Scott Peterson has always maintained his innocence in the death of his wife Laci and their unborn child.
The case of Laci Peterson's murder had garnered immense publicity in 2002 when she went missing on Christmas Eve. It took months for her husband, Scott Peterson — who has maintained his innocence — to be charged. He was convicted in 2004 for killing his pregnant wife and unborn son. He was on death sentence but the California Supreme Court overturned it. The court also sent the case back to San Mateo County Superior Court to figure out if Scott should receive a new trial, the Los Angeles Times reported.
48-year-old Scott's lawyers cited multiple reasons why his convictions should be overturned. The court took one of those reasons seriously. One of the jurors had committed "prejudicial misconduct" when she failed to reveal that she had been previously involved with other legal proceedings. She had sought a restraining order in 2000 after her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend harassed her when she was pregnant, the Times said.
Richelle Nice, the juror, had also published a book with several other jurors about their experience during Scott's 2004 trial. The 48-year-old's lawyers also said that Richelle tried hard to be a juror during his trial.
After the death penalty was overturned, Scott's family revealed that a private investigator has found new suspects in Laci and her unborn child's deaths. In 2002, Laci disappeared on Christmas Eve when she was four weeks away from giving birth. Her husband said that he had gone fishing in Berkeley that morning. Her body was found four months later along with the body of her son, with the umbilical cord still attached. Their bodies washed up on a rocky shore of San Francisco Bay.
It was discovered by a passerby walking a dog and the remains were found only a few miles away from where Scott had gone fishing. However, Kron4 reported that his sister-in-law, Janey Peterson, revealed that a PI found suspects linked to the Medina Burglary and the Aponte Tip. This was revealed at the first hearing since Scott's death sentence was overturned.
The Medina Burglary refers to the burglary that took place at the home of the neighbors who lived across from the Petersons. Valuable things were stolen from the home of the Medinas the same day Laci vanished. In fact, it took place within hours of Scott leaving Modesto for Berkeley. The 48-year-old has always said that his wife was home when he left to go fishing.
Janey used the Facebook page, Scott Peterson Appeal, to indicate that the burglars were responsible for Laci's death, according to Kron 4. On the page, she said that Laci was seven and a half months pregnant when she went missing. "Multiple calls to the police indicated she was last seen that morning walking their dog, McKenzi, in her Modesto neighborhood. While she was on this walk, Scott was logged onto the computer at his office and was soon to be en route to the Berkeley Marina. These sightings of Laci not only exonerate Scott, but they place Laci in the neighborhood while another crime was being committed," the page said.
It further added that the Medinas had left to celebrate Christmas in Los Angeles and returned two days later to find that they had been robbed. "Another neighbor, Diane Jackson, reported she saw three men loading a safe in a van in front of the Medina home the morning Laci went missing. The Medinas had tens of thousands of dollars in cash and possessions stolen from their home," the page states.
Scott's family further said that an arrest was made for the burglary when an anonymous informant revealed the names of four men. Two of them, Steven Todd and Glenn Pearce, were arrested on suspicion of burglary. The anonymous tip reportedly was about a conversation the informant had with the two men, who had bragged about Laci's murder.
References:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-14/scott-peterson-murder-conviction-review
https://www.facebook.com/ScottPetersonAppeal
Cover image source: Getty Images | Handout photos
