another example.
But another thing that we've seen in some cases is people don't actively run for office, but instead they lobby on important bills. And so I wouldn't be surprised to see Laci's parents become even more active in victims' rights questions. And you already saw that earlier in April when the president signed the law to have the unborn victims' rights law become part of -- part of the landscape.
KAGAN: Carlos Watson, haven't seen a lot of you since the election night marathon. Good to see you back on our radar again.
WATSON: Good to be here. Good to see you.
KAGAN: Thanks. Carlos Watson.
WATSON: Take care.
SANCHEZ: Yes. He went and took a nap, a real long nap.
KAGAN: Yes. Over a month. And earned it, by the way.
SANCHEZ: Well deserved. You're absolutely right.
What about this, if there were a bioterror attack, would the place where you live, your state, your community, be prepared? There's a new national report card that lists which places make the cut and which don't. We're going to tell you where your place stands.
KAGAN: And it might be merry, but a new study says Christmas is the deadliest day of the year. You're going to hear why.
SANCHEZ: And the world's highest bridge is open for traffic. We're going to tell you where to find this landmark. Is that pretty or what?
KAGAN: Would you drive on that, well, once it's completed? Not now.
SANCHEZ: Not right now. We'll wait. We're watching.
You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In today's "Security Watch," a report out today says that most states are not prepared for a bioterror attack. The report looks at biological and chemical threats. It says that some progress is being made, but there is a long way to go.
Our Elizabeth Cohen joins me now to talk about the report's unsettling conclusions.
Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are unsettling. This group called Trust for America's Health, it's a private group. And they took a look, are states ready to handle a bioterror attack? And the answer, according to this group, is that most states are not ready.
Let's take a look at a quote from this report. They say, "Three years after 9/11, many basic bioterrorism detection, diagnosis and response capabilities still are not in place."
Now, they rank states on a scale of one to ten. The best prepared states were Florida and North Carolina. And what they found, they had a score out of ten of nine. The most poorly prepared states were Alaska and Massachusetts. They had a score of only three out of ten.
Now what does this group mean when they say poorly prepared? Well, here are some examples.
They say, for example, that most states don't have a good, substantial plan for how to respond if there were, let's say an anthrax attack or a smallpox attack. Or if they do have a plan, they haven't practiced the plan to make sure that people really know what they're doing.
Another example is they say that only five states have labs that would be prepared and staffed and ready to detect if an attack were, let's say, anthrax or the plague. In other words, would have the mechanisms in place to really figure out what that attack was, what the agent was used in the attack.
KAGAN: So you know what everyone's doing. They're looking at their list thinking, you know, well, where does my state fall? If you fall in a state that's not prepared, what do you do? Are you -- do you move or do you just accept it?
COHEN: Well -- well, what you can do is you can certainly urge your state, you know, legislators and state leaders to sort of try to do more.
But here's some -- here's some important things that -- that states need to do better, according to this report. For example, states need to have bioterrorism plans in place. There's a shortage of money for public health basics, things like labs, things like that.
Also, improve practice, practice drills. You can have any plan you want in place. If you haven't practiced, practiced, practiced, that plan may not be particularly effective.
Also, encourage vaccine production. I mean, we've seen with just the flu, I mean, something we vaccinate for every year, that there was a severe shortage this year. So what happens if there were a smallpox attack? What happens if there was an anthrax attack?
Concerns for example, the federal government keeps a big stockpile of antidotes and keeps a big stockpile of vaccines. Well, what happens when it gets to the states? What they found is that most states don't have a plan to distribute those. So the federal government could get it to the states...
KAGAN: Then what?
COHEN: ... but could the states get it to the people who need it? And they found that most states can't.
KAGAN: A lot of work still to be done. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.
COHEN: Thank you.
KAGAN: For more on the nation's bioterrorism threat, you can look in on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's tonight. We're going to have a special investigative report on a possibly faulty anthrax vaccine. Tonight, 8 Eastern.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
SANCHEZ: You may remember the sarin gas attack. It was on a Tokyo subway several years ago. Well, Japan has made some serious changes since then. We're going to tell you why the United States might want to take some similar steps.
