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Nancy Grace

Robert Blake Found Not Guilty of Killing Wife; Scott Peterson Gets Death, CNNHN

Aired March 16, 2005 - 20:00   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.


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, after nine days of deliberations, Robert Blake is not guilty -- repeat, not guilty -- of murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
Plus, justice for Laci and her baby, Conner Peterson. They were first buried together at the bottom of San Francisco Bay in those icy waters then buried together again in a casket. Trial Judge Al Delucchi formally adopting the jury`s guilty verdict and death penalty sentence. Peterson found guilty of double murder.

And a break tonight in the Jessica Lunsford missing person case. Jessie disappeared from her Florida bedroom about three weeks ago. The search goes on. Tonight, law enforcement needs your help.

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. And I want to thank you for being with us.

Tonight, death by lethal injection or the gas chamber for Scott Peterson. It`s his choice.

Today, California Judge Al Delucchi handed down a formal sentence on Scott Peterson, the same sentence Peterson gave his own wife, Laci, and their unborn baby boy, Conner. Now, we may never know how Laci and Conner were murdered, but we do know Peterson dumped their bodies into the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON GRANTSKI, LACI PETERSON`S STEPFATHER: Our family`s going to make it. We`re stronger because of this. And Scott got what he deserved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And is there a break in the Jessie Lunsford case? Today, the Citrus County Sheriff`s Department says it`s looking for 46-year-old John Evander Couey. Take a look. John Evander Couey, they`re looking for him in questioning regarding Jessie`s disappearance last month. Couey, a convicted sex offender. Tonight, the sheriff`s department needs your help.

But first, a stunning end to the Robert Blake murder trial, and I mean stunning. The tough-guy actor found not guilty in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Bakely, the mother of his little girl, Rosie.

Tonight, here in Atlanta, defense attorney Chris Pixley; in Redwood City, Daniel Horowitz; in New York, Jeffrey Gardere.

But first, to Redwood City and Court TV reporter Beth Karas.

Beth, stunning, stunning decision. You covered the Blake case. To what do you attribute the not guilty? I mean, Beth, the guy asked about six people to kill his wife. Who do they think did it?

BETH KARAS, COURT TV REPORTER: Look, this was not a finding of innocence. It was a finding of not guilty. This was a reasonable doubt case. The theory of murder is that Robert Blake was the trigger man, not that he aided and abetted someone else. The jury didn`t get that instruction.

And the jury foreman said, after the verdict, they couldn`t put the gun in Blake`s hand. There was some real problems with a lack of forensic evidence, of an old World War II relic that leaks gunshot residue like a sieve, and the lack of residue on Robert Blake just minutes after the shooting. It was a reasonable doubt case. That`s what it was.

GRACE: Let me go to Daniel Horowitz.

Daniel, to what do you attribute the not guilty verdict?

DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, I attribute it to the unattractiveness of the victim. After all, Scott Peterson`s case was also a reasonable doubt case. We don`t even know really how Laci was killed. But with Blake, we know how she was killed. But in that case, she was a grifter, she was a person exploiting him, so the jury liked him, didn`t like her. All of a sudden, reasonable doubt had a different meaning in Blake`s case than it did here in Redwood City.

GRACE: Hey, guys. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR FOUND NOT GUILTY: At one time, there were as many as 11 investigators on this case. And they all had their hand in my pocket. If you want to know how to go through $10 million in five years, ask me. I`m broke.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.

BLAKE: I need a job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Man, he`s doing a lot of talking today, but no way would Blake take the stand and answer tough questions on cross-examination.

Let me go quickly back out to Beth Karas. What was the demeanor of the jury when they came back in, how did Blake react at the moment that not guilty came down?

KARAS: Well, first of all, the jurors didn`t look at Robert Blake when they walked in. And that`s usually a sign that the finding is against the defendant. Not so in this case.

But, you know, I watched the jurors over the past eight days. Obviously, I was here today. And they seemed to be getting along very well. There didn`t seem to be any sort of natural divisions or loners off in a corner somewhere.

So, we all thought there would be a verdict, didn`t know what it would be. But they didn`t look at him. Now, when Robert Blake heard that first verdict, which was not guilty of murder, that was count one, he reacted visibly. You could -- he had an expression on his face. And then he put his head down. And he cried.

GRACE: You know, I`m thinking, Chris Pixley, that we had all the indications as to where this jury was going. But I just couldn`t believe it. When they wanted read backs of certain witnesses, I assumed it was for their direct testimony. But you know what? I think this jury is focusing on their cross-examine and the credibility problems they obviously had with two witnesses, Hamilton and McLarty. What do you think, Chris?

CHRIS PIXLEY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, absolutely, Nancy. You couldn`t be more correct on this one. In fact, when the foreman of the jury came out this afternoon and spoke to the media, he said, with respect to Hamilton, one of the two star witnesses, that his testimony was so disjointed and irregular, that it didn`t have any affect on the jury whatsoever.

And with respect to the other star witness, he said, look, this guy is a prolific liar. And he couldn`t get the story straight if you paid him. That`s a huge indictment coming from the jury foreman. And by all appearances, the entire jury did not believe Hamilton and McLarty.

What`s interesting in all of this is the fact that they were still split, 11-1. There was one holdout who must have believed that the rehabilitation of Hamilton was sufficient to suggest to them that there was some planning, some solicitation, between Robert Blake and Mr. Hamilton. But, ultimately, the star witnesses fell flat.

GRACE: You know, another issue -- and I`m going to throw this to Daniel Horowitz. The defense kept alluding to somebody else did it. Somebody else did it. Daniel, who? Who else?

Blake is the one that asked people to kill his wife. Throw out Hamilton and McLarty. Forget they exist, if you don`t believe them on cross-examination. There are four other people. The guy had gunshot residue on his hands.

HOROWITZ: Exactly, Nancy, that`s why...

GRACE: I don`t get it.

HOROWITZ: ... it`s why this case really comes down to the fact that reasonable doubt is a floating mark. There`s no such thing as real reasonable doubt. It`s really what the jury wants to do and the evidence combined. In this case, no one else could have done it. Everybody probably thinks he either did it, or set it up, or had something to do with it.

GRACE: Yes.

HOROWITZ: But reasonable doubt exists in this case. He`s a free man. And that`s how the system works.

GRACE: Oh, yes. He is free. He is free.

I`m going to go out to Beth in just a moment to find out -- they deadlocked on count two. I want to find out what`s going to be done with count two?

But very quickly to clinical psychologist, Dr. Jeff Gardere, and author. Jeff, the strategy of the defense throughout was blame the victim. She`s a tramp. She`s a run-around. She`s a sleep-around. She posed for nude pictures. You know what? Not once did they ever connect up an actual person that would want to kill her.

DR. JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, that`s absolutely right. And Daniel is correct, also. This is a situation where this woman, Bonny Lee Bakley, was always painted as just the grifter. Yes, she had a past, but she was also a person, too. And even in this case a victim does not need to be treated the way that she was treated.

GRACE: I`m sick about it. I am sick about it. Because you know what?

Hey, Elizabeth, do you have a picture of Bonny Lee Bakley and her daughter, little Rosie, the daughter she had -- what, Elizabeth? We just have a shot of Bonny. Her daughter looks almost exactly like her, little Rosie.

Rosie is going to grow up reading all this about her mom. This woman never had a chance in that courtroom. I know the defense is going to attack me on that when I get back, but they won this case on the back of Bonny Lee Bakley. Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Robert Blake, not guilty of the crime of first-degree murder of Bonny Lee Bakley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS NICHOLSON, JURY FOREMAN IN ROBERT BLAKE CASE: We couldn`t put the gun in his hand, circumstantial evidence. There was no GSR. There was no blood on the clothing. There was nothing, supposition more than evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was the bite from a juror in the Robert Blake case. In case you haven`t heard, Robert Blake not guilty in the shooting death of his wife.

Let me quickly go to Chris Pixley. You happy, Chris? You finally won one. You`ve been trying like crazy. Blake walked free. The man leaves his wife in the car. He`s gone ten minutes and some unknown super sleuth, super sneaky guy, never seen, he`s like the wind, comes, shoots Blake`s wife, leaves no trace of evidence.

And you know, Chris, the killer didn`t get far. He dumped the murder weapon about ten feet away in the Dixie dumpster. Now, who could have done that, Chris?

PIXLEY: Well, it might be the person who left the five unidentified fingerprints on the door of the car. That certainly is an unanswered question.

