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Scott Peterson appears virtually in court as attorneys prepare for new trial in death penalty phase
By Stephanie Pagones
Published April 27, 2021
Convicted California murderer Scott Peterson appeared in court for back-to-back virtual hearings on Tuesday as his defense team and prosecutors mulled a start date for his upcoming retrial in the death penalty phase of his case.
Peterson appeared via Zoom from San Quentin State Prison for status conferences pertaining to his new trial in the death penalty phase and his petition for habeas corpus, which reportedly pertains to new evidence that was not presented at court during his trial decades ago.
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Peterson, 47, wore a blue top with a white undershirt and a blue face mask during the hearings and spoke only when prompted by the court. No ruling was handed down on Tuesday and both matters were adjourned until June.
Defense attorney Pat Harris said he expects that the death-penalty phase of Peterson’s case will essentially be a "retrial" for his client. He predicted it would last roughly four to six months, as his team plans to introduce new evidence.
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Peterson was convicted in 2004 of murdering Laci Peterson, 27 at the time, and their unborn son, Connor. Laci was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.
In 2003, Stanislaus prosecutors had charged Peterson with double homicide, but the case was later moved to San Mateo County, nearly 90 miles away from the couple’s Central Valley home in Modesto.
Investigators say Peterson took the bodies from their Modesto home and dumped them from his fishing boat into the San Francisco Bay, where they surfaced months later. Peterson was arrested after Amber Frey, a massage therapist living in Fresno, told police that they began dating a month before his wife’s death -- but that he had told her his wife was dead.
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On Oct. 14, 2020, the California Supreme Court ordered his conviction to be reexamined to determine whether Peterson should receive a new trial. And in August that year, the Supreme Court had overturned Peterson’s death sentence, citing "significant errors" in the jury selection process.
Peterson has maintained his innocence.
Fox News' Michael Lundin contributed to this report, as well as The Associated Press.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/scott-peterson-court-attorneys-prepare-new-trial-death-penalty-phase