Transcript: Peterson Jury Foreman Speaks

This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," December 13, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.

Watch "On the Record" every weeknight at 10 p.m. ET!

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Joining us on the phone is the [Peterson] jury foreman, Steve Cardosi.

Steve, I know from the press conference earlier today this was a very tough job for you and the rest of the jurors. Why, though, did you vote for death? What was it that made you decide that that was the appropriate punishment?

STEPHEN CARDOSI, PETERSON JURY FOREMAN: I can only speak for me, so I'm not speaking for anybody else. But for me, it's the extreme personal nature of the crime itself. This wasn't a random act of violence, as if that wouldn't be bad enough. But this is his wife, who was pregnant with his only child. And I can't think of anything that would be worse.

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of Scott Peterson's presentation in the courtroom — I mean, you sat about 10 or 15 feet from him for almost six months. How do you describe his attitude?

CARDOSI: I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but he lacked emotion, it seemed, on any remorseful type of emotion, you know, sympathy. He did show anger if he got frustrated — and like I said before, that is understandable to me. But you know, this was his wife and child. And I could never see that as a possibility, that somebody would be able to just sit there and not show any emotion. I mean, this is the person that he took vows with, the person that he said, "Until death do us part," you know?

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of Jackie Peterson, his mother, and Sharon Rocha, Laci's mother — both testified at the sentencing hearing — what impact did that have on your decision?

CARDOSI: Well, like I said before, sympathy for the defendant's family, we were instructed that it could not weigh in coming to our decision. But now that the process is over, my heart goes out to both of them. Sharon Rocha has had a tremendous loss. And you know, Jackie Peterson, she's been there, too. I mean, in my opinion, I believe both of them loved Laci very much, and unfortunately, Scott Peterson took Laci and Conner away from both of them.

VAN SUSTEREN: Steve, let's go back to the beginning of this case. Prior to sitting on the jury panel, how much did you even know about the murder?

CARDOSI: I knew that there was a person named Laci Peterson that was missing. And I knew that her body was found. And I knew that her husband's name was Scott, and I knew that he had been arrested. Other than that, I really didn't follow it.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did the job turn out to be tougher for you personally than you anticipated, or just about what you expected when you were selected?

CARDOSI: I don't think you can put into words how difficult it is. It seems very, very easy when you're standing on the outside, "Oh, juries, and this and that." It's a very difficult process. This case being as long as it is, is very difficult for every juror, your families, everything else. You know, most people go to work, they come home from work and they talk about what their day was like. We obviously couldn't do that. We'd come home and you know, you'd talk about the weather...

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of the presentation, would you have liked to have heard from Scott Peterson himself on the guilt phase?

CARDOSI: I personally would have liked to, but I absolutely understand, you know, the logic that he can't go up there and confess. That would ruin his shot at appeal. I mean, I understand the whole process. I understand why he didn't. I personally would have liked to hear him speak. I would have liked to see what he had to say. Though if he got up there and lied to our face, it could have been even worse...

VAN SUSTEREN: What was the impact of Amber Frey's testimony on your decision?

CARDOSI: I was in absolute disbelief — like I said, I hadn't followed this. I didn't know anything about it. And I was in absolute disbelief that a man who'd just lost his wife and his baby could be romancing somebody throughout the whole process. You know, if he hadn't have done that and somebody else had did that and somebody else abducted Laci — I don't believe that there's any other possibility. He was romancing his girlfriend. And like I said before, is I also don't believe that Amber Frey had anything to do with it. And you know, she's another victim in this.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Steve. Thank you very much. I know you and your colleagues worked very hard on this case for six months. Thank you, Steve.

Content and Programming Copyright 2004 FOX News Network, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2004 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network, L.L.C.'s and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.