With three jurors down, another set to leave for back surgery if a verdict is not reached by Friday, and just three alternates left to pick from, the Scott Peterson jury may look like a game of duck-duck-goose. But history shows that jury panels have endured greater challenges.

O.J. Simpson

Peterson jurors have endured eight days of sequestration so far, but the jurors in the O.J. Simpson trial were sequestered every day for nearly nine months.

About four months into the trial, juror Tracy Hampton told Judge Lance Ito, "I can't take it anymore." The stress apparently sent the twentysomething TWA flight attendant off the deep end as she was briefly hospitalized the day after her release from the jury.

But Hampton assured the world of her full recovery when she appeared nude in Playboy magazine in March 1996, telling reporters that her life was "pretty much back to normal."

Margaret Rudin

In 2001, jurors found Las Vegas socialite Margaret Rudin guilty of the 1994 murder of her millionaire husband, but it took five contentious days of deliberations and the backing down of a holdout juror who almost caused a mistrial.

Juror No. 11, described as an attractive middle-aged brunette, cried and mouthed, "I'm sorry," to Rudin as the verdict was read. In fact, jurors later told reporters that the panel had a practice reading of the verdict behind closed doors because they were afraid she would renege.

During deliberations, the foreman sent a note to the judge claiming that Juror No. 11 refused to listen to others, "glared" at him when he asked for her thoughts, was overly concerned about the defendant's welfare, reneged on a guilty vote, and may have concealed parts of her background during jury selection. "Juror No. 11 isn't thinking clearly, rationally or logically. Please help!" he wrote.

She was also admonished by the judge for calling an alternate juror at home to discuss the case, and prosecutors said they believed that she spoke to a relative about deliberations and that someone in her family had posted the information on Court TV's message boards.

Despite the prosecution's calls to have her dismissed and the defense's motions for a mistrial, Judge Joseph Bonaventure kept Juror No. 11 on the case. The next day she reluctantly capitulated to a guilty verdict.

Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish

In the same courtroom one year earlier, accused lovers Sandra Murphy and Rick Tabish were found guilty of murdering Murphy's casino tycoon boyfriend Ted Binion. But shortly after, the panel was subpoenaed for alleged misconduct after Juror No. 10 had a change of heart and told the defense that the panel initially voted 7-5 for acquittal, but changed their votes after they were exposed to "fugitive documents" not in evidence.

Sandy Murphy with Ted Binion

Among the allegations jurors had to defend themselves against were claims that Juror No. 12 shared lists of the witnesses, wrote up charges and instructions himself, and was also seen using his Palm Pilot, possibly to check news updates; that juror No. 7 prepared a timeline for the others; and that Juror No. 6 was posting comments about the trial on Courttv.com message boards after it ended.

A retrial request was denied. However, an appeals court later ruled the couple did not get a fair trial based on statements made by a witness. Murphy and Tabish are currently being retried for Binion's murder.

Tyco

After six months of testimony and 11 days of deliberations, the grand-larceny trial of two former Tyco executives, Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, ended in mistrial earlier this year because of a juror fiasco with the press.

During heated deliberations, Juror No. 4 allegedly flashed an "OK" signal to the defense, prompting the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal to publish her name. A mistrial was called when the controversial juror reported to the judge that she had received threatening mail.

The Tyco jury was bitterly divided, according to notes sent to the judge. One read that the "atmosphere in the jury room has turned poisonous." But they seemed to be making headway before the mistrial was called.

Kozlowski and Swartz are awaiting retrial on conspiracy, grand larceny and securities fraud charges.

Dionne Baugh

Last fall, the judge presiding over the retrial of a Georgia woman accused of brutally beating her millionaire lover to death surprised attorneys by excusing a juror whom he deemed "not forthright" about his background.

After 14 hours of deliberation, a juror who was attentive and took notes during testimony was dismissed by Judge Jerry Baxter for his possibly disruptive intentions. According to reports, a foreman told the judge that the juror was "overzealous," an investigator with the District Attorney's office identified the juror as a volunteer in the DA's re-election bid three years earlier, and a deputy reported that the juror asked when he could start giving interviews to the press.

Dionne Baugh

Defendant Dionne Baugh seemed upbeat during her trial, but she audibly wept when the juror — who seemed sympathetic to the defense — was dismissed. The jurors, however, remained hopelessly deadlocked and a mistrial was declared.

Baugh avoided a third trial this year when she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for beating Lance Herndon to death in 1996. She began serving her 10-year sentence on Oct. 6.