But I think what`s more important, Nancy, is that the jury actually abided by the charges that they received. Ultimately, there was a reasonable doubt in this case. You have got witnesses that don`t hold up. And as Thomas Nicholson, the jury foreman that you just saw there a moment ago, pointed out, there was no blood. There was no GSR, no blowback on Robert Blake`s hand. And when you put that against the expert testimony...

GRACE: Hey, you know what?

PIXLEY: ... it just didn`t add up.

GRACE: Somebody`s watching a little too much "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." If you think you`re going to have...

PIXLEY: I think that actually helps prosecutors more than anyone, Nancy.

GRACE: ... fingerprints, DNA, and blowback in every murder case, that simply is not the case. Hey, take a listen to Blake`s response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR: You`ve interviewed my friends. You`ve interviewed producers that worked for me. You`ve interviewed distant relatives and close, immediate relatives. You`ve interviewed, "Hey, I lived in his house. I know him inside out." Well, guess what? They`re all liars. And about half of them are commode scum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: OK. They`re all liars and commode scum.

Beth Karas, that`s the first time I`ve heard the "commode scum" thing. Now I know why he didn`t take the stand. What do you think?

KARAS: Well, you know, I`m not sure what there is in Robert Blake`s past that may have kept him off the stand. It may be that there were certain things he could have been cross-examined on. We have heard of some violent outbursts, nothing, of course, that rises to the level of what he was accused of here, against a former wife, perhaps some bad character toward women...

GRACE: Yes.

KARAS: ... is my understanding. But that didn`t come in. He didn`t take the stand, and clearly didn`t need to.

GRACE: Take a listen to this, guys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE: The most important thing in my life is that I get to be a part of my grandbaby`s life. Dellie`s (ph) going to have a baby. And they don`t have to come to Folsom to visit me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You know, Daniel Horowitz, I heard him say "grandbaby." What about his daughter, the daughter he had with Bonny Lee Bakley, Rosie? Did he forget about her?

HOROWITZ: Well, Nancy, I don`t think so. If you believe that he did this crime -- I think he did it. I guess I`m tipping my hand -- for Rosie. After all, imagine being much older than Bonny, knowing that you`re not going to be on this Earth for much longer. How many years he has got left, we don`t know. And leaving your daughter in the clutches of this grifter, sex vendor, evil person who latched on to him.

GRACE: Question. Wait a minute. Just wait one minute. Daniel Horowitz, can you show me one shred of evidence that this woman was a prostitute? That is simply not true. I`m not going to have you refer to her, the victim in a murder case, gunned down, dying face up in the road, as a sex vendor. Now, that is simply not true.

HOROWITZ: Well, she was, she was portraying -- she was luring in lonely, old men with her sex conversation. There are many ways to sell sex, Nancy. And she sold it in an exploitive way.

GRACE: Well, the last I heard, you can say whatever you want to on the telephone unless it`s a terroristic threat. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The defendant, Robert Blake, not guilty of the crime of first-degree murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, in violation of Penal Code Section 187 Subsection 8, as charged in count one of the information, this 11th day of March, 2005, signed by the foreperson, Juror Number 5. Superior Court of the state of California...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Beth, I only have about 20 seconds to break. What do you think was the fatal flaw in the case?

KARAS: I think the failure to connect the gun to Robert Blake. I`ve always said for two years I have said this guy didn`t fire that gun. They can`t prove it.

GRACE: OK. Beth Karas, with her take on it. You know, she has covered the case from the get-go. The gun, untraceable.

Tonight, Robert Blake not guilty. He went down the elevator and out with the jurors a free man.

As we go to break, to "Trial Tracking." As you all know, guilty on both counts of murder one in an Idaho courtroom. An Idaho jury found 18- year-old Sarah Johnson guilty of murder one, murder in cold blood. It`s all about the shooting death of her own parents. Prosecutors argued she killed her parents after they refused to let her see her illegal alien boyfriend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Sarah Marie Johnson not guilty or guilty of murder of the first degree of Diana Marie Johnson? Answer, guilty. Is Sarah Marie Johnson not guilty or guilty of murder of the first degree of Alan Scott Johnson? Answer, guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Johnson faces life behind bars. Her sentencing scheduled for May 19. We`ll take you there that day.

And if you blinked, you probably missed it. The Miss Savannah murder trial is over. The beauty queen, Sharron Redmond, found not guilty in the shooting death of her boyfriend. The jury deliberated just nine hours before they handed down a verdict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRANTSKI: Our family`s going to make it. We`re stronger because of this. And Scott got what he deserved. We`re fortunate we have this law that we have. It`s a double murder. He killed our grandson and our daughter. Every state should have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Today, a California judge, Judge Al Delucchi, formally sentenced Scott Peterson to death, either by lethal injection or the California gas chamber.

Tonight from Redwood City, California, death penalty expert Jim Anderson.

Now, let me tell you. Most lawyers that do D.P., death penalty, may do three or four. Anderson has done nearly 20 death penalty cases.

Welcome, Jim, let`s get real.

JIM ANDERSON, DEATH PENALTY EXPERT: Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: How long will it take for Peterson to get the needle, lethal injection? Will he ever get it or will he die of old age behind bars in California?

ANDERSON: Well, that`s a 50/50 coin flip at this point in time. It`s going to take about seven years for the California Supreme Court to make a ruling on whether they affirm or overturn his death sentence. And then once he gets through the California Supreme Court, the federal court system takes over. And they can languish for years before the U.S. District Court in San Francisco and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco decide what the eventual result is going to be, whether they`re going to let him die or they`re going to reverse it as they do so many others.

ANDERSON: Yes. You`re right.

Let me go to Beth Karas. Beth, I understand there was an outburst on the part of Jackie and Lee Peterson in the courtroom today. What happened?

KARAS: Well, this was in the beginning of the victim impact statement. The judge let six family members of Laci Peterson spoke. Her brother, Brent, was the first one. He gave a really passionate, very informative statement addressing his comments to Scott Peterson.

And at one point, when he was saying to Scott Peterson, "We were sitting by the pool and you were down." This was the summer before Laci was killed, but she was pregnant. You know, and he was saying, why did you have to kill them? Basically, challenging him and calling him names.

Well, Jackie Peterson said, "He didn`t do it." And, then, Lee Peterson said, "You`re a liar," shortly after that. Well, the judge stopped Brent from speaking and said, "I don`t care who you are. No outbursts or you`re going to be removed."

The deputies were moving towards them. Lee Peterson got up and walked out on his one. And a few minutes later, Jackie Peterson walked out in a huff. They were not there for the remainder of the victim impact statements or the sentencing of their son, as the judge pronounced death and sent him to San Quentin in the next few days.

GRACE: Jim Anderson, absolutely inexcusable. You and I, Beth Karas, Daniel Horowitz, we sat through the whole trial. Never once, not once, did the Rocha family have an outburst, did they misbehave in court. Nothing, nothing, nada, never, zilch. And today, when they finally get to speak, to give their victim impact statements, Lee Peterson and Jackie Peterson have to partake in what I believe to be contemptible behavior in court.

ANDERSON: I agree, Nancy. You know what`s unbelievable? All during the penalty phase of the trial we heard from the Petersons how much they loved their son, how he was the apple of her eye, and all the other platitudes and niceties they said about dear old Scott.

And yet -- and how they`re going to stick behind him -- and yet, when they hear the bad things spoken about him by the family of the victim, how much did they stick behind their son? They bailed out on him. They bailed out on him before the death sentence was even pronounced. What kind of parenting is that? Rhetorically, what kind of parenting is that?

GRACE: Daniel Horowitz, question to you tonight. I know there was a 120-page motion for a new trial filed that the judge, the lawyers had to look at. I heard about it this weekend down in Modesto. I was just wondering, what was the return address for Mark Geragos on that? Was that his law office or his new Hollywood location? Isn`t he going to start a reality show -- no kidding, not kidding -- called "Extreme Justice"? Horowitz, have you signed on to star in Geragos` reality show?

HOROWITZ: Well, you know, Nancy, because I have been on your show and I criticized Geragos, he`s told me I`ll never be on his show. And I don`t think he`s going to let you on, either.

GRACE: Well, you know, Horowitz, you have gotten in a fight with practically everybody in the courthouse from Mark Geragos to Sharon Rocha. So, you know, I don`t think you`re going to be on "Extreme Justice" with Mark Geragos.

Very quickly to Jeff Gardere, psychologist. Jeff, they had their chance on the stand. Why have an outburst today while the victim`s family was finally getting to address the judge?

