REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- When the California double murder trial of Scott Peterson began in June, bets were 3-to-1 in favor of acquittal -- now they are 2-to-3 against.
Head bookie David Carruthers of the Bet On Sports bookmaking company based in Costa Rica told the San Francisco Chronicle the pendulum began to swing away from Peterson when the jury started to hear recorded phone calls of Peterson talking to his girlfriend, Amber Frey.
Carruthers, whose company has taken more than 2,000 bets on the trial, said the betting public did not like it when Peterson told Frey he was in Paris when he actually was in Modesto, Calif., attending a vigil for his wife pregnant wife, Laci, who had disappeared.
"I don't care what happens to Mr. Peterson -- all we're doing is giving the public an opportunity to participate in events," said Carruthers.
With the trial now in the hands of the jury, life in prison is considered more likely than the death penalty, according to bettors. The odds are 2-to-3 in favor of life imprisonment for Peterson and 6-to-5 in favor of death.
