Tuesday, December 27, 2022

No Juror Misconduct Warranting New Trial in Scott Peterson Murder Case

 On December 20, 2022, a California judge denied the defendant's habeas corpus petition for a new trial, finding that juror 's responses on her juror (Richelle Nice) questionnaire were "the result of combination of good faith misunderstanding of the questions and sloppiness in answering." Peterson was convicted in 2004 and has had multiple petitions for habeas corpus, the vast majority of which have been denied by the appellate court.  An additional habeas corpus petition is expected after this ruling.  Peterson also alleged the juror was biased against him based on statements made in the deliberation room, ie. "pay for killing the 'Little Man," the victim.  The evidentiary hearing took place in March 2022 with arguments thereafter in August.  This case and others mentioned in this blog show us that legalese such as "lawsuit" is often misunderstood by jurors.  Most would not consider a divorce case or seeking. restraining order a lawsuit in my experience.

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