Share this @internewscast.com

Scott Peterson is slated to be re-sentenced to prison after spending more than 15 years on death row for the 2002 murders of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son.

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo set an October hearing date to re-sentence Peterson to life without parole. In November, Massullo is expected to decide whether Peterson should receive a new trial due to alleged juror misconduct.

In the original case, prosecutors said Peterson killed his 27-year-old wife, who was eight months pregnant with a boy they’d planned to name Connor. Peterson took his wife’s body from their home in California and dumped it into the San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve 2002. The bodies of Laci and their unborn son washed ashore in April 2003.

Peterson, who maintains his innocence, was convicted of first-degree murder of Laci Peterson and second-degree murder of the boy in 2004, and has been on death row since 2005 without the possibility of parole. But last year, the California Supreme Court overturned the sentencing ― while upholding the conviction itself ― due to an issue with the jury.

“Peterson contends his trial was flawed for multiple reasons, beginning with the unusual amount of pretrial publicity that surrounded the case,” the court said in 2020, per NBC News. “We reject Peterson’s claim that he received an unfair trial as to guilt and thus affirm his convictions for murder.”

Justices said the trial judge “made a series of clear and significant errors in jury selection that, under long-standing United States Supreme Court precedent, undermined Peterson’s right to an impartial jury at the penalty phase.”

Should Peterson get a new trial, prosecutors have said they won’t seek the death penalty.

Regarding the jury issue, Peterson’s team claim that one juror co-authored a book on the case, “eagerly sought to be a juror in the case and did not disclose she had been a crime victim,” per The Associated Press.

The woman in question had reportedly been beaten by a boyfriend while pregnant in 2001, and obtained a restraining order against a boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.

Source: huffpost

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Gainesville Woman Charged with Shoplifting, Assaulting Officer, and Injuring Jail Nurse

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cindy Dosette, 43, was arrested yesterday for…

Man Breaks Into Empty Police Station

Police were called to an unstaffed police station in Melbourne, where a…

Individual Confesses to Assisting Officer in Disