LOS ANGELES (Scripps News) — It’s a case that captured the attention of a nation when Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his pregnant wife Laci Peterson, 27, when she was eight months into the pregnancy. And now, after a 2004 murder conviction and years behind bars for Peterson, the Los Angeles Innocence Project has confirmed that they are now investigating the case and seeking new evidence.
This Oct. 21, 2022, photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabiliatation shows Scott Peterson. Peterson has been moved off death row more than two years after the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence for killing his pregnant wife two decades earlier, corrections officials said Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP)
The murder case has seen many twists and turns over the years after the conviction 20 years ago that sent Scott Peterson to prison after Laci Peterson was killed in December 2002, just five years after they were married. Laci was due to deliver her baby in February 2003.
The LA Innocence Project, which is independent of the well-known Innocence Project, said in a statement to Scripps News, “LAIP represents Scott Peterson and is investigating his claim of actual innocence. We have no further comment at this time.”
LAIP said court motions will be publicly available through the Superior Court of California “soon.”
In a statement to Court TV, Peterson’s attorney, Pat Harris, said, “We are thrilled to have the incredibly skilled attorneys at the LA Innocence Project and their expertise becoming involved in the efforts to prove Scott’s innocence.”
In April 2023, Peterson filed a petition asking to be put before a judge citing claims of juror misconduct during his trial, and he urged a court to seek “new evidence” in his case to try and prove his innocence, according to court documents.
MORE: Revisiting the Scott Peterson case 20 years later
Court filings reported on by multiple outlets said Peterson is seeking to eventually overturn his conviction.
Scott Peterson, who was 32 at the time, is accused of dumping his wife’s body in Berkeley Marina off of his fishing boat after he killed her at their Modesto, California home on Dec. 23 or early on Dec. 24 of 2002.
L to R: Laci Peterson, Scott Peterson (FILE)
In April 2003, Laci and her baby Conner’s bodies washed up on the shore of San Francisco Bay.
The exact location, time and cause of Laci’s death were never determined.
Peterson’s attorneys argued that Scott’s wife could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time and come upon a burglary in progress when she was killed.
Prosecutors argued that Peterson attempted to cover up the crime and convince police that his wife went missing.
As Court TV reported, Scott was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder during a 2004 trial. A jury sentenced him to death.
His death sentence was later overturned by the California Supreme Court in August of 2020. Two months later, California ordered a lower court to review allegations of juror misconduct.
This story was originally published by Scripps News, an E.W. Scripps Company.