KAGAN: And in just a few minutes, President Bush is scheduled to award the Medal of Freedom to a few familiar faces. We will bring that to you live right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Let's talk to you about that bridge that we told you about a little bit earlier. There it is.
Drivers in southern France are going to be able to take a ride in the sky, literally. Today, France officials dedicated the world's tallest bridge. The bridge towers 891 feet -- 891 feet above the Tarn River Valley.
The bridge is expected to ease traffic in the heavily visited tourist area, especially during the summer months.
I believe it connects France and Spain. Did we say that? If we didn't, we just did.
KAGAN: We just did. Beautiful. Beautiful. I wonder what the folks there think? They might think, well, a blot on the landscape.
SANCHEZ: It looks kind of like the one in San Francisco.
KAGAN: Well done.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
KAGAN: We have Jacqui Jeras with weather right now.
Hey, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wouldn't that scare you to drive across that? It's a mile and a half.
SANCHEZ: Where I come from we've got something called the Seven Mile Bridge. It takes you all the way to just the point of Key West.
KAGAN: Is it so high?
SANCHEZ: Well, when it's windy or during hurricanes, they don't let people get on it, because it's just too much. It can actually blow you into the ocean. A big old shark would come out.
KAGAN: Something about being so high up, though.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: All right, Jacqui. Thank you for that one.
We go live to the White House now. Just minutes away from President Bush awarding three medals of freedom.
SANCHEZ: yes. Suzanne Malveaux is going to be following things there for us.
KAGAN: Look how beautiful the White House looks at Christmas.
SANCHEZ: It does look real pretty, doesn't it? Look at those Christmas trees. One, two, three. I bet there's another one if the camera were to keep going to the left there.
KAGAN: Just lovely.
SANCHEZ: Not sure. But let's go over to Suzanne Malveaux. She's going to be setting this up for us.
And Suzanne, over to you.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Rick.
Actually, it's a lovely view from the East Room of the White House.
These are three individuals that are going to get the highest honor that a president can give to a civilian. And all three of them are central to the president's Iraq policy.
The first person who will be named is General Tommy Franks. He, as you know, oversaw the combat mission in Afghanistan, the initial invasion in Iraq. He is a retired four-star general, very loyal to the president. He spoke at the Republican National Convention, also campaigned with the president during the fall.
Also as well, receiving the award is former CIA director George Tenet. He had retired after seven years as director, a controversial figure. As you know, created quite a bit of accomplishments within the department but also raised some questions about intelligence failings, whether or not he missed clues leading to the 9/11 attacks.
And also this is the individual who said that weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a slam-dunk case. As we know, it was not the case. But he is going to be awarded as well today.
And finally, former Iraq administrator Paul Bremer. He was the top U.S. official in Iraq. This was right after the transition of power to help get that interim government started.
He raised some eyebrows in the fall. That is when he had criticized the administration saying there weren't enough U.S. troops immediately after the invasion. This really gave quite a bit of fodder to the critics who said that the administration did not adequately plan for after the Iraq invasion.
But White House press secretary Scott McClellan saying that none of those issues are really going to come up. This is a time to honor these individuals for their service to the country, when they came forward.
This is something that the president feels that it not only acknowledges their service but also, really, does validate his Iraq policy, despite some of the difficulties that we're seeing on the ground now.
Just a little bit of history. If you'd like to know, it first started under President Truman back in 1945 to acknowledge civilians who -- for their efforts in World War II. It was reinstated by President Kennedy for distinguished honors among civilians.
And just to give you a sense of the company that these three individuals are keeping, some past recipient recipients include Pope John Paul II, the late Reverend Martin -- Martin Luther Kin, as well as Julia Child, the world class chef, civil rights leader Dr. Dorothy Height and then lots of former presidents and first ladies, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady B. -- Lady Bird Johnson, Gerald and Betty Ford, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter as well as Ronald and Nancy Reagan -- Rick, Daryn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
