Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, in 2004. His appeals for the death penalty were overturned in favor of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Now, Peterson’s latest appeal, backed by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, suggests there is previously untested DNA evidence that could potentially prove someone else may have committed the crime.
However, prosecutors argue that the case against Peterson is “overwhelming,” citing his repeated lies to detectives, his mistress, and the media. They highlight the boat trip on San Francisco Bay he took on the day his wife vanished, providing evidence such as a police K-9 picking up her scent at a boat ramp and her hair being found on a pair of pliers recovered from his boat. The autopsy also suggested that her remains had been weighted down, leading prosecutors to believe Peterson made multiple homemade anchors using concrete and rebar.
Prosecutors paint Peterson as a charming but manipulative individual who engaged in an affair with a woman named Amber Frey. They present a web of lies Peterson told before his wife’s remains were found, including claims to his wife’s friend that she had already passed away before she actually did. Peterson also made contradictory statements to police, such as claiming his wife went grocery shopping on the morning she disappeared, despite receipts found in her purse showing she had gone the day before.
On Christmas Eve in 2002, Laci Peterson vanished, sparking a massive search effort. Photos included in the prosecutors’ filing show Scott Peterson smiling at a New Year’s Eve vigil for his missing wife. Days later, the decomposed bodies of Laci and Conner washed ashore without certain body parts. The forensic pathologist concluded that her body had been broken apart by the marine environment, and she was still pregnant at the time of death. Despite Peterson’s claims of innocence, jurors found him guilty of first- and second-degree murder in 2004.
Peterson’s lawyers are now pushing for new DNA testing on items linked to a burglary near the Peterson family home, as well as on a stained mattress found nearby. Peterson, who remains adamant about his innocence, is currently serving a life sentence in prison. A hearing on the DNA dispute is scheduled for May 29th.
