Next week, Scott Peterson, or his famous attorney Mark Garragos, will plead for mercy, after Peterson was found guilty of murdering his wife and their unborn son on Christmas Eve 2002.
The case has drawn worldwide attention.
When the verdict was announced, crowds cheered much like the days of the Roman Coliseum.
Although the prosecution could not produce any concrete evidence that Peterson had actually committed the crimes, circumstantial evidence was piled deep and proved to the jury ?beyond a reasonable doubt? that the adulterous Peterson was also a murderer.
The world now watches to see how he will be punished. Will it be life in prison or the death penalty for Peterson, who has drawn the ire of both men and women for his heinous crimes?
Perhaps it was photos of Laci Peterson who always seemed to have a permanent smile etched on her face or the fact that Peterson admitted to an affair all the while his wife was expecting the couple?s first child.
Laci Peterson put not only a name but a face on one of this country?s greatest untold problems?spousal abuse, specifically the abuse and in many cases, death of pregnant women.
If you think Laci Peterson is the only American woman who lost her life in 2002 at the hands of a spouse or lover, think again. Statistics show that four women are killed each day across the USA by their significant other. That?s about 1,400 per year and that statistic isn?t all that accurate since only 17 states actually note whether a woman is pregnant at the time of death.
The other issue is proving that the victim was actually murdered.
But in reality, the leading cause of death among pregnant women is homicide.
Domestic abuse is a shameful fact of life in America, violence being used as an act of power over women.
For many men, a significant other?s pregnancy means a distinct change in lifestyle or responsibility levels for which they aren?t prepared. Instead of living up to their responsibilities, they act out through violence, often resulting in homicide.
In Maryland, a 2001 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that of 247 deaths of pregnant women, 50 were attributed to homicide. Comparatively, homicide was the fifth-leading cause of death among all women in the state.
But Maryland isn?t the only state with such statistics. In Cook County, Ill. (home to Chicago), some 26 percent of 95 deaths of pregnant women were attributed to murder. In New York, some 25 percent of almost 300 deaths among pregnant women were due to homicide.
Their attackers run across all race and social classes, statistics show. It is not confined to the lower socio-economic classes.
Scott Peterson has been branded as evil by millions who have followed this high-profile case, but there are thousands of other men just like him walking around free in neighborhoods across the country.
If we learn anything from this case it?s that spousal abuse is a serious crime that should not be ignored.
Since Scott Peterson?s judgment was based entirely on circumstantial evidence, he should face life in prison without parole rather than the death sentence. There is at least a minute chance that he is innocent of the crimes charged against him.
State by state, better programs must be enacted that deal with spousal abuse issues and those who perpetuate violence on women.
As families, we must teach our daughters that violence and abuse cannot be tolerated at any level. We must teach our sons that real mean don?t hit the ones they love, they lead their families through troubled waters.
As communities we must support shelters and programs that aid battered women and as a nation we must enforce laws that punish abusers.
Laci Peterson and her unborn son died tragic deaths, but perhaps by putting faces and names on this silent crime, other potential victims may be saved.