Scott Peterson loses new trial bid; convicted killer to remain behind bars
Judge Anne-Christine Massullo issued the long-awaited ruling in a 55-page document on Tuesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scott Peterson's bid for a new trial was denied on Tuesday, when a California judge ruled that the man convicted of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son was not warranted a new trial despite allegations of a biased and deceptive juror.
Judge Anne-Christine Massullo issued the long-awaited ruling on Tuesday, when she wrote in her 55-page decision that the juror accused of wrongdoing had acted out of emotion, rather than a bias against Peterson, and she had made "honest mistakes." Massullo previously announced she would finalize her decision by Thursday.
"We will not stop fighting until Scott is free and we find who murdered Laci and Conner."
"The Court finds that several of the answers provided by Juror No. 7 on her juror questionnaire were false in certain respects," she wrote. "The Court concludes that Juror No. 7’s responses were not motivated by pre-existing or improper bias against Petitioner, but instead were the result of a combination of good faith misunderstanding of the questions and sloppiness in answering."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Pat Harris, Scott Peterson's attorney, wrote in the statement provided to Fox News Digital that he was "disappointed" in the ruling, but the case was "far from over."
READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM SCOTT PETERSON'S ATTORNEY HERE:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Statement released by Scott Peterson attorney Pat Harris related to a judge's decision to deny Peterson's bid for a new trial.
"Just in the last few months, we have learned new information that will prove Scott Peterson did not murder his wife, Laci. And we are going to continue to push forward until he is freed," he wrote. "As for the ruling, the judge does concede that Juror #7 committed misconduct but excuses that misconduct by writing that her background, her contentious relationship with her boyfriend and her frequent memory lapses are all excuses for her misconduct. We respectfully disagree."
Peterson's sister-in-law and outspoken advocate, Janey Peterson, told Fox News Digital Scott "is innocent" and "did not have an impartial jury."
"We will not stop fighting until Scott is free and we find who murdered Laci and Conner," she wrote in a message minute after Tuesday's news. "20 years ago this week, Laci Peterson was seen alive walking her dog after Scott had left for the day. Sometime after that walk, the evidence shows she encountered men burglarizing the home across the street. Those men kidnapped her and later killed her."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}READ THE JUDGE'S RULING:
Massullo was originally scheduled to release her ruling by Dec. 16 regarding whether Peterson would be granted a new trial. But she suspended the deadline on Dec. 8, until attorneys could fix errors related to personal information that was left unredacted in recent exhibits.
Last Friday, she wrote that the issue was resolved after four exhibits were fixed to redact personal information.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dec. 24 will mark 20 years to the day since Laci Peterson disappeared.
Meanwhile, Peterson, now 50, is currently serving a life sentence at California’s Mule Creek State Prison.
CALIFORNIA JUDGE IN SCOTT PETERSON CASE TEMPORARILY HALTS NEW TRIAL DECISION AMID CLERICAL ERROR
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He was convicted in 2004 in the murders of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Prosecutors argued at the time that he killed Laci and disposed of her body on Christmas Eve 2002 in San Francisco Bay.
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Laci Peterson before she vanished in 2002. (AP, File)
The California Supreme Court overturned Peterson’s death sentence in 2020 after news that prospective jury candidates were improperly dismissed came to light, but the court maintained his conviction.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Peterson was transferred from California's San Quentin State Prison to Mule Creek State Prison in October as he awaits his fate.
Scott Peterson is seeking a new trial after being convicted in 2004 of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, in California.
Peterson's attorneys have argued that a new trial is warranted because juror Richelle Nice was biased and lied in her questionnaire to get on the jury. Meanwhile, prosecutors have argued that Nice "did the best that she could when faced with a 23-page questionnaire that had 163 questions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"She's inconsistent on her answers," prosecutor David Harris previously told the court. "But being wrong does not necessarily make it false or make her a liar. It just might be that she's really bad at filling out forms."
A child looks at a memorial and missing person's banner offering a reward for the safe return of Laci Peterson at East La Loma Park, Jan. 4, 2003, in Modesto, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Nice previously testified that she did not have any bias against Peterson until after hearing the evidence presented at trial.