Scott Peterson’s case taken up by L.A. Innocence Project, D.A.’s office comments
The Los Angeles Innocence Project has taken up the case of Scott Peterson, who has been in prison for nearly 20 years after being convicted in 2004 of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Connor, in one of Modesto’s most infamous crimes.
Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. Her body was found in the San Francisco Bay in April 2003. Peterson, 51, is serving life in prison.
“The Los Angeles Innocence Project (LAIP) represents Scott Peterson and is investigating his claim of actual innocence,” according to a statement released by the organization. “We have no further comment at this time.”
ABC News first reported this development Thursday.
On Friday, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office released a statement in response to what it said were “100 media requests” in regards to the recent development in Peterson’s case.
“Mr. Peterson, like all individuals convicted of crimes, is afforded the legal right to appeal his conviction with representation of his choosing. Mr. Peterson’s conviction was most recently affirmed by a Superior Court judge in 2022 after arguments were presented by Mr. Peterson’s defense team and attorneys from the California Attorney General’s Office who argued for the murder convictions to be upheld.
“We respect his right to challenge his conviction and the appellate process and accordingly cannot comment on the most recent filings as litigation is pending.”
The DA’s office said it could not elaborate further than what was presented in the statement, citing the ongoing litigation tied to it.
ABC News reported that the Los Angeles Innocence Project states in court filings that Peterson’s state and federal constitutional rights were violated and that new evidence supports Peterson’s claim of 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,” the filings state, according to ABC News.
Scott Peterson’s attorney, Pat Harris, said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday that they 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.”
Peterson sat on death row for 15 years waiting for a team of lawyers to draft and file his appeal and first habeas petition and for the California Supreme Court to rule on them.
In 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned Scott Peterson’s death sentence, citing that his jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. He was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December 2021 and moved off death row in October 2022.
A judge in December 2022 rejected Peterson’s request for a new trial. Peterson’s attorneys alleged a juror was biased against Peterson.
The Los Angeles Innocence Project provides free legal services in Central and Southern California to inmates who may have been wrongfully convicted, according to ABC News.
