Scott Peterson, convicted of killing wife, Laci, has case picked up by LA Innocence Project, report says
A man who was convicted in 2004 of killing his wife and unborn child has had his case picked up by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, according to ABC News.
Scott Peterson was convicted in the deaths of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child in one of the state's most infamous murder trials. The LA Innocence Project, a group that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted people, is taking up the case, ABC News reported.
The LA Innocence Project is made up of attorneys who work to exonerate incarcerated people through DNA testing and other scientific advances, the website states.
The LA Innocence Project attorneys told ABC News that Peterson's constitutional rights were violated, and he has newly discovered evidence to support his claim of actual innocence.
"New evidence now supports Mr. Peterson's longstanding claim of innocence and raises many questions into who abducted and killed Laci and Conner Peterson," filings obtained by ABC News state.
Attorneys are seeking several items that were not discovered during a review of trial files by previous counsel - including a couple of items that materialized 20 years after Laci Peterson's death. The items include evidence from an investigation into a December 2022 burglary and documents related to a van fire on Christmas Day 2022, in addition to Laci Peterson's missing Croton watch. They are also requesting documents from witness interviews, according to ABC News.
What happened to Laci Peterson?
When Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant, disappeared 2002 on Christmas Eve 2022, investigators said Peterson took their bodies from the couple's Modesto home and dumped them into San Francisco Bay.
Peterson's alibi was that he was fishing the morning his wife disappeared. According to investigators, the remains surfaced months later, a few miles from where Peterson said he went fishing in Berkeley.
In April 2003, Peterson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder of his wife and second-degree murder of his child. Peterson's girlfriend Amber Frey started to work with investigators and she testified at his trial. Frey dated Peterson for a month before Laci died. Investigators said Frey had knowledge that Peterson's wife was dead.
Peterson was convicted of murder in 2004 in San Mateo County.
Time line of the Laci Peterson case
- Dec. 24, 2002, Laci Peterson reported missing: Laci Peterson's stepfather filed a police report that she was missing and eight months pregnant.
- December 2002, Scott Peterson became a prime suspect: Peterson was suspected of having an affair with Amber Frey, who was his massage therapist.
- April 14, 2003, Laci Peterson's body found: Investigators found Laci Peterson's decomposed body washed ashore in San Fransico Bay.
- April 21, 2003, Scott Peterson arrested: Peterson was charged with the murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Connor.
- June 1, 2004, Scott Peterson murder trial begins: The criminal trial lasted for five months. Frey was a key witness who testified that Peterson told her he wasn't married.
- Nov. 12, 2004, Peterson found guilty: Peterson was found guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree murder. He was sentenced to death via lethal injection.
- Aug. 24, 2020, Peterson's death sentence overturned: The California Supreme Court overturned a death sentence for Peterson in 2020 but upheld Peterson's conviction.
- Dec. 20, 2022, Peterson denied new trial: Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo denied Peterson's appeal based on stealth juror accusations.
- Jan. 18, 2024, LA Innocence Project picks up the case: The LA Innocence Project group tells ABC News that new evidence supports Peterson's innocence.