Scott Peterson’s Murder Convictions: Why He May Get Another Trial
He's been in prison since 2004.
YouTube In an interesting turn of events, the California Supreme Court ruled that Scott Peterson’s 2004 murder convictions will be re-examined after they determined that a juror on the trial committed prejudicial misconduct. So, what does that all mean? Read on to find out all the details and how Peterson may be able to get another trial for the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son.
Scott Peterson’s murder convictions:
After a highly publicized trial, on November 12, 2004, Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances for killing Laci Peterson, and second-degree murder for killing his unborn son. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection on December 13, 2004; however, his death sentence was overturned in August of 2020.
“Here, the trial court erroneously dismissed many prospective jurors because of written questionnaire responses expressing opposition to the death penalty, even though the jurors gave no indication that their views would prevent them from following the law — and, indeed, specifically attested in their questionnaire responses that they would have no such difficulty,” the court said.
“Under United States Supreme Court precedent, these errors require us to reverse the death sentence in this case,” the court concluded.
On Oct 14, the California Supreme Court ruled that one of the juror’s on Peterson’s trial failed to share “pertinent information” with the court before the trial, and therefore, committed something called “prejudicial misconduct.”
What is prejudicial misconduct?
The juror who committed prejudicial misconduct before the Scott Peterson trial basically failed to inform the court that she was previously involved in other legal proceedings before being selected to serve as a juror on Peterson’s trial.
The juror in question reportedly filed a lawsuit in 2000 against her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend who was harassing her at the time — while the juror was pregnant.
The juror claimed she “feared for her unborn baby’s life” because of her partner’s ex who was harassing her; however, when asked if she had ever been involved in a lawsuit or the victim of a crime, she said no to both questions.
“We agree not only with the court’s apparent concern about juror candor during the jury selection process, but with its recognition about how central the misconduct was to the ability of the jury to reach a fair decision in this case,” Peterson’s lawyer, Cliff Gardner, said in a statement.
The case will return to the San Mateo County Superior Court to see if Scott Peterson will be able to get a new trial.
What is the Scott Peterson Innocence Project?
The Innocence Project was “founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck at Cardozo School of Law” and “exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.”
While there are many groups online who believe Scott Peterson is innocent, he is nowhere to be found on the Innocence Project’s website; so technically, The Scott Peterson Innocence Porject isn't actually a thing.
What’s the latest Scott Peterson update?
Aside from Scott Peterson’s death sentence being overturned in August of this year and the latest news about his murder convictions being re-examined, Peterson has been serving his sentence in San Quentin State Prison in San Mateo County in Northern California.
Is the Scott Peterson documentary on any streaming services?
You can watch two separate documentaries about Scott Peterson on Hulu: The Murder of Laci Peterson and Scott Peterson: An American Murder Mystery.
What is Scott Peterson’s net worth?
It is unclear what Scott Peterson’s net worth is, but one site claims that he’s reportedly worth $1 million despite the fact that he’s been in prison for over 15 years.
Is there a photo of Scott Peterson today?
The latest image of Scott Peterson is one from 2011, which you can view in the video above.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.