GARDERE: Nancy, I really think that this was it for them. They have been in a process of denial for many, many long years. One of your guests just said, "Well, this is poor parenting." Perhaps this poor parenting was from a lifetime ago and has led to where this man, Scott Peterson, now has the death penalty. What could they do but have this outburst?

GRACE: Chris Pixley, response?

PIXLEY: Well, I think there may be more to it than that. As you know, Nancy, there was a meeting in chambers before the hearing began. And I suspect ultimately that Judge Delucchi informed Mark Geragos at that point in time that he was not going to allow the Petersons to speak. I think that they may have just been at the end of their rope. There`s obviously a lot of frustration on that side, as well.

GRACE: Got to go to break. Everyone, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I`m Thomas Roberts. Time now for your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Americans may be eating themselves to an early grave. A new study suggests that obesity will soon cut five years off of U.S. life expectancy. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.

President Bush and his energy policy score a big victory in the Senate. A narrow 51 to 49 vote would allow oil drilling in Alaska`s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Opponents say that exploration wouldn`t do anything to bring down gas prices. Bush insists the exploration can be done with almost no impact on land or local wildlife.

And as many of you know, Robert Blake is a free man. Jurors cleared him of murder in the death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.

And Scott Peterson`s fate was sealed earlier today with a death sentence. The judge in the case agreed with the jury that Peterson should die for the murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.

More on Scott Peterson next as we bring you back to NANCY GRACE. I`m Thomas Roberts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHELLE NICE, SCOTT PETERSON JUROR: He is a jerk. And I have one comment for Scott. You look somebody in the face when they`re talking to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back, everyone. I`m Nancy Grace.

As you know by now, Judge Alfred Delucchi handed down formal sentence on Scott Peterson today, the death penalty in retribution for the murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, baby Conner Peterson.

Let`s go straight back out to Beth Karas. She was in the courtroom, not only for the trial, but for today for the victim impact statements. What did Sharon and Brent Rocha have to say?

KARAS: I`m going to tell you about something else that Brent Rocha had to say besides telling Scott that he had bought a gun and planned to kill him himself but decided not to, so he had to sweat it out.

He said, "Why did you feel that you were better than everybody else? Because your parents gave you money or because you play a good golf game? You killed Laci and Conner because you knew you were living beyond your means. Your delusional life would have been over if Conner had come into the picture."

And his wife, Rose, said, "Conner would have been two months older than my son." See, she was pregnant when Laci was pregnant. "And to think that you asked to touch my pregnant stomach just days after you killed them disgusts me." That was Brent`s wife.

Amy Rocha said -- that`s the sister -- "Remember the night I cut your hair? That`s the last night anybody saw Laci alive, besides Scott. Remember the night I cut your hair and asked you what you wanted for Christmas. You said, `The baby.` And you lied." And he was planning to kill them and he said he wanted the baby.

Brent Rocha also told him -- I`m looking for the notes here -- "that my sister`s head is probably rolling around in the bottom of the bay somewhere." But he said, also, "When you walk to that execution room, look out the window. And you`ll see Brooks Island. And you`ll know Laci and Conner have come to take you away."

GRACE: Beth, when I think back on all the baby pictures they showed the jury of Laci, about her growing up, what little the jury got to see, the video of her, and then what was said today about the day you go to the death penalty, Laci and Conner will be there to take you. I tell you, you know, what was the reaction in the courtroom, Beth?

KARAS: You know, there were times when the jurors stared at Scott Peterson. People were crying in the courtroom. Obviously, some of the ones who were making the statements were crying at points during their statements. Even the judge choked up at one point in pronouncing the sentence.

Scott Peterson, though, no one saw anything, any emotion on his face. In fact, when the sentence was being pronounced, after the victim impact testimony, he was distracted talking with his attorney. Maybe that was Geragos` plan to just talk to him.

But he didn`t seem to have much reaction. At one point, when Sharon Rocha was talking to him, he was looking at her. And she said, "You made a conscious decision to kill Laci and Conner. You planned and executed their murder." It was like this -- and she went, "Yes, you did."

And then she went on with her statement saying, "You`re arrogance led you to believe you were more intelligent than anyone else. Well, you were wrong, dead wrong. You`re not intelligent at all. You`re stupid, stupid to believe murder was your only way out of marriage." And she went on and on, giving a very, very articulate statement.

GRACE: You know, I`ve been looking at some statistics, Jim Anderson. On California death row, there are 641 people. California has 20 percent, 20 percent of the entire country`s death row, 1 percent of the entire country`s execution. 149 inmates have no lawyers appointed by the judge. 115 death row inmates have no attorney at all. Is that why it takes so long, an average of about 17 years, for the death penalty to be implemented in your state?

ANDERSON: Well, you know, Nancy, the Supreme Court appoints the attorneys to do the appeal for the automatic appeal. So the trial court is out of it once that thing occurs. But, you know, 17 years, you know, you`re talking about one thing that we have out here and the other eight western states that the rest of the country doesn`t have. And we have the infamous Ninth -- I`m going to call it the "circus court of appeals," because those clowns up there on the Ninth Circuit absolutely are a dead bolt to the door to the gas chamber.

GRACE: Oh, you can tell that again.

ANDERSON: Absolutely agenda-driven. They`re agenda-driven.

GRACE: You can tell that again, brother, because the Ninth Circuit is the court, Jim, that actually said it was -- that you could stop kids from saying the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools because it had the words "under God" in it. That`s the Ninth Circuit that will ultimately get their mitts on the Scott Peterson case. Take a listen to what one of the jurors had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICE: He is a jerk. And I have one comment for Scott. You look somebody in the face when they`re talking to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was a juror that many people named Strawberry Shortcake because of her vibrant red hair.

Let me ask you, Beth Karas, how many of the jurors came to the courtroom today?

KARAS: Well, 13 jurors were there. Some were alternates. One was a dismissed juror. She was the original number 7, an Asian woman, who was dismissed during deliberations. Juror Number 8 was not there, the Teamster wasn`t there, nor was the second Juror Number 5, the doctor-lawyer, who was dismissed also during deliberations. So there were, I think, 13. They sat in the jury box, there were so few seats in the courtroom. All the seats were taken. It was standing-room only. Jurors went back to their own seats.

GRACE: You know, Jeff Gardere, psychologist is with us, Jeff, already we know that Peterson has gotten hundreds and hundreds of love letters behind bars. His family, obviously, at least the parents, not all the family, firmly believe he`s not guilty. Peterson didn`t take the stand but has always avowed his innocence. How do people brainwash themselves?

GARDERE: It`s about that process of denial that I talked about earlier. And I think that, when we look at the way that Scott was raised, he was raised in supposedly a good home. He had the best of everything. How did he develop into this kind of a monster?

And your other question, how do people then fall in love with that monster and then protect him? How do women fall in love with him? How did Laci fall in love with this person who turned out to be this horrific person? I think the answer to that is that it`s not just about the denial. It is just about the fact that we want to see the best out of everyone.

And sometimes we`ll buy that pretty smile or we`ll buy that nice demeanor or the kindness, but there`s so much that is beyond what we see as just part of that surface. And I think that`s what the parents missed. And I think that`s what Laci`s parents missed, though they knew there was something wrong. Dennis Rocha himself even said, "I never liked you."

The signals were there. The red flags were there. But people skipped over them because this was a good-looking guy and that`s what America seems to like.

GRACE: Very quickly to Chris Pixley, Chris, are you signed up to star in Geragos` reality show, "Extreme Justice"? Are you going to be on that?

PIXLEY: No, Nancy. I`m not going to be on any reality television shows.

GRACE: Are you sure? Wait, wait, wait. Look at the camera and tell me: Are you going to be on Geragos` reality show? Geragos is going into the television business. Go ahead, Chris.

PIXLEY: Yes, that`s a decided no, Nancy.

But I do want to say something to Dr. Gardere, if I can. You know, there are still people out there that support Scott Peterson. And I think it may not have anything to do with any pathology or any problem that they have.

It may have something to do with the fact that the certainty we strive to find before we go about convicting someone was just wholly lacking in this case. And what we did is we substituted our dislike for this man in the place of the evidence that we never found.

I think that there are a lot of people out there who may not like Scott Peterson, but who nonetheless believe that this case was lacking in the necessary evidence to not only convict the man, but to sentence him to death. And when you see that absolute disdain from those jurors, I think that that is actually a problem. It`s wrong.

GRACE: Chris, Chris? Just one last question before we go to break. Can you give me right now one reasonable explanation why their bodies turned up where he was fishing the day they went missing?

PIXLEY: Well, they didn`t turn up the day that he went fishing.

GRACE: No, no. Just give me an explanation.

