Murders committed at sea in United States territorial waters beyond the three mile point fall under federal jurisdiction. The United States Coast Guard is responsible for maritime law enforcement, and a murder committed inside US territorial waters would be investigated by CGIS (Coast Guard Investigative Service) the law enforcement division of the United States Coast Guard.
When the jury reads the verdict they fail to specify whether the defendant was found guilty of first or second degree murder. Part of the jury's job was not only to determine if the defendant was guilty of murder, but also to determine if said murder was premeditated. They need to specify which degree of murder the defendant is guilty of so the judge can give an appropriate sentence. Second degree murder carries a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after a certain time, usually 25 years, though sometimes less. First degree murder in the state of California carries a minimum sentence of life without the possibility of parole, and if the judge feels it is appropriate the death penalty can be given.
When Valerie Roberts was talking to Detectives Winter and Jaruszalski she told them that her father got her a job as an oil driller when she was 19 years old. Yet when she is doing her television interview she says she was 18 when her father got her the job.