Scott Peterson showed up in a California court on Tuesday following assertions that DNA proof will clear him of the murders of his wife and unborn son.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Los Angeles Innocence Project is supporting Peterson’s case. Paula Mitchell, who is the executive director of the charity, contended in court that evidence proving his innocence was kept from Peterson, violating his rights.
The LA Innocence Project is not connected with the national Innocence Project, which has no association with Peterson’s case.
Laci Peterson, aged 27, disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002 — one month before she was supposed to give birth. Prosecutors alleged that Scott Peterson either strangled or suffocated his pregnant wife before wrapping her in a tarp, securing her to anchors, and dropping her in the San Francisco Bay.
Scott Peterson — who claimed he was fishing in Berkeley when his pregnant wife disappeared — was eventually arrested in San Diego County with $15,000 in cash.
Scott Peterson faced trial in 2004 and was given the death penalty the following year. However, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in 2020 after jurors who opposed the death penalty but were willing to enforce it were found to be unfairly dismissed from the case. There were also concerns regarding prejudicial misconduct after a domestic violence victim was placed on the jury.
In 2021, Scott Peterson was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole for the killings. Later that year, a judge denied his request for a new trial.
The LA Innocence Project is now stating that a van discovered on fire a day after a break-in near the Petersons’ home contained a bloodstained mattress that could be linked to the murders. The van was found a mile from the family’s home, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The organization also asserted that it has proof that the van did not contain a mattress before it was stolen and before Laci Peterson was killed.
Hearings were scheduled for April 16 and May 29 to discuss the discovery process and DNA evidence crucial to the LA Innocence Project’s argument. Peterson, 51, appeared via video for Tuesday’s hearing. He has maintained his innocence, stating that no physical evidence connects him to the murders.
[Feature Photo: Scott Peterson/Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP, PoolCaleb Harris/CCPD]