PIXLEY: Nancy, all I would say is I`d compared it to the Robert Blake case. You just said there`s no explanation for who else would be the shooter here. Who else would have done this in a short period of time? The man has been acquitted. And I don`t see any difference between that case and the Scott Peterson case.

GRACE: OK, I was look for an answer. I`m going to give you a commercial break, Chris, to come up with who done it.

OK, you know what? We are switching gears. We`re going to break. We`re keeping our panel. And we`re going to bring you the latest on what is become of Jessie Lunsford, the little nine-year-old girl out of Florida. We take you live trying to find some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE BELMESSIERI, SCOTT PETERSON JUROR: No, I`m not a judge. I`m not an attorney. I`m just a citizen like the rest of you. I had a horrific responsibility. I think what the judge did today clearly, clearly says that we did the right thing in our work as -- was for the right. We did everything right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUTH LUNSFORD, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Well, I think anybody under these circumstances would have the thought, "Who could this be? Why would they do this? Where is she? What are they doing to her?" All these kind of questions you`d be apt to have in your mind. But I know we can get through it. And I know we can -- God can perform miracles. And I know our law enforcement is behind us 100 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Nine-year-old Jessie Lunsford vanished from her own bedroom three weeks ago with nothing but a little stuffed animal with her.

Today, Florida detectives want to interview John Evander Couey, John Evander Couey. He is a registered sex offender. He lived about two miles from Jessie`s home. Police want to interview him. But Couey is gone. He`s no longer at the registered address and he has not given a new one.

Authorities are asking for your help. Take a look.

Tonight, from Homosassa Springs, Jessie`s grandparents are with us, Archie and Ruth Lunsford. But first, to Florida and CNN`s John Zarrella.

John, what can you tell us tonight?

JOHN ZARELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nancy, what we can tell you is that police, as you say, he is a registered sex offender. Going back to a 1991 case in Kissimmee, Florida, where this gentleman apparently was involved in fondling a young person under 16 years of age. That`s where it comes from, back in 1991.

Now, police are also saying here today at a news conference that the individual they are looking for apparently got a bus ticket from a relative who lived, as police say, within eye shot of the Lunsford home. And the bus ticket was in someone else`s name.

So they believe, because of that, that he is on the run and that they believe he is in Savannah, Georgia. Now, police in Savannah, Georgia, notified by the Citrus County police, found Couey at a Salvation Army shelter. They talked with Couey but they later released him. They could not hold him.

He was wanted in Florida on a warrant because he violated the terms of his probation, did not show up for a visit with his probation officer, but because it was a geographic warrant, they could not hold him in Savannah on that warrant. And now, they are again, including Citrus County authorities, who are in Savannah, again out looking for Couey. But they cannot find him.

Citrus County police also told us today that they did look at the house. They`re at the house he was staying at. And they did take some items from that house of interest.

But, Nancy, these items were not items that belonged to Jessica -- Nancy?

GRACE: Let me ask you another question very quickly, John Zarrella, CNN reporter. John, you said he got a bus ticket, he left town, got the ticket in somebody else`s name. When was that in relation to Jessie`s disappearance?

ZARRELLA: It was after Jessie`s disappearance, within a week or two after Jessie`s disappearance, that he got that bus ticket and left the area, apparently police saying because he knew that they were looking for him.

GRACE: That they were looking for him. He only lived about a mile away from the house about. How could they not know where he was? Did this guy just slip through their fingers?

ZARRELLA: If that. He did not -- well, police are saying that at this particular point in time, they had leads. They finally went back. They talked to the family members. It was a convoluted process that finally led them to where he was staying and to him. And it didn`t happen immediately. And by the time they got there, he had gone to Savannah.

GRACE: Let me go to Archie and Ruth Lunsford. They are Jessica`s grandparents.

To both of you, thank you for being with us tonight. So many people have been thinking of you, have been praying for you, and for little Jessie.

To you, Archie Lunsford, you have really paid a price because of this. Your former criminal record has been thrown over every airwave. You two have been subjected to polygraphs. How are you doing tonight, Archie?

ARCHIE LUNSFORD, GRANDFATHER OF MISSING GIRL: Outside of just being tired, I`m OK. And this gentleman they`re talking about, that he lived about 200 feet here from where we`re standing, not a mile. He lived about 200 feet. I can look out my front door and see that gentleman`s house.

GRACE: Archie, did you know he was a sex offender?

A. LUNSFORD: I didn`t even know he existed until today. I have never saw him before. And I didn`t even know he was around.

GRACE: Mrs. Lunsford, Ruth Lunsford, how are you doing tonight?

RUTH LUNSFORD, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Oh, I`m holding on to my faith, and hoping and praying that we can get Jessie back.

GRACE: What can you tell us...

R. LUNSFORD: I`d like to set...

GRACE: What?

R. LUNSFORD: I`d like to set something else straight that you said just a minute ago.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am.

R. LUNSFORD: Archie does not have a criminal record.

GRACE: Well, I`m glad you set that straight because you, too, have been through so much. First, Jessie goes missing. Then you come under attack. You have to take polygraphs and all the while trying to find Jessie.

So ma`am, I appreciate you clarifying that tonight. Thank you. I don`t want you two to suffer anymore that you already have.

Let me ask you, Ruth, could you just tell me something about Jessie? So many people want to know about her. What can you tell me about Jessie?

R. LUNSFORD: Jessie has always been a very happy child. She likes to put on little shows. She had one planned for the 15th of March at school, a variety show. She loved to go to church. We went shopping a lot. Everywhere I went, Jessie went, as long as she wasn`t in school. And she was just happy.

GRACE: You know, Archie and Ruth Lunsford, we`re going to break. But as soon as I saw your pictures -- my grandmother helped to raise me. And I know this must be a horrible time for you. And our heart goes out to you.

With us tonight, Archie and Ruth Lunsford. Quick break.

As we go to break, the city of Atlanta, the law enforcement community and the nation still grieve after Friday`s deadly shootings in the Atlanta Fulton County courthouse. Today, the funeral of Julie Brandau, slain court reporter gunned down in the attack.

Brian Nichols overpowered a courthouse deputy on video, stole her gun and fatally shot Julie, Judge Rowland Barnes, Deputy Teasley and federal agent Wilhelm. Tonight, we wait for the announcement from the Atlanta Fulton County D.A.`s office as to whether the death penalty will be sought.

Local news for some of you next, but we`ll be right back. And remember, live coverage of Michael Jackson case tomorrow 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern, Court TV. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: We want desperately to help find missing people. Tonight, take a look at nine-year-old Benjamin Sanchez from Concord, North Carolina, missing since December 1999. Take a look. If you have any information on Benjamin Sanchez, please call the NCMEC, Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-THE-LOST. Please help us.

What a week in America`s courtrooms. Tonight, the best and the worst out of our system. We`ve seen two stunning not guilty verdicts in the Miss Savannah case and the Robert Blake murder case. We have seen a formal death penalty sentence go down in California and the funerals of slain court officers gunned down in the courtroom.

Tonight, the search goes on for little Jessie Lunsford.

I want to thank all of my guests tonight. Jim Anderson, Chris Pixley, Daniel Horowitz, Jeff Gardere, Beth Karas, John Zarrella, and last, Archie and Ruth Lunsford.

Our prayers are with you, Archie and Ruth.

My biggest thank you, as always, to you for being with us and inviting all of us into your homes.

Coming up, headlines from around the world. I`m Nancy Grace signing off again for tonight. I hope to see you right here tomorrow night, 8 o`clock sharp Eastern.

As we say goodnight, let`s go out with a shot of Jessie`s bedroom, where she should be sleeping right now. This would be her bedtime. After three long weeks, Jessie Lunsford, still missing. Her bedside light is still on, waiting for her to come home. Good night, friend.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I`m Erica Hill with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Young Rilya Wilson`s body has never been found. Now her caregiver, Geralyn Graham, he`s charged with her murder. Wilson was in foster care in Florida when the Department of Children and Family lost track of her. If convicted, Graham could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Police in Florida wanted to question a convicted sex offender in the case of Jessica Lunsford. The nine-year-old girl disappeared from her bedroom three weeks ago today. Police are not calling John Evander Couey a suspect, but say he was known to be in the area when Lunsford disappeared.

A technical glitch aboard the International Space Station could affect May`s planned shuttle mission. NASA says a circuit breaker failed causing one of the station`s three remaining gyroscopes to shut down. But the station is now operating on the bare minimum of gyroscopes needed to keep it steady.

Those are the headlines. Join Mike Galanos and me for "PRIME NEWS TONIGHT" right after this.

