Scott Peterson appeared in a California court on Tuesday amid claims that DNA evidence will exonerate him in his wife and unborn son’s murders.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Los Angeles Innocence Project is backing Peterson’s case. Paula Mitchell, executive director of the nonprofit organization, argued in court that Peterson’s rights were violated as evidence was withheld that proves his innocence.
The LA Innocence Project is not connected with the national Innocence Project, which has nothing to do with Peterson’s case.
Laci Peterson, 27, vanished on Christmas Eve 2002 — a month before she was due to give birth. Prosecutors said Scott Peterson strangled or suffocated his pregnant wife before wrapping her in a tarp, fastening her to anchors, and dropping her in the San Francisco Bay.
Scott Peterson — who claimed he was fishing in Berkeley when his pregnant wife vanished — was ultimately arrested in San Diego County with $15,000 in cash in his possession.
Scott Peterson stood trial in 2004 and was sentenced to death the following year. However, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in 2020 after jurors who disagreed with the death penalty but were willing to impose it were found to be unfairly dismissed from the case. There were also issues surrounding prejudicial misconduct after a domestic violence victim was put on the jury.
In 2021, Scott Peterson was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole for the slayings. Later that year, a judge denied his bid for a new trial.
The LA Innocence Project is now claiming that a van found on fire a day after a burglary near the Petersons’ home had a bloodstained mattress in it that could be related to the murders. The van was found a mile from the family’s home, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The organization also claimed it has evidence that the van did not have a mattress in it before it was stolen and before Laci Peterson’s slaying.
Hearings were scheduled for April 16 and May 29 to address the discovery process and DNA evidence central to the LA Innocence Project’s argument. Peterson, 51, appeared via video for Tuesday’s hearing. He has maintained his innocence, claiming no physical evidence links him to the murders.
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[Feature Photo: Scott Peterson/Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP, PoolCaleb Harris/CCPD]
