After a brief delay this morning, the penalty phase of Scott Peterson´s murder trial is finally underway.
The same jurors who convicted Peterson for murdering his pregnant wife and the fetus she carried will recommend whether to sentence him to life in prison or death.
The judge will then issue the final sentence.
Earlier today, the prosecution and defense teams met with the judge behind closed doors.
A defense source tells The Associated Press the court had subpoenaed a local bartender who claimed to have heard at least one juror discussing the case in his bar.
The source did not say when the alleged discussion took place or how many jurors were involved.
Jurors are not allowed to discuss the case outside of the jury room.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 4:41 pm