REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's brother, sisters-in-law and former schoolmates took the stand in the penalty phase of his capital trial Thursday and urged jurors not to sentence him to death for the murders of his pregnant wife and unborn son.

"I would be devastated. I can't even imagine. I'd be wrecked," said his half-brother, John.

Staring toward the defense table, he added, "My little brother, I love him."

Another witness, Aaron Fritz, a friend of Peterson since high school, said a verdict of death "would be a horrendous tragedy. It would be a terrible loss of a friend, of a brother figure in my life."

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The men and four other witnesses who testified in quick succession Thursday described Peterson as a sensitive, compassionate family man, a portrait in marked contrast to the image drawn by prosecutors of a selfish, unfaithful liar who killed his wife, Laci, because he wanted a freewheeling bachelor life.

The relatives showed jurors a dozen photos of happy family gatherings. In many of them, Peterson was seen smiling broadly as he hugged his nieces and nephews.

The defense appeared to emphasize Peterson's devotion to his nieces and nephews to combat the prosecution's claim that dread of impending fatherhood led the Modesto fertilizer salesman to kill his pregnant wife.

John Peterson recalled how his brother rejoiced in the birth of his niece, driving hundreds of miles to his home to give the infant a stuffed Winnie the Pooh and his father a Cuban cigar.

"He put a lot of thought into gifts, into everything he did," he said.

A middle school friend, Britton Scheibe, said that, although he lost touch with Peterson, he had lasting memories of him as a respectful, mature boy. "Of all the people I grew up with and knew, he would be the absolute last person I would ever expect to be accused of something like this," Scheibe said.

He displayed a page from his eighth-grade yearbook showing that Peterson had been voted "friendliest" in his class.

"I don't believe he deserves to be executed," he said.

As he did Wednesday, the first day of the defense case, prosecutor Dave Harris opted not to cross-examine the witnesses about their glowing accounts of Peterson and his family.

In deciding his fate, the jurors are to weigh aggravating factors, such as the nature of the murders and their impact on Laci Peterson's family, against mitigating factors, such as the defendant's past good deeds.

Fritz told jurors that, during high school in San Diego, Peterson volunteered in an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, and was a member of Students Against Drunk Driving.

"He was not just courteous, but generous and compassionate certainly beyond his years," Fritz said. "He is the kind of person I would try to emulate." He said that, when confronted with a difficult situation, he would think about how Peterson might handle it.

As in testimony Tuesday, defense lawyers Pat Harris and Mark Geragos focused as much on the positive qualities of Peterson's parents and siblings as they did on Peterson.

Witness Joan Pernicano, a former San Diego neighbor of the family, spoke mainly about her loving relationship with Jackie Peterson and the effect a death sentence would have on her.

"I have thought about this and I can't even — words and clichés aren't strong enough to tell you," she said.

Janey Peterson, who has accompanied her in-laws to court nearly every day of the six-month trial, said that, since Peterson's arrest, no one in the family has been able to touch or hug him. She said that, when his relatives receive a letter from him, they "hide" and slowly pore over it.

"We keep them close to our heart because that's all we have right now," she said. Peterson stared down at the defense table as she wiped away tears.

Laci Peterson was pictured in many of the photos displayed for jurors. Pictures from the couple's 1997 wedding showed only Peterson and the child attendants, but both sisters-in-law mentioned Laci as they testified.

Alison Peterson said the pair seemed devoted to each other. "They were always holding hands or hugging, very happy together," she said.

With her voice cracking, Janey Peterson called the 27-year-old "a wonderful woman" and said that the first time they met, "She took my breath away. She was just bubbly and fun and energetic and beautiful. I couldn't use enough words to describe her."

She said a death sentence would be a third loss for the family, referring to the deaths of Laci and the child the couple planned to name Conner.

"I think the one thing we learned in all of this is how important life is. I think every one of us would give up everything we have, whether it's money or homes, every stitch of clothing, because that's how important life is," she said.

In the jury box, the six women and six men appeared attentive, but unemotional, as they listened to the defense witnesses. A few chuckled at John Peterson's memories of a childhood clubhouse, but few took notes and some stared at their laps.

Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, sat in the front row with her son, Brent, for much of the testimony. She displayed no emotion as the witnesses pleaded with jurors to spare her former son-in-law's life and left before testimony had concluded for the day.

Judge Alfred Delucchi told the jury to expect testimony to continue into next Tuesday. When they begin deliberating, the panelists will be sequestered.