The bodies were so badly decomposed that the coroner could not determine the cause of death.
Peterson was arrested days later just north of the Mexican border. His hair and goatee had been dyed blond. He was carrying nearly $15,000 in cash.
Gloria Allred, an attorney for Amber Frey, Peterson's admitted mistress, leaves the Redwood City, Calif., courthouse yesterday after Peterson was found guilty of murdering his wife and unborn son.
(Pool Photo David Paul Morris)
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More than 800 reporters were credentialed to cover the trial, which began with jury selection in February. Court TV preempted regular programming to provide nonstop coverage of closing arguments and the verdict -- a first for the network in a case without cameras in the courtroom. Tabloid and national entertainment magazines have seen huge increases in copies sold when stories on the Peterson case were featured.
The days since closing arguments last week had provided even more drama for court watchers. On Tuesday, a woman was removed from the jury for reportedly conducting independent research on the case. On Wednesday, Judge Alfred A. Delucchi removed the foreman, a doctor and lawyer who kept more than a dozen notebooks of observations throughout the trial. The reason for his dismissal has not been made public.
Meanwhile, a circus atmosphere took hold outside the small-town courthouse, as hundreds of people obsessed with the trial arrived. A replica of Peterson's boat, left in a nearby parking lot by defense attorney Mark Geragos, turned into a makeshift shrine where visitors left candles and letters for Laci.
Throngs of people rushed to the courthouse as word that a verdict had been reached spread through the town. Customers of one grocery store down the street from the courthouse spread the news to clerks and bag boys. Bank employees asked to close up shop for just a moment to hear the verdict read.
"I wasn't this nervous for my first grandchild," one courthouse employee said.
Helicopters hovered overhead as television satellite trucks crammed the courthouse parking lot. Hundreds of reporters milled around the courtyard to catch a glimpse of the families arriving.
"We didn't expect this today, did we?" said Evelyn Winnegar, 64, a retired secretary from Redwood City who waited for the courtroom seat she had won in a public lottery. "I was getting so worried about a hung jury, I thought we were going to have to go through this all over again."
As she waited, Winnegar pointed out the key courtroom players to others in line, referring to them by first name, as though they were neighbors.
Peterson arrived in a blue suit and salmon-colored tie, seemingly in a good mood. He smiled and spoke animatedly to the court staff and his lawyers, then mouthed a greeting to his family in the front row. His mother, Jackie, entered the room smiling, as well.
Geragos was not present, apparently having been detained out of town on other business on a day no verdict was expected.
As the verdict was read, loud gasps pierced the courtroom. Peterson and his mother, though, showed blank faces. On the other side of the room, Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, burst into loud sobs. Her brother, Brent, nodded his head and wiped tears from his face.
Prosecutors Rick Distaso and Birgit Fladager left the courtroom to applause from people gathered in the hallway after Delucchi thanked the six-man, six-woman jury for their service.
Argetsinger reported from Los Angeles.
