6:12 p.m. PT

The first words from a dismissed Peterson juror become a matter of public record. Frances Gorman, formerly known as Juror No. 7 until Tuesday's dismissal, spoke to a local ABC reporter from KGO in San Francisco. Gorman said she agreed with the jury's guilty verdict, and admitted to the independent research that got her discharged in the first place: "I did check something that I had a knee-jerk reaction about," she said. "And it confirmed my thinking about whether something that I heard was correct or not. But it really didn't affect the outcome." —Bryan Lavietes

4:07 p.m.

Although they are no longer directly connected to the case, the two jurors dismissed this week are still under a gag order until the conclusion of the penalty phase, the judge ruled. Interviews with all jurors are expected to be highly sought after by every TV network, but don't expect any immediate financial windfall for the panel. Judge Delucchi intends to advise the jurors of a California statute that prohibits jurors from accepting any sort of compensation for "supplying any information concerning the trial" for 90 days after their jury service ends. For the record, this includes limo rides, gift baskets, clothing, and airfare and hotel accommodations. Network bookers will have to rely on guile and smooth talk, but that's what they do. —Bryan Lavietes

3:00 p.m.

Media coordinator Peter Shaplen announces the court's official deliberation time: 30 hours total — and 7 hours and 14 minutes for the final sitting panel. —Bryan Lavietes

2:43 p.m.

For the first time in memory, the now-victorious prosecutors exit through the courthouse's front door. They are surrounded by a slew of detectives and deputies to keep away the swarming media. The public crowds around them, clapping and yelling out congratulatory remarks. Cameras catch only a hint of a smile from Birgit Fladager. Rick Distaso remains stoic, until a reporter asks "Can you give us a smile?" And he does. —Bryan Lavietes

2:41 p.m.

The Redwood City Daily News special Peterson Verdict edition has just been released. The headline is simple: "GUILTY." The San Mateo County Times and San Francisco Examiner are also slated to go to press with special editions of their own.—Bryan Lavietes

2:35 p.m.

Det. Al Brocchini, arguably the most controversial witness of the entire trial and the first investigator to interview Peterson, leaves court in the company of Det. Jon Buehler, Amber Frey's police liasion, prosecutor Rick Distaso's wife, Megan, and Chief Deputy District Attorney John Goold. He's the spokesman for the district attorney's office and had to be on hand to make a statement if the verdict was an acquittal or two second-degree convictions. But with the capital conviction, the gag order is still in effect and he has nothing to do. The entire group is smiling from ear to ear. They are clearly delighted.—Harriet Ryan

2:16 p.m.

Accompanied by six sheriff's officers, Sharon Rocha and husband Ron Grantski leave the courthouse. After nearly two years of tears, Laci Peterson's mother is smiling. —Harriet Ryan

2:09 p.m.

Stanislaus County District Attorney James Brazelton heads to his car with Kim Peterson, spokeswoman for the Rocha family, and Laci Peterson's aunt and uncle, Gil and Susan Acquino. "We're not done yet," Brazelton says with a grin, referring to the upcoming penalty phase.—Harriet Ryan

2:05 p.m.

Judge Alfred Delucchi, escorted by two sheriff's deputies, walks toward the garage. "Here's a scoop for you," the veteran judge says. He points to his mouth and says, "I broke my tooth eating an apple this morning. I'm going to the dentist's right now."—Harriet Ryan

2:03 p.m.

Sgt. Mike Dowdy of the San Mateo Sheriff's Office walks the length of courthouse steps with a megaphone telling everyone to go home — that there is nothing left to see. No one seems to pay attention at first, but then the crowd starts to thin a bit. —Bryan Lavietes

1:56 p.m.

The dour-looking defense team leaves through an underground parking lot. Mark Geragos' assistant appears to be crying. When asked for a comment, defense lawyer Pat Harris responds that they "are bound by the gag order." —Harriet Ryan

1:39 p.m.

A crowd of at least a dozen clapping citizens send off the jurors as their bus pulls away en route to the hotel. Jurors, due back in court on Nov. 22 for the penalty phase, will no longer be sequestered, but are still under the gag order. —Bryan Lavietes

1:32 p.m.

A hundred or so people line the hall. Gwendolyn Kemple meets Laci's great-aunt, Ruby Golart, in the hall, and they fall into a tearful embrace. The public in hall begins to applaud. Ron Golart, Laci's great-uncle, was with the family in tbe overflow listening room. He said the cheers were so loud there that he thought building would fall down. "The Lord was watching over us today," he said.

Moments earlier, Sharon Rocha and the rest of Laci's family family hustled upstairs past the media throng. "Sharon, Sharon!" they shout. —Harriet Ryan

1:10 p.m.: Scott Peterson found guilty of first-degree murder.

