Laci Peterson, Scott Peterson.Photo: ZUMA Press
A California judge ruled Wednesday that Scott Peterson needs to be re-sentenced for the 2002 murders of his wife,Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.
Peterson has been without a sentence since 2020 when his death sentence wasoverturned. He is currently housed on San Quentin’s death row.
He is scheduled to be re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November,KRON4reports.
Peterson was convicted oftwo counts of first-degree murderand was initially sentenced to death in 2005.
The California Supreme Court reversed Peterson’s death penalty conviction in 2020, stating the trial judge “made a series of clear and significant errors in jury selection that, under long-standing United States Supreme Court precedent, undermined Peterson’s right to an impartial jury at the penalty phase.”
Scott Peterson.Justin Sullivan/Getty
However, the court decision did not overturn the murder conviction and it allowed the prosecutors to try again for the death penalty. The District Attorney’s Office later said that it had no plans to retry the death penalty phase.
Laci Peterson waseight months pregnantwhen she disappeared from her Modesto, Calif. home on Christmas Eve day of 2002. Her body was found in April 2003 in San Francisco Bay. Peterson claimed that Laci was killed as she walked the couple’s dog after Peterson left to go on a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve morning.
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But as the case moved forward, jurors heard about Peterson’s dark secrets, including a months-long affair with a woman namedAmber Frey, who was unaware that Peterson was married when she started dating him.
Polaris
Frey later worked with prosecutors, taping damning phone calls with Peterson. During Peterson’s trial, shetestified for several daysabout her relationship with him, her realization that he was still married and that his pregnant wifeLacihad vanished. Frey first called police in Modesto in late December 2002 to disclose the affair.
His next court date is scheduled for October 10.
source: people.com
