Scott Peterson: Outrage as case reopened by Innocence Project challenges conviction in killing of wife and unborn child
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Los Angeles Innocence Project has taken up the case of Scott Peterson, who was convicted in 2004 for the murders of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child.
The decision has triggered public outcry and reopened debates with some asserting Peterson is "guilty."
What led to Scott Peterson's conviction?
The disappearance of Laci in 2002, eight months pregnant at the time, gripped the nation. Investigators alleged that Peterson transported their bodies from their Modesto home and disposed of them in San Francisco Bay.
The suspect's alibi, centered around a fishing trip on the morning of his wife's disappearance, faced scrutiny.
The remains surfaced months later, not far from the location Peterson claimed to have gone fishing in Berkeley. In April 2003, he was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of his wife and the second-degree murder of his unborn child.
The case hinged on Peterson's relationship with his girlfriend, Amber Frey, who cooperated with investigators and testified at the trial. He was ultimately convicted of murder in 2004 in San Mateo County.
Initially sentenced to death in 2005, Peterson was later resentenced in 2021 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Innocence Project uncovers overlooked evidence
The LA Innocence Project, comprised of attorneys dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and scientific advances, has raised concerns about the violation of Peterson's constitutional rights.
"New evidence now supports Mr Peterson's longstanding claim of innocence and raises many questions into who abducted and killed Laci and Conner Peterson," as per ABC.
Additionally, attorneys from the project are seeking several items not discovered during previous trial reviews by counsel. Some of these items, including evidence from a December 2022 burglary investigation and documents related to a Christmas Day 2022 van fire, materialized two decades after Laci's death.
The request also includes documents from witness interviews.
The Innocence Project's intervention has injected new life into the case, suggesting that critical information may have been overlooked or mishandled during the original trial.
The legal team contends that Peterson's claim of innocence is substantiated by the emerging evidence, prompting a reexamination of the circumstances surrounding the infamous murder trial.
Netizens furious after LA Innocence Project takes convicted Scott Peterson's case
A user commented on Facebook, "Scott Peterson is guilty." Another said, "The Los Angeles Innocence Project has just lost all credibility."
A third chimed, "Right... never have I thought someone more guilty." "There is no way Peterson didn't kill his wife & child. The evidence was clear," read another comment. "He's Guilty Guilty Guilty!!!" said another.
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