The jurors file into court. Reporters are literally on the edge of their seats trying to read their faces. Only Juror No. 1 — "the coach" — looks at Peterson, and it is more of a glare than a look. The rest keep their eyes focused straight ahead. In the jury box, Juror No. 11 looks at Sharon Rocha and then nods twice.

Clerk Marylin Morton announces the jury's verdict in front of a packed courtroom: guilty of first-degree murder for Laci Peterson, and of second-degree murder for baby Conner. The verdict means Peterson could face the death penalty. The jury is polled following the announcement.

Sharon Rocha's mouth falls open. She gasps, leans forward and then begins weeping. Her son, Brent, is sitting bolt upright with tears streaming down his face. Juror No. 10 shoots Scott Peterson a look that sends chills down my spine. She then looks at Sharon Rocha who is now locked in an embrace with her son. They rock back and forth in their front row seats. It is incredibly moving.

Lee Peterson, the defendant's father, was absent from today's proceeding. Jackie Peterson was initially in the courtroom, but moments after her son entered before the verdict was read, she rushed out of the room with a court officer. The judge announces the penalty phase will begin on Nov. 22.

The jury files out of the courtroom. Not one juror looks at Scott Peterson.—Harriet Ryan

1:03 p.m.

Sharon Rocha is already clutching a tissue as the packed courtroom awaits the verdict. Judge Mark Forcum, presiding judge of the courthouse, is here. Prosecutors are standing under a painting of the San Francisco Bay bridge with their arms folded. I'm reminded how in his summation, Distaso urged the jurors to look at all the circumstantial evidence as pieces of a puzzle of the bay bridge. —Harriet Ryan

12:58 p.m.

Four of Laci's friends just sat down in front of me. All four just raced here from Modesto. They are literally huffing and puffing. Seven came, but only four could get into the courtroom. —Beth Karas

12:49 p.m.

Looks like Ron Grantski made it in time, as he enters the courtroom with Det. Al Brocchini and Modesto Police Dept. spokesman Doug Ridenhour. Brazelton enters next. —Harriet Ryan

12:46 p.m.

Laci Peterson's relatives arrive — a dozen people. The entire hall falls to immediate hush. "Do you have tickets?" the bailiff asks. Lt. Mark Smith jumps in, saying, "They don't all have passes, but I'll vouch for them." They enter.

The Peterson family (pictured) arrives within seconds, and are ushered into a conference room. —Harriet Ryan

12:41 p.m.

Playing the waiting game in the hall outside the courtroom, the press corps turns to navel gazing. "Were we always wrong about Juror No. 6? Is he prosecution after all?" On the bright side, this is a key spot for sightings of players in the case. Defense lawyer Pat Harris just arrived. Minutes ago, D.A. investigator Kevin Bertalotto passed by in the hall. "Ready or not," he said.—Harriet Ryan

12:33 p.m.

An official from the Sheriff's Department tells me Ron Grantski, Laci's stepfather, was in Modesto when the verdict was reached and is now driving fast as hell to get here. He has no police escort, our source says. Let's hope Grantski doesn't get another ticket. —Bryan Lavietes

12:15 p.m.

With 45 minutes to go until the verdict is announced, Laci Peterson's aunt says tearfully, "It's all going to be over soon." Meanwhile, helicopters hover over courthouse. —Harriet Ryan

12:05 p.m.

There are already 15 people — mostly reporters — in line to get in to the courtroom. Who is first? Duh. Court TV's Nancy Grace. Nice work, pretty lady. —Harriet Ryan

11:21 a.m.: The jury has reached a verdict.

The courtroom was packed with reporters expecting a routine hearing or, at the outside, the removal of another juror. Judge Alfred Delucchi took the bench at 11:20 and spent the first minute addressing minor housekeeping matters: sealing certain exhibits and certifying the transcripts. The judge, a veteran of 23 capital cases, then looked up from his desk toward the press corps and made the announcement we've all been waiting to hear:

"Ladies and gentleman of the media — the jury has arrived at a verdict. One o'clock. We'll expect a verdict at one o'clock."

There was an immediate gasp and then reporters began rushing for the courtroom door. None of the victims family members, nor relatives of Scott Peterson were in court. All are staying nearby, however, and are expected in court for the verdict.

Peterson, dressed in a navy suit, showed no reaction. A moment before Delucchi took the bench, he laughed and smiled with defense attorney Pat Harris. Afterward, he was expressionless as three court officers led out of the courtroom. His high-profile lead attorney, Mark Geragos, was not in court for the announcement. It was unclear whether the Los-Angeles based lawyer would be in court for the verdict or whether his co-counsel, Harris, would stand next to his client when the court clerk reads the verdict. —Harriet Ryan

11:19 a.m.

