Peterson Decision Reached

The jury deciding whether Scott Peterson should be executed or spend life in prison for killing his pregnant wife has reached a verdict. It will be announced at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Last month, the same six men and six women deliberated seven hours before convicting Peterson, reports CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Miller. It has already taken them much longer to determine whether he should die.

The announcement came on the third day of deliberations and shortly after the jury asked the judge to see 13 pieces of evidence, including autopsy photos and aerial pictures of the bay where prosecutors said Peterson dumped the body.

They also asked to see the widely publicized photograph of Laci Peterson wearing a red maternity pantsuit with her hands folded across her lap.

His life is in both the judge and jury's hands, according to CBS News Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen. It is the jury's job to recommend a sentence for Peterson. If the jury recommends a jail sentence for Peterson, the judge cannot sentence death. But if the jury selects the death penalty, the judge can overrule it, although that decision is rarely made.

The timing of this verdict doesn't suggest one result or another and there is no way in advance to tell. These jurors could detest Peterson, and they probably do, and still recommend a life sentence for him instead of the death penalty, says Cohen.

The judge will formally sentence Peterson on Feb. 25.

Defense attorneys called 39 witnesses over seven days in the penalty phase of the trial, including Peterson's mother, who broke down on the stand.

Prosecutors called just four of Laci's family members, all on the first day, Nov. 30.

Peterson, 32, was convicted Nov. 12 of murder in the deaths of Laci and her fetus. Prosecutors say he strangled or smothered his wife on or around Christmas Eve 2002 and dumped the body in San Francisco Bay.

Peterson claims he was fishing alone that day.

The jury began deliberations after hearing a prosecutor call Scott "the worst kind of monster," undeserving of sympathy. Prosecutor Dave Harris pointed at Peterson, who was seated stiffly at the defense table, and urged the jury to sentence him to death. Their vote must be unanimous for Peterson to be executed.

"This is somebody who had everything and threw it away. He had a plan and he executed it," Harris said in his 40-minute closing argument.

Defense lawyer Pat Harris, in his closing argument, later told jurors that Peterson doesn't deserve to die.

"We've tried in the last week to put on people from all walks of life — all types of people who knew Scott," Harris said. "We tried to show you who we believe Scott Peterson is."

Peterson's attorney Mark Geragos begged jurors to spare Peterson s life and end the cycle of violence.

If Peterson is sentenced to life, he will be shipped off to one of eight maximum security prisons. If he is given death, he'll await execution in San Quentin.