Scott Peterson: Wife killer's sister-in-law maintains his innocence as LA Innocence Project takes up case
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 for the murders of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son Conner, has found an ally in the Los Angeles Innocence Project.
His sister-in-law Janey Peterson has consistently asserted Scott's innocence, arguing that crucial evidence has been overlooked, a claim the organization now aims to investigate.
What happened to Laci Peterson?
The disappearance of Laci in 2002, eight months pregnant at the time, gripped the nation. Investigators alleged that Scott 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 where Scott 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 took a grim turn when it was revealed that Scott had an affair with Amber Frey, who was unaware of his marital status.
Later, she collaborated with law enforcement and provided testimony in court. He was ultimately convicted of murder in 2004 in San Mateo County. Initially sentenced to death in 2005, Scott was later resentenced in 2021 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Scott Peterson's sister-in-law maintains his innocence
However, Janey, married to Scott's brother, has suggested, “There's evidence that was completely ignored that shows Laci was alive after [Scott] left for the day.”
“But also, there was no evidence that he had anything to do with what happened to Laci,” she told Today show in 2021,
Scott, now 51, maintains that Laci was killed by an unknown assailant while walking the couple's dog after he departed for a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve morning.
Moreover, while Frey disclosed the affair and testified during Scott's trial, Janey emphasizes that being an adulterer doesn't make him a killer stating, “I don't think you can take that leap.”
The sister-in-law believes the killer is still at large. "We don't have justice,” she said. “This crime is not solved.”
Despite the setbacks, the LA Innocence Project has now taken up Scott's case, claiming violations of his state and federal constitutional rights.
In recent court filings, the organization cites new evidence supporting Scott's claim of innocence, focusing on witness testimony and the December 2002 burglary of a Modesto home near the Petersons.
They also aim to conduct new DNA testing on a blood-stained mattress found in a burned-out van, potentially linking Laci back to the burglars.
"New evidence now supports Mr Peterson's longstanding claim of innocence and raises many questions into who abducted and killed Laci and Conner Peterson," LA Innocence Project said.
