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(Court TV) — The judge in Scott Peterson's double-murder trial announced Friday that jurors have reached a verdict. Judge Alfred Delucchi said the panel would read its verdict at 1 p.m. PT at the San Mateo County courthouse in Redwood City, Calif. "Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the jury has arrived at a verdict," Delucchi said. "We'll expect a verdict at 1 p.m." Audio of the verdict will be aired live on Court TV and Courttv.com.
Peterson, 33, could face the death penalty if convicted of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. The announcement shocked the courtroom, which was packed with reporters expecting a routine hearing or, at the outside, the removal of another juror. Peterson, dressed in a navy suit, was brought into the courtroom for the hearing, but showed no reaction after the announcement. His high-profile lead attorney, Mark Geragos, was not in court for the announcement. It was unclear whether the Los-Angeles based lawyer would be in court for the verdict. None of the victim's family members, nor relatives of Peterson were in court. All are staying nearby, however, and are expected in court for the verdict. Deliberations began last Thursday, but two juror dismissals since then have delayed the process. On Tuesday, Delucchi dismissed Frances Gorman, Juror No. 7, an electric-company worker, and replaced her with an alternate. Then, on Wednesday, he removed Gregory Jackson, who was Juror No. 5 and the panel's foreman, over the protests of Peterson's attorneys, who tried to persuade the judge in an hour-long closed-door hearing to keep him on the jury. A source told Court TV anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom that Jackson asked to be removed from the case after his fellow jurors said they wanted someone else to lead them. Following Jackson's dismissal, the panel elected as its new foreman Juror No. 6, a firefighter and paramedic. According to media coordinator Peter Shaplen, the panel's current 12 members deliberated for 8.5 hours. | 
