The family of Laci Peterson confronted her husband and convicted killer, Scott Peterson, in a California court on Wednesday — the same day he was re-sentenced to life without parole for the 2002 slaying.
On November 23, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo had Scott Peterson transferred from San Quentin prison’s death row to the San Mateo County Jail, where he has been awaiting Wednesday’s sentencing for the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Connor.
The California Supreme Court overturned Scott Peterson’s death sentence last year after jurors who disagreed with the death penalty but were willing to impose it were dismissed from the case. There were also issues surrounding “prejudicial misconduct” after a domestic violence victim was allowed to be a part of the jury.
However, on Wednesday, Judge Massullo resentenced the convicted killer to life in prison without parole. Laci Peterson’s family saw Scott Peterson for the first time in over a decade on Wednesday. The court allowed the family to speak on Laci’s behalf, according to Fox News.
“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, told Scott. “I don’t know how you go on living.”
Sharon Rocha, Laci’s mother, called Scott Peterson a “murderer” and a “coward,” while Laci’s brother, Brent Rocha, said his family has been “devastated and traumatized” after losing Laci and Connor. He went on to say his sister’s killer “deserves death” and “the most severe sentence possible.”
“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,” Sharon Roca said.
“I never did feel Conner move.”
Laci Peterson, 27, vanished on Christmas Eve 2002 — a month before she was due to give birth. Prosecutors said Scott Peterson strangled or suffocated his pregnant wife before wrapping her in a tarp, fastening her to anchors, and dropping her in the San Francisco Bay.
Scott Peterson — who claimed he was fishing in Berkeley when his pregnant wife vanished — was ultimately arrested in San Diego County with $15,000 in cash in his possession.
Before his arrest, a massage therapist went to police claiming she was in a relationship with Scott Peterson, who said his wife had died. She then covertly recorded her phone calls with him for police.
The affair, according to prosecutors, was one of the most damning pieces of evidence against Scott Peterson. Prosecutors argued that the affair alone did not automatically mean murder, but the information Scott Peterson told his mistress made him appear culpable.
* Additional reporting by Leigh Egan
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[Featured image: Laci Peterson/Handout; Scott Peterson/California Department of Corrections]
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