END


Aired March 16, 2005 - 20:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, after nine days of deliberations, Robert Blake is not guilty -- repeat, not guilty -- of murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
Plus, justice for Laci and her baby, Conner Peterson. They were first buried together at the bottom of San Francisco Bay in those icy waters then buried together again in a casket. Trial Judge Al Delucchi formally adopting the jury`s guilty verdict and death penalty sentence. Peterson found guilty of double murder.

And a break tonight in the Jessica Lunsford missing person case. Jessie disappeared from her Florida bedroom about three weeks ago. The search goes on. Tonight, law enforcement needs your help.

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. And I want to thank you for being with us.

Tonight, death by lethal injection or the gas chamber for Scott Peterson. It`s his choice.

Today, California Judge Al Delucchi handed down a formal sentence on Scott Peterson, the same sentence Peterson gave his own wife, Laci, and their unborn baby boy, Conner. Now, we may never know how Laci and Conner were murdered, but we do know Peterson dumped their bodies into the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON GRANTSKI, LACI PETERSON`S STEPFATHER: Our family`s going to make it. We`re stronger because of this. And Scott got what he deserved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And is there a break in the Jessie Lunsford case? Today, the Citrus County Sheriff`s Department says it`s looking for 46-year-old John Evander Couey. Take a look. John Evander Couey, they`re looking for him in questioning regarding Jessie`s disappearance last month. Couey, a convicted sex offender. Tonight, the sheriff`s department needs your help.

But first, a stunning end to the Robert Blake murder trial, and I mean stunning. The tough-guy actor found not guilty in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Bakely, the mother of his little girl, Rosie.

Tonight, here in Atlanta, defense attorney Chris Pixley; in Redwood City, Daniel Horowitz; in New York, Jeffrey Gardere.

But first, to Redwood City and Court TV reporter Beth Karas.

Beth, stunning, stunning decision. You covered the Blake case. To what do you attribute the not guilty? I mean, Beth, the guy asked about six people to kill his wife. Who do they think did it?

BETH KARAS, COURT TV REPORTER: Look, this was not a finding of innocence. It was a finding of not guilty. This was a reasonable doubt case. The theory of murder is that Robert Blake was the trigger man, not that he aided and abetted someone else. The jury didn`t get that instruction.

And the jury foreman said, after the verdict, they couldn`t put the gun in Blake`s hand. There was some real problems with a lack of forensic evidence, of an old World War II relic that leaks gunshot residue like a sieve, and the lack of residue on Robert Blake just minutes after the shooting. It was a reasonable doubt case. That`s what it was.

GRACE: Let me go to Daniel Horowitz.

Daniel, to what do you attribute the not guilty verdict?

DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, I attribute it to the unattractiveness of the victim. After all, Scott Peterson`s case was also a reasonable doubt case. We don`t even know really how Laci was killed. But with Blake, we know how she was killed. But in that case, she was a grifter, she was a person exploiting him, so the jury liked him, didn`t like her. All of a sudden, reasonable doubt had a different meaning in Blake`s case than it did here in Redwood City.

GRACE: Hey, guys. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR FOUND NOT GUILTY: At one time, there were as many as 11 investigators on this case. And they all had their hand in my pocket. If you want to know how to go through $10 million in five years, ask me. I`m broke.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.

BLAKE: I need a job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Man, he`s doing a lot of talking today, but no way would Blake take the stand and answer tough questions on cross-examination.

Let me go quickly back out to Beth Karas. What was the demeanor of the jury when they came back in, how did Blake react at the moment that not guilty came down?

KARAS: Well, first of all, the jurors didn`t look at Robert Blake when they walked in. And that`s usually a sign that the finding is against the defendant. Not so in this case.

But, you know, I watched the jurors over the past eight days. Obviously, I was here today. And they seemed to be getting along very well. There didn`t seem to be any sort of natural divisions or loners off in a corner somewhere.

So, we all thought there would be a verdict, didn`t know what it would be. But they didn`t look at him. Now, when Robert Blake heard that first verdict, which was not guilty of murder, that was count one, he reacted visibly. You could -- he had an expression on his face. And then he put his head down. And he cried.

GRACE: You know, I`m thinking, Chris Pixley, that we had all the indications as to where this jury was going. But I just couldn`t believe it. When they wanted read backs of certain witnesses, I assumed it was for their direct testimony. But you know what? I think this jury is focusing on their cross-examine and the credibility problems they obviously had with two witnesses, Hamilton and McLarty. What do you think, Chris?

CHRIS PIXLEY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, absolutely, Nancy. You couldn`t be more correct on this one. In fact, when the foreman of the jury came out this afternoon and spoke to the media, he said, with respect to Hamilton, one of the two star witnesses, that his testimony was so disjointed and irregular, that it didn`t have any affect on the jury whatsoever.

And with respect to the other star witness, he said, look, this guy is a prolific liar. And he couldn`t get the story straight if you paid him. That`s a huge indictment coming from the jury foreman. And by all appearances, the entire jury did not believe Hamilton and McLarty.

What`s interesting in all of this is the fact that they were still split, 11-1. There was one holdout who must have believed that the rehabilitation of Hamilton was sufficient to suggest to them that there was some planning, some solicitation, between Robert Blake and Mr. Hamilton. But, ultimately, the star witnesses fell flat.

GRACE: You know, another issue -- and I`m going to throw this to Daniel Horowitz. The defense kept alluding to somebody else did it. Somebody else did it. Daniel, who? Who else?

Blake is the one that asked people to kill his wife. Throw out Hamilton and McLarty. Forget they exist, if you don`t believe them on cross-examination. There are four other people. The guy had gunshot residue on his hands.

HOROWITZ: Exactly, Nancy, that`s why...

GRACE: I don`t get it.

HOROWITZ: ... it`s why this case really comes down to the fact that reasonable doubt is a floating mark. There`s no such thing as real reasonable doubt. It`s really what the jury wants to do and the evidence combined. In this case, no one else could have done it. Everybody probably thinks he either did it, or set it up, or had something to do with it.

GRACE: Yes.

HOROWITZ: But reasonable doubt exists in this case. He`s a free man. And that`s how the system works.

GRACE: Oh, yes. He is free. He is free.

I`m going to go out to Beth in just a moment to find out -- they deadlocked on count two. I want to find out what`s going to be done with count two?

But very quickly to clinical psychologist, Dr. Jeff Gardere, and author. Jeff, the strategy of the defense throughout was blame the victim. She`s a tramp. She`s a run-around. She`s a sleep-around. She posed for nude pictures. You know what? Not once did they ever connect up an actual person that would want to kill her.

DR. JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, that`s absolutely right. And Daniel is correct, also. This is a situation where this woman, Bonny Lee Bakley, was always painted as just the grifter. Yes, she had a past, but she was also a person, too. And even in this case a victim does not need to be treated the way that she was treated.

GRACE: I`m sick about it. I am sick about it. Because you know what?

Hey, Elizabeth, do you have a picture of Bonny Lee Bakley and her daughter, little Rosie, the daughter she had -- what, Elizabeth? We just have a shot of Bonny. Her daughter looks almost exactly like her, little Rosie.

Rosie is going to grow up reading all this about her mom. This woman never had a chance in that courtroom. I know the defense is going to attack me on that when I get back, but they won this case on the back of Bonny Lee Bakley. Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Robert Blake, not guilty of the crime of first-degree murder of Bonny Lee Bakley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS NICHOLSON, JURY FOREMAN IN ROBERT BLAKE CASE: We couldn`t put the gun in his hand, circumstantial evidence. There was no GSR. There was no blood on the clothing. There was nothing, supposition more than evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was the bite from a juror in the Robert Blake case. In case you haven`t heard, Robert Blake not guilty in the shooting death of his wife.

Let me quickly go to Chris Pixley. You happy, Chris? You finally won one. You`ve been trying like crazy. Blake walked free. The man leaves his wife in the car. He`s gone ten minutes and some unknown super sleuth, super sneaky guy, never seen, he`s like the wind, comes, shoots Blake`s wife, leaves no trace of evidence.

And you know, Chris, the killer didn`t get far. He dumped the murder weapon about ten feet away in the Dixie dumpster. Now, who could have done that, Chris?

PIXLEY: Well, it might be the person who left the five unidentified fingerprints on the door of the car. That certainly is an unanswered question.

But I think what`s more important, Nancy, is that the jury actually abided by the charges that they received. Ultimately, there was a reasonable doubt in this case. You have got witnesses that don`t hold up. And as Thomas Nicholson, the jury foreman that you just saw there a moment ago, pointed out, there was no blood. There was no GSR, no blowback on Robert Blake`s hand. And when you put that against the expert testimony...

