Scott Peterson to face Laci Peterson's family in court for resentencing hearing
Scott Peterson is set to be sentenced to life without parole after the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence; Claudia Cowan reports.
Scott Peterson, a California man convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and unborn son in 2002, is expected to face a new life sentence Wednesday during his resentencing hearing in a California superior court.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo on Nov. 23 signed an order to transfer Peterson, 49, from death row at San Quentin Prison to the San Mateo County Jail before his hearing Wednesday.
Scott Peterson on May 11, 2018. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP)
Wednesday marks the first time in 17 years that Laci Peterson's family has seen her accused killer since his 2004 trial. The court will allow Laci Peterson's family members to speak on her behalf, and friends were allowed to submit written statements until Tuesday.
SCOTT PETERSON'S FORMER DEFENSE COUNSEL TOUTS NEW EVIDENCE: ‘I REALLY BELIEVE IN SCOTT’S INNOCENCE'
Scott Peterson's defense team recently requested a new trial after the Supreme Court overruled his life sentence in August of 2020 amid allegations of juror misconduct.
Massullo scheduled the Wednesday hearing regarding the defendant's resentencing to life in prison and the defense's request for a new trial.
Scott Peterson is escorted by two San Mateo County sheriff's deputies to a waiting van in Redwood City, California, on March 17, 2005. (AP Photo/Justin Sullivan, File)
Prosecutors say Scott Peterson murdered Laci Peterson and dumped her body in the San Francisco Bay from his fishing boat. Her body and the fetus of her unborn son washed ashore in April 2003. In the trial, prosecutors also pointed to Scott Peterson's affair with massage therapist Amber Frey, who testified she did not know he was married.
Lara Yeretsian, an attorney on Peterson's original defense team with Mark Geragos in 2005, previously told Fox News that it makes sense to schedule a hearing "to happen before any resentencing."
Scott Peterson is led into Stanislaus County Superior Court for arraignment in the deaths of his wife Laci Peterson and unborn son, Conner, April 21, 2003, in Modesto, California. (REUTERS/POOL/Ted Benson)
"Once the court makes a determination, it also helps us to decide if there’s a need for a resentencing or not. If she decides he deserves a new trial, there’s no point in resentencing. Technically, the conviction is vacated," she said.
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The hearing comes amid new evidence in Peterson's case that his defense team argues will prove his innocence.
"I didn’t think he would be convicted the first time around. I really believe in Scott’s innocence based on the evidence I had seen during the first trial. I truly don’t believe he got a fair trial because of all the publicity and all of the emotions and visceral reactions of him having an affair," she said.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
