Our fucked-up society, part umpty-leben-teen

Speaking of class-F celebrities, remember the Scott Peterson case? If you were one of the hundreds of thousands of jobless, disabled or otherwise unfortunate people who paid attention, you may remember one of the colorful distractions along the way: an alternate juror who became a full jury member during the course of the trial, a mysterious woman who was dubbed Strawberry Shortcake because of her flamboyant appearance, including dyed red hair, huge earrings, and several tattoos.

That eye-catching appearance was not her only bid for attention. The now 36-year-old woman is named Richelle Nice, and it turns out that since Peterson's murder conviction she has been exchanging letters with the former fertilizer salesman.

Nice said she was amazed at the tone of the letter. She said Peterson has been polite and charming, often showering her with compliments. He even commented on her choice of a breast cancer awareness stamp.

Peterson also seems more concerned about how the trial affected her than himself, she said. "He talked a lot about those autopsy photos and how hard that must have been for the jurors to see," Nice said.

In other words, he demonstrated beyond a doubt that he is a charming psychopath. Of course, Nice herself also has a few screws loose. Not only did she initiate the correspondence but she has exchanged "more than two dozen letters" since the mofo was convicted 18 months ago.

The result?

In December, Nice suffered a breakdown and was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, she said. The mother of four boys now lives with her own mother.

Of course, the phenomenon of women becoming pen pals with killers is well known. Peterson himself gets 25 letters from women a day. But I've never heard of a juror doing it with the guy she voted to convict.