GRACE: Hey, you know what?

PIXLEY: ... it just didn`t add up.

GRACE: Somebody`s watching a little too much "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." If you think you`re going to have...

PIXLEY: I think that actually helps prosecutors more than anyone, Nancy.

GRACE: ... fingerprints, DNA, and blowback in every murder case, that simply is not the case. Hey, take a listen to Blake`s response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR: You`ve interviewed my friends. You`ve interviewed producers that worked for me. You`ve interviewed distant relatives and close, immediate relatives. You`ve interviewed, "Hey, I lived in his house. I know him inside out." Well, guess what? They`re all liars. And about half of them are commode scum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: OK. They`re all liars and commode scum.

Beth Karas, that`s the first time I`ve heard the "commode scum" thing. Now I know why he didn`t take the stand. What do you think?

KARAS: Well, you know, I`m not sure what there is in Robert Blake`s past that may have kept him off the stand. It may be that there were certain things he could have been cross-examined on. We have heard of some violent outbursts, nothing, of course, that rises to the level of what he was accused of here, against a former wife, perhaps some bad character toward women...

GRACE: Yes.

KARAS: ... is my understanding. But that didn`t come in. He didn`t take the stand, and clearly didn`t need to.

GRACE: Take a listen to this, guys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE: The most important thing in my life is that I get to be a part of my grandbaby`s life. Dellie`s (ph) going to have a baby. And they don`t have to come to Folsom to visit me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You know, Daniel Horowitz, I heard him say "grandbaby." What about his daughter, the daughter he had with Bonny Lee Bakley, Rosie? Did he forget about her?

HOROWITZ: Well, Nancy, I don`t think so. If you believe that he did this crime -- I think he did it. I guess I`m tipping my hand -- for Rosie. After all, imagine being much older than Bonny, knowing that you`re not going to be on this Earth for much longer. How many years he has got left, we don`t know. And leaving your daughter in the clutches of this grifter, sex vendor, evil person who latched on to him.

GRACE: Question. Wait a minute. Just wait one minute. Daniel Horowitz, can you show me one shred of evidence that this woman was a prostitute? That is simply not true. I`m not going to have you refer to her, the victim in a murder case, gunned down, dying face up in the road, as a sex vendor. Now, that is simply not true.

HOROWITZ: Well, she was, she was portraying -- she was luring in lonely, old men with her sex conversation. There are many ways to sell sex, Nancy. And she sold it in an exploitive way.

GRACE: Well, the last I heard, you can say whatever you want to on the telephone unless it`s a terroristic threat. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The defendant, Robert Blake, not guilty of the crime of first-degree murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, in violation of Penal Code Section 187 Subsection 8, as charged in count one of the information, this 11th day of March, 2005, signed by the foreperson, Juror Number 5. Superior Court of the state of California...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Beth, I only have about 20 seconds to break. What do you think was the fatal flaw in the case?

KARAS: I think the failure to connect the gun to Robert Blake. I`ve always said for two years I have said this guy didn`t fire that gun. They can`t prove it.

GRACE: OK. Beth Karas, with her take on it. You know, she has covered the case from the get-go. The gun, untraceable.

Tonight, Robert Blake not guilty. He went down the elevator and out with the jurors a free man.

As we go to break, to "Trial Tracking." As you all know, guilty on both counts of murder one in an Idaho courtroom. An Idaho jury found 18- year-old Sarah Johnson guilty of murder one, murder in cold blood. It`s all about the shooting death of her own parents. Prosecutors argued she killed her parents after they refused to let her see her illegal alien boyfriend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Sarah Marie Johnson not guilty or guilty of murder of the first degree of Diana Marie Johnson? Answer, guilty. Is Sarah Marie Johnson not guilty or guilty of murder of the first degree of Alan Scott Johnson? Answer, guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Johnson faces life behind bars. Her sentencing scheduled for May 19. We`ll take you there that day.

And if you blinked, you probably missed it. The Miss Savannah murder trial is over. The beauty queen, Sharron Redmond, found not guilty in the shooting death of her boyfriend. The jury deliberated just nine hours before they handed down a verdict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRANTSKI: Our family`s going to make it. We`re stronger because of this. And Scott got what he deserved. We`re fortunate we have this law that we have. It`s a double murder. He killed our grandson and our daughter. Every state should have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Today, a California judge, Judge Al Delucchi, formally sentenced Scott Peterson to death, either by lethal injection or the California gas chamber.

Tonight from Redwood City, California, death penalty expert Jim Anderson.

Now, let me tell you. Most lawyers that do D.P., death penalty, may do three or four. Anderson has done nearly 20 death penalty cases.

Welcome, Jim, let`s get real.

JIM ANDERSON, DEATH PENALTY EXPERT: Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: How long will it take for Peterson to get the needle, lethal injection? Will he ever get it or will he die of old age behind bars in California?

ANDERSON: Well, that`s a 50/50 coin flip at this point in time. It`s going to take about seven years for the California Supreme Court to make a ruling on whether they affirm or overturn his death sentence. And then once he gets through the California Supreme Court, the federal court system takes over. And they can languish for years before the U.S. District Court in San Francisco and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco decide what the eventual result is going to be, whether they`re going to let him die or they`re going to reverse it as they do so many others.

ANDERSON: Yes. You`re right.

Let me go to Beth Karas. Beth, I understand there was an outburst on the part of Jackie and Lee Peterson in the courtroom today. What happened?

KARAS: Well, this was in the beginning of the victim impact statement. The judge let six family members of Laci Peterson spoke. Her brother, Brent, was the first one. He gave a really passionate, very informative statement addressing his comments to Scott Peterson.

And at one point, when he was saying to Scott Peterson, "We were sitting by the pool and you were down." This was the summer before Laci was killed, but she was pregnant. You know, and he was saying, why did you have to kill them? Basically, challenging him and calling him names.

Well, Jackie Peterson said, "He didn`t do it." And, then, Lee Peterson said, "You`re a liar," shortly after that. Well, the judge stopped Brent from speaking and said, "I don`t care who you are. No outbursts or you`re going to be removed."

The deputies were moving towards them. Lee Peterson got up and walked out on his one. And a few minutes later, Jackie Peterson walked out in a huff. They were not there for the remainder of the victim impact statements or the sentencing of their son, as the judge pronounced death and sent him to San Quentin in the next few days.

GRACE: Jim Anderson, absolutely inexcusable. You and I, Beth Karas, Daniel Horowitz, we sat through the whole trial. Never once, not once, did the Rocha family have an outburst, did they misbehave in court. Nothing, nothing, nada, never, zilch. And today, when they finally get to speak, to give their victim impact statements, Lee Peterson and Jackie Peterson have to partake in what I believe to be contemptible behavior in court.

ANDERSON: I agree, Nancy. You know what`s unbelievable? All during the penalty phase of the trial we heard from the Petersons how much they loved their son, how he was the apple of her eye, and all the other platitudes and niceties they said about dear old Scott.

And yet -- and how they`re going to stick behind him -- and yet, when they hear the bad things spoken about him by the family of the victim, how much did they stick behind their son? They bailed out on him. They bailed out on him before the death sentence was even pronounced. What kind of parenting is that? Rhetorically, what kind of parenting is that?

GRACE: Daniel Horowitz, question to you tonight. I know there was a 120-page motion for a new trial filed that the judge, the lawyers had to look at. I heard about it this weekend down in Modesto. I was just wondering, what was the return address for Mark Geragos on that? Was that his law office or his new Hollywood location? Isn`t he going to start a reality show -- no kidding, not kidding -- called "Extreme Justice"? Horowitz, have you signed on to star in Geragos` reality show?

HOROWITZ: Well, you know, Nancy, because I have been on your show and I criticized Geragos, he`s told me I`ll never be on his show. And I don`t think he`s going to let you on, either.

GRACE: Well, you know, Horowitz, you have gotten in a fight with practically everybody in the courthouse from Mark Geragos to Sharon Rocha. So, you know, I don`t think you`re going to be on "Extreme Justice" with Mark Geragos.

Very quickly to Jeff Gardere, psychologist. Jeff, they had their chance on the stand. Why have an outburst today while the victim`s family was finally getting to address the judge?

GARDERE: Nancy, I really think that this was it for them. They have been in a process of denial for many, many long years. One of your guests just said, "Well, this is poor parenting." Perhaps this poor parenting was from a lifetime ago and has led to where this man, Scott Peterson, now has the death penalty. What could they do but have this outburst?

