Although Scott Peterson was initially convicted of murder in 2004, only recently has a judge declared Peterson needs to be re-sentenced. Peterson was hit with two counts of first-degree murder for killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and the couple’s unborn son, Conner. Find out why it took the court system two decades to issue a re-sentence for Scott Peterson’s crime.
Scott Peterson’s Crime
Scott Peterson’s wife, Laci, suddenly went missing on Christmas Eve 2002 when she was eight months pregnant. While on trial, Scott claimed he was on a solo fishing trip and left Laci at home in Modesto, California. According to Scott, Laci had been taken and killed while she was out walking the family dog.Â
However, Scott’s mistress, Amber Frey, promptly contacted authorities after seeing Scott’s face on the news. During the trial, Frey gave a chilling testimony explaining how Scott told her he was a widower before she found out his pregnant wife had suddenly vanished. Frey worked with the police as she taped phone conversations with Scott to gather vital evidence for the case. Scott was convicted in the trial and sentenced to death.
Why Is Scott Peterson Being Re-Sentenced?
In August 2020, Scott Peterson’s death sentence was overturned, much to the nation’s surprise. The decision to overturn Peterson’s death conviction was made by the California Supreme Court, which stated the trial judge “made a series of clear and significant errors in the jury selection.” Apparently, these errors “undermined Peterson’s right to an impartial jury at the penalty phase.”
Even though Peterson’s sentence was overturned, he was by no means a free man as his murder convictions stayed in place. Instead, Peterson was forced to sit on San Quentin’s death row without a sentence. On Wednesday, a California judge ruled Scott Peterson would be sentenced in November to life in prison without the possibility of parole, removing him from death row, but ensuring he’ll remain bars for the brutal killings.Â
Scott Peterson’s Case Today
A month ago, Scott Peterson’s sister-in-law Janey Peterson claimed to have evidence Scott was not guilty. “There’s evidence that was completely ignored that shows Laci was alive after he left for the day,” Janey noted. During Scott’s trial, a neighbor testified seeing the couple’s dog outside at 10:15 the morning Laci disappeared. Janey indicated that the dog was no longer there when the mailman arrived at the house around 10:30.
This evidence was never heard in court, and Janey believes it’s proof Laci was out walking the dog after Scott left the house. Janey’s theory is that Laci had a confrontation with a group of men who were robbing the house across the street the morning she went missing. However, the same theory was already presented in court as part of Peterson’s trial, and the court rejected it. Now Scott Peterson will have to wait until his next court appearance, scheduled for October 10, to be formally re-sentenced. Â