Scott Peterson Juror: I Didn't Lie to Get on Jury

Scott Peterson is pinning his hopes for a new trial in the 2002 murders of his pregnant wife and unborn son on "Strawberry Shortcake," the juror who was given that name due to the appearance of her hair during the trial. The Mercury News reports on the testimony given by Richelle Nice, on Monday, flagging a standout exchange related to the assertion by Peterson's lawyers that she lied about her history with domestic violence to get on the jury in order to be able to vote to convict Peterson. She testified that when filling out a jury questionnaire, "honestly and truly, nothing of this ever crossed my mind." The "this" she was referring to was having a boyfriend who had been convicted of battery and securing a restraining order against his ex-girlfriend after she kicked in Nice's front door.

She said she was not a victim of domestic violence, testifying Monday that she was actually the one who struck her boyfriend, "I believe in his face somewhere," after they found about infidelity. She described their relationship as "complicated" and said she was unaware he had pleaded guilty to an abuse charge. Stanislaus County prosecutor David Harris tried to further undermine the argument put forth of Peterson's team by arguing that the judge originally dismissed Nice over the limited wages her employer was willing to pay during the trial, and but that Peterson’s original lead attorney pulled her back despite her edgy appearance and knowledge that she had a brother in prison.

The AP's takeaway: That lawyers weren't able to "shake" Nice. The AP explains Peterson's lawyers have a two-fold job: First proving to California Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo that Nice lied on that questionnaire to secure a slot on the jury and then convincing Massullo that Nice was biased against Peterson from the get-go and tainted his jury, and as such he didn't get a fair trial. Peterson's lawyers were to spend Tuesday and Wednesday questioning witnesses who they say are able to poke holes in Nice’s answers. (More Scott Peterson stories.)