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.
Laci Peterson's family on Wednesday addressed convicted murderer Scott Peterson for the first time in nearly 17 years while giving emotional statements inside a San Mateo, California, courtroom.
Their statements came Wednesday before San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo ordered Scott Peterson — who was convicted in 2004 of murdering Laci Peterson, his pregnant wife and their unborn son — to serve the rest of his life in prison without parole.
"It's been 19 years, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about my sister," Amy Rocha, Laci's sister, said Wednesday.
This May 11, 2018 photo from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Scott Peterson. A California judge will decide on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP,File)
Peterson was sentenced to death nearly 17 years ago and was ordered Wednesday to serve the remainder of his life in prison after the Supreme Court overruled his death sentence in August 2020 amid allegations of juror misconduct. Laci's family members were allowed to give statements on her behalf.
SCOTT PETERSON TO FACE NEW LIFE SENTENCE IN WIFE LACI PETERSON'S KILLING
Amy, who choked up while giving her statement, said she feels "cheated" out of a relationship with her sister, who would be 49 years old today , and her unborn son Conner, who would be 18.
"I don't know how you go on living," Amy said, adding that she hopes Peterson is "punished in this life and after."
Sharon Rocha (C), mother of Laci Peterson, her son Brent Rocha (L) and her husband Ron Grantski (R) arrive at the courthouse in Redwood City February 17, 2004. (REUTERS/POOL/John Green JDP)
Brent Rocha, Laci's brother, said his family has been "devastated and traumatized," describing his sister as "a vibrant young woman who was living her life to the fullest" as an expectant mother.
He added that he believes Peterson "deserves death" and "the most severe sentence possible."
Sharon Rocha, Laci's mother, did not get teary while giving her statement; her voice remained steady as she declared Peterson a "coward" and a "murderer."
After a trial that attracted nationwide attention, California fertilizer salesman Scott Peterson, 32, was found guilty on November 12, 2004 in the Christmas Eve 2002 murder of his pregnant wife Laci. (REUTERS/Lou Dematteis LD/MR)
"No matter what happens, there are two things that will never change: Laci and Conner will always be dead, and you will always be their murderer," she said.
Sharon recalled the last time she saw her daughter before she was killed. She said she put a hand on her daughter's pregnant belly to feel the baby move. Laci told her mother at the time that "Scott doesn't want to feel the baby move, but he'll come around someday," Sharon said.
"I never did feel Conner move," she continued.
Prosecutors say Scott Peterson, 49, murdered Laci and dumped her body in the San Francisco Bay from his fishing boat on Christmas Eve. Her body and the fetus of her unborn son washed ashore in April 2003. In his 2004 trial, prosecutors also pointed to Scott Peterson's affair with massage therapist Amber Frey, who testified she did not know he was married.