GRACE: Chris Pixley, response?

PIXLEY: Well, I think there may be more to it than that. As you know, Nancy, there was a meeting in chambers before the hearing began. And I suspect ultimately that Judge Delucchi informed Mark Geragos at that point in time that he was not going to allow the Petersons to speak. I think that they may have just been at the end of their rope. There`s obviously a lot of frustration on that side, as well.

GRACE: Got to go to break. Everyone, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I`m Thomas Roberts. Time now for your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Americans may be eating themselves to an early grave. A new study suggests that obesity will soon cut five years off of U.S. life expectancy. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.

President Bush and his energy policy score a big victory in the Senate. A narrow 51 to 49 vote would allow oil drilling in Alaska`s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Opponents say that exploration wouldn`t do anything to bring down gas prices. Bush insists the exploration can be done with almost no impact on land or local wildlife.

And as many of you know, Robert Blake is a free man. Jurors cleared him of murder in the death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.

And Scott Peterson`s fate was sealed earlier today with a death sentence. The judge in the case agreed with the jury that Peterson should die for the murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.

More on Scott Peterson next as we bring you back to NANCY GRACE. I`m Thomas Roberts.

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RICHELLE NICE, SCOTT PETERSON JUROR: He is a jerk. And I have one comment for Scott. You look somebody in the face when they`re talking to you.

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GRACE: Welcome back, everyone. I`m Nancy Grace.

As you know by now, Judge Alfred Delucchi handed down formal sentence on Scott Peterson today, the death penalty in retribution for the murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, baby Conner Peterson.

Let`s go straight back out to Beth Karas. She was in the courtroom, not only for the trial, but for today for the victim impact statements. What did Sharon and Brent Rocha have to say?

KARAS: I`m going to tell you about something else that Brent Rocha had to say besides telling Scott that he had bought a gun and planned to kill him himself but decided not to, so he had to sweat it out.

He said, "Why did you feel that you were better than everybody else? Because your parents gave you money or because you play a good golf game? You killed Laci and Conner because you knew you were living beyond your means. Your delusional life would have been over if Conner had come into the picture."

And his wife, Rose, said, "Conner would have been two months older than my son." See, she was pregnant when Laci was pregnant. "And to think that you asked to touch my pregnant stomach just days after you killed them disgusts me." That was Brent`s wife.

Amy Rocha said -- that`s the sister -- "Remember the night I cut your hair? That`s the last night anybody saw Laci alive, besides Scott. Remember the night I cut your hair and asked you what you wanted for Christmas. You said, `The baby.` And you lied." And he was planning to kill them and he said he wanted the baby.

Brent Rocha also told him -- I`m looking for the notes here -- "that my sister`s head is probably rolling around in the bottom of the bay somewhere." But he said, also, "When you walk to that execution room, look out the window. And you`ll see Brooks Island. And you`ll know Laci and Conner have come to take you away."

GRACE: Beth, when I think back on all the baby pictures they showed the jury of Laci, about her growing up, what little the jury got to see, the video of her, and then what was said today about the day you go to the death penalty, Laci and Conner will be there to take you. I tell you, you know, what was the reaction in the courtroom, Beth?

KARAS: You know, there were times when the jurors stared at Scott Peterson. People were crying in the courtroom. Obviously, some of the ones who were making the statements were crying at points during their statements. Even the judge choked up at one point in pronouncing the sentence.

Scott Peterson, though, no one saw anything, any emotion on his face. In fact, when the sentence was being pronounced, after the victim impact testimony, he was distracted talking with his attorney. Maybe that was Geragos` plan to just talk to him.

But he didn`t seem to have much reaction. At one point, when Sharon Rocha was talking to him, he was looking at her. And she said, "You made a conscious decision to kill Laci and Conner. You planned and executed their murder." It was like this -- and she went, "Yes, you did."

And then she went on with her statement saying, "You`re arrogance led you to believe you were more intelligent than anyone else. Well, you were wrong, dead wrong. You`re not intelligent at all. You`re stupid, stupid to believe murder was your only way out of marriage." And she went on and on, giving a very, very articulate statement.

GRACE: You know, I`ve been looking at some statistics, Jim Anderson. On California death row, there are 641 people. California has 20 percent, 20 percent of the entire country`s death row, 1 percent of the entire country`s execution. 149 inmates have no lawyers appointed by the judge. 115 death row inmates have no attorney at all. Is that why it takes so long, an average of about 17 years, for the death penalty to be implemented in your state?

ANDERSON: Well, you know, Nancy, the Supreme Court appoints the attorneys to do the appeal for the automatic appeal. So the trial court is out of it once that thing occurs. But, you know, 17 years, you know, you`re talking about one thing that we have out here and the other eight western states that the rest of the country doesn`t have. And we have the infamous Ninth -- I`m going to call it the "circus court of appeals," because those clowns up there on the Ninth Circuit absolutely are a dead bolt to the door to the gas chamber.

GRACE: Oh, you can tell that again.

ANDERSON: Absolutely agenda-driven. They`re agenda-driven.

GRACE: You can tell that again, brother, because the Ninth Circuit is the court, Jim, that actually said it was -- that you could stop kids from saying the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools because it had the words "under God" in it. That`s the Ninth Circuit that will ultimately get their mitts on the Scott Peterson case. Take a listen to what one of the jurors had to say.

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NICE: He is a jerk. And I have one comment for Scott. You look somebody in the face when they`re talking to you.

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GRACE: That was a juror that many people named Strawberry Shortcake because of her vibrant red hair.

Let me ask you, Beth Karas, how many of the jurors came to the courtroom today?

KARAS: Well, 13 jurors were there. Some were alternates. One was a dismissed juror. She was the original number 7, an Asian woman, who was dismissed during deliberations. Juror Number 8 was not there, the Teamster wasn`t there, nor was the second Juror Number 5, the doctor-lawyer, who was dismissed also during deliberations. So there were, I think, 13. They sat in the jury box, there were so few seats in the courtroom. All the seats were taken. It was standing-room only. Jurors went back to their own seats.

GRACE: You know, Jeff Gardere, psychologist is with us, Jeff, already we know that Peterson has gotten hundreds and hundreds of love letters behind bars. His family, obviously, at least the parents, not all the family, firmly believe he`s not guilty. Peterson didn`t take the stand but has always avowed his innocence. How do people brainwash themselves?

GARDERE: It`s about that process of denial that I talked about earlier. And I think that, when we look at the way that Scott was raised, he was raised in supposedly a good home. He had the best of everything. How did he develop into this kind of a monster?

And your other question, how do people then fall in love with that monster and then protect him? How do women fall in love with him? How did Laci fall in love with this person who turned out to be this horrific person? I think the answer to that is that it`s not just about the denial. It is just about the fact that we want to see the best out of everyone.

And sometimes we`ll buy that pretty smile or we`ll buy that nice demeanor or the kindness, but there`s so much that is beyond what we see as just part of that surface. And I think that`s what the parents missed. And I think that`s what Laci`s parents missed, though they knew there was something wrong. Dennis Rocha himself even said, "I never liked you."

The signals were there. The red flags were there. But people skipped over them because this was a good-looking guy and that`s what America seems to like.

GRACE: Very quickly to Chris Pixley, Chris, are you signed up to star in Geragos` reality show, "Extreme Justice"? Are you going to be on that?

PIXLEY: No, Nancy. I`m not going to be on any reality television shows.

GRACE: Are you sure? Wait, wait, wait. Look at the camera and tell me: Are you going to be on Geragos` reality show? Geragos is going into the television business. Go ahead, Chris.

PIXLEY: Yes, that`s a decided no, Nancy.

But I do want to say something to Dr. Gardere, if I can. You know, there are still people out there that support Scott Peterson. And I think it may not have anything to do with any pathology or any problem that they have.

It may have something to do with the fact that the certainty we strive to find before we go about convicting someone was just wholly lacking in this case. And what we did is we substituted our dislike for this man in the place of the evidence that we never found.

I think that there are a lot of people out there who may not like Scott Peterson, but who nonetheless believe that this case was lacking in the necessary evidence to not only convict the man, but to sentence him to death. And when you see that absolute disdain from those jurors, I think that that is actually a problem. It`s wrong.

GRACE: Chris, Chris? Just one last question before we go to break. Can you give me right now one reasonable explanation why their bodies turned up where he was fishing the day they went missing?

PIXLEY: Well, they didn`t turn up the day that he went fishing.

GRACE: No, no. Just give me an explanation.