Scott Peterson is brought into court by three officers.—Harriet Ryan

10:56 a.m.

Prosecutor Rick Distaso exits chambers and walks over to three investigators and District Attorney James Brazelton in the front row of the gallery. "Let's go upstairs," Distaso says, apparently referring to the district attorney's office. They all walk as a group toward door of the courtroom. Lead detective Craig Grogan drops something loud and metallic. "It's only handcuffs," Distaso announces. Everyone laughs. They all leave the courtroom. Prosecutors Birgit Fladager and Dave Harris remain in chambers. —Harriet Ryan

10:42 a.m.

Stanislaus County District Attorney James Brazelton — that's "boss" to the prosecutors — just came to court in a rare appearance. Is something big about to go down? —Harriet Ryan

10:27 a.m.

Prosecutors and defense attorney Pat Harris enter chambers. No sign of Mark Geragos.—Harriet Ryan

10:05 a.m.

For the dozen or so reporters who are anxiously awaiting the jury's verdict in the court's media listening room, the prolonged period of anticipation is clearly taking its toll. One producer for an all-news cable channel remarked a little while ago that she was going to run out for a few moments to retrieve her laptop. Why did she need her computer, the rest of us wondered aloud, since she had earlier proven her proficiency with her wireless BlackBerry, and could clearly send and receive e-mails via that appliance? "I can send e-mails with my BlackBerry," she replied. "But I need my computer to play solitaire." —Michael Christian

9:27 a.m.

What would high-profile trials be these days without the Distasos of Orange County? While prosecutor Rick Distaso (pictured) sweats out a verdict in the Peterson trial, his third cousin is driving around southern California serving subpoenas for Michael Jackson's defense. "I can't say who is getting them, but I'm handing them out," says Stephen Distaso, a paralegal in the office of Jackson attorney Brian Oxman. Steve and Rick aren't particularly close — it's been six years since they last saw each other, but Steve is keeping an eye on his cousin's case in Redwood City as he makes his rounds contacting witnesses. "We're all rooting for Rick," says Steve, who still lives in The O.C. near where his cousin grew up. "We're on his side and we think he's doing a great job." His interest in the outcome of Peterson, however, extends beyond family loyalty. "We're watching it really closely down here to see how it might affect our case," he says. "You have Kobe Bryant and then if Peterson is found not guilty, well, in my opinion, sometimes people get upset and they want blood." Whatever the outcome, it should make for some lively discussions at the next Distaso reunion, right? "Listen, at any Distaso get-together, no matter who is there and what they are working on, theres going to be a lot of debate. When I was married, my wife thought my family hated each other because all we do is fight and argue, and I always told her, 'No! We love each other. Thats just how Italians are,'" he says. —Harriet Ryan

9:24 a.m.

An open court hearing will start at 10:30 a.m., announces media coordinator Peter Shaplen, to "certify the record." Translation: Judge Alfred Delucchi and the lawyers will discuss the court transcripts from previous sessions and correct any mistakes they find.

The last time they scheduled a hearing to certify the record, a juror ended up getting bumped from the panel.—Bryan Lavietes

9:03 a.m.

Court administration announces that San Mateo District Attorney's Office investigator Bill Cody — who raised eyebrows Wednesday after meeting privately with the judge and attorneys in the case — investigated an anonymous tip of juror malfeasance but determined it was baseless. Officials won't elaborate on the accusation. —Harriet Ryan

8:25 a.m.: Jury begins day seven of deliberations.

Deliberations will end at 2 p.m. today instead of 4 p.m., because a juror has personal business.—Bryan Lavietes

8:16 a.m.

Jury bus pulls up to courthouse. The new Juror No. 5 is the first to exit. He looks serious and stares at the ground. Juror No. 11, wearing blue jeans and a matching denim jacket, smiles widely as she walks past a small group of reporters. Has she postponed her surgery? Juror No. 7 — "Strawberry Shortcake" — has her long red locks in ringlets and is wearing a brick-red shirt and matching sneakers. She grins at the court officers. The foreman is last. He's wearing jeans, sneakers and sunglasses. —Harriet Ryan

No deliberations today.

Court officers have not revealed to the media how the sequestered jurors are spending the Veterans Day holiday. We do know there were no excursions last weekend — the jurors remained in their hotel the entire time. This must be especially hard for the new foreman, Juror No. 6, who normally bikes four to five hours a day when he is not working. Earlier this week, exercise videos were provided to jurors who requested them. For those less committed to a healthy lifestyle, there are no court-imposed alcohol restrictions on jurors, but they have to pay for their own cocktails. Incidentally, no juror requested arrangements last weekend to attend religious services. —Bryan Lavietes