PIXLEY: Nancy, all I would say is I`d compared it to the Robert Blake case. You just said there`s no explanation for who else would be the shooter here. Who else would have done this in a short period of time? The man has been acquitted. And I don`t see any difference between that case and the Scott Peterson case.

GRACE: OK, I was look for an answer. I`m going to give you a commercial break, Chris, to come up with who done it.

OK, you know what? We are switching gears. We`re going to break. We`re keeping our panel. And we`re going to bring you the latest on what is become of Jessie Lunsford, the little nine-year-old girl out of Florida. We take you live trying to find some answers.

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MIKE BELMESSIERI, SCOTT PETERSON JUROR: No, I`m not a judge. I`m not an attorney. I`m just a citizen like the rest of you. I had a horrific responsibility. I think what the judge did today clearly, clearly says that we did the right thing in our work as -- was for the right. We did everything right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUTH LUNSFORD, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Well, I think anybody under these circumstances would have the thought, "Who could this be? Why would they do this? Where is she? What are they doing to her?" All these kind of questions you`d be apt to have in your mind. But I know we can get through it. And I know we can -- God can perform miracles. And I know our law enforcement is behind us 100 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Nine-year-old Jessie Lunsford vanished from her own bedroom three weeks ago with nothing but a little stuffed animal with her.

Today, Florida detectives want to interview John Evander Couey, John Evander Couey. He is a registered sex offender. He lived about two miles from Jessie`s home. Police want to interview him. But Couey is gone. He`s no longer at the registered address and he has not given a new one.

Authorities are asking for your help. Take a look.

Tonight, from Homosassa Springs, Jessie`s grandparents are with us, Archie and Ruth Lunsford. But first, to Florida and CNN`s John Zarrella.

John, what can you tell us tonight?

JOHN ZARELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nancy, what we can tell you is that police, as you say, he is a registered sex offender. Going back to a 1991 case in Kissimmee, Florida, where this gentleman apparently was involved in fondling a young person under 16 years of age. That`s where it comes from, back in 1991.

Now, police are also saying here today at a news conference that the individual they are looking for apparently got a bus ticket from a relative who lived, as police say, within eye shot of the Lunsford home. And the bus ticket was in someone else`s name.

So they believe, because of that, that he is on the run and that they believe he is in Savannah, Georgia. Now, police in Savannah, Georgia, notified by the Citrus County police, found Couey at a Salvation Army shelter. They talked with Couey but they later released him. They could not hold him.

He was wanted in Florida on a warrant because he violated the terms of his probation, did not show up for a visit with his probation officer, but because it was a geographic warrant, they could not hold him in Savannah on that warrant. And now, they are again, including Citrus County authorities, who are in Savannah, again out looking for Couey. But they cannot find him.

Citrus County police also told us today that they did look at the house. They`re at the house he was staying at. And they did take some items from that house of interest.

But, Nancy, these items were not items that belonged to Jessica -- Nancy?

GRACE: Let me ask you another question very quickly, John Zarrella, CNN reporter. John, you said he got a bus ticket, he left town, got the ticket in somebody else`s name. When was that in relation to Jessie`s disappearance?

ZARRELLA: It was after Jessie`s disappearance, within a week or two after Jessie`s disappearance, that he got that bus ticket and left the area, apparently police saying because he knew that they were looking for him.

GRACE: That they were looking for him. He only lived about a mile away from the house about. How could they not know where he was? Did this guy just slip through their fingers?

ZARRELLA: If that. He did not -- well, police are saying that at this particular point in time, they had leads. They finally went back. They talked to the family members. It was a convoluted process that finally led them to where he was staying and to him. And it didn`t happen immediately. And by the time they got there, he had gone to Savannah.

GRACE: Let me go to Archie and Ruth Lunsford. They are Jessica`s grandparents.

To both of you, thank you for being with us tonight. So many people have been thinking of you, have been praying for you, and for little Jessie.

To you, Archie Lunsford, you have really paid a price because of this. Your former criminal record has been thrown over every airwave. You two have been subjected to polygraphs. How are you doing tonight, Archie?

ARCHIE LUNSFORD, GRANDFATHER OF MISSING GIRL: Outside of just being tired, I`m OK. And this gentleman they`re talking about, that he lived about 200 feet here from where we`re standing, not a mile. He lived about 200 feet. I can look out my front door and see that gentleman`s house.

GRACE: Archie, did you know he was a sex offender?

A. LUNSFORD: I didn`t even know he existed until today. I have never saw him before. And I didn`t even know he was around.

GRACE: Mrs. Lunsford, Ruth Lunsford, how are you doing tonight?

RUTH LUNSFORD, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Oh, I`m holding on to my faith, and hoping and praying that we can get Jessie back.

GRACE: What can you tell us...

R. LUNSFORD: I`d like to set...

GRACE: What?

R. LUNSFORD: I`d like to set something else straight that you said just a minute ago.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am.

R. LUNSFORD: Archie does not have a criminal record.

GRACE: Well, I`m glad you set that straight because you, too, have been through so much. First, Jessie goes missing. Then you come under attack. You have to take polygraphs and all the while trying to find Jessie.

So ma`am, I appreciate you clarifying that tonight. Thank you. I don`t want you two to suffer anymore that you already have.

Let me ask you, Ruth, could you just tell me something about Jessie? So many people want to know about her. What can you tell me about Jessie?

R. LUNSFORD: Jessie has always been a very happy child. She likes to put on little shows. She had one planned for the 15th of March at school, a variety show. She loved to go to church. We went shopping a lot. Everywhere I went, Jessie went, as long as she wasn`t in school. And she was just happy.

GRACE: You know, Archie and Ruth Lunsford, we`re going to break. But as soon as I saw your pictures -- my grandmother helped to raise me. And I know this must be a horrible time for you. And our heart goes out to you.

With us tonight, Archie and Ruth Lunsford. Quick break.

As we go to break, the city of Atlanta, the law enforcement community and the nation still grieve after Friday`s deadly shootings in the Atlanta Fulton County courthouse. Today, the funeral of Julie Brandau, slain court reporter gunned down in the attack.

Brian Nichols overpowered a courthouse deputy on video, stole her gun and fatally shot Julie, Judge Rowland Barnes, Deputy Teasley and federal agent Wilhelm. Tonight, we wait for the announcement from the Atlanta Fulton County D.A.`s office as to whether the death penalty will be sought.

Local news for some of you next, but we`ll be right back. And remember, live coverage of Michael Jackson case tomorrow 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern, Court TV. Stay with us.

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GRACE: We want desperately to help find missing people. Tonight, take a look at nine-year-old Benjamin Sanchez from Concord, North Carolina, missing since December 1999. Take a look. If you have any information on Benjamin Sanchez, please call the NCMEC, Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-THE-LOST. Please help us.

What a week in America`s courtrooms. Tonight, the best and the worst out of our system. We`ve seen two stunning not guilty verdicts in the Miss Savannah case and the Robert Blake murder case. We have seen a formal death penalty sentence go down in California and the funerals of slain court officers gunned down in the courtroom.

Tonight, the search goes on for little Jessie Lunsford.

I want to thank all of my guests tonight. Jim Anderson, Chris Pixley, Daniel Horowitz, Jeff Gardere, Beth Karas, John Zarrella, and last, Archie and Ruth Lunsford.

Our prayers are with you, Archie and Ruth.

My biggest thank you, as always, to you for being with us and inviting all of us into your homes.

Coming up, headlines from around the world. I`m Nancy Grace signing off again for tonight. I hope to see you right here tomorrow night, 8 o`clock sharp Eastern.

As we say goodnight, let`s go out with a shot of Jessie`s bedroom, where she should be sleeping right now. This would be her bedtime. After three long weeks, Jessie Lunsford, still missing. Her bedside light is still on, waiting for her to come home. Good night, friend.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I`m Erica Hill with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Young Rilya Wilson`s body has never been found. Now her caregiver, Geralyn Graham, he`s charged with her murder. Wilson was in foster care in Florida when the Department of Children and Family lost track of her. If convicted, Graham could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Police in Florida wanted to question a convicted sex offender in the case of Jessica Lunsford. The nine-year-old girl disappeared from her bedroom three weeks ago today. Police are not calling John Evander Couey a suspect, but say he was known to be in the area when Lunsford disappeared.

A technical glitch aboard the International Space Station could affect May`s planned shuttle mission. NASA says a circuit breaker failed causing one of the station`s three remaining gyroscopes to shut down. But the station is now operating on the bare minimum of gyroscopes needed to keep it steady.

Those are the headlines. Join Mike Galanos and me for "PRIME NEWS TONIGHT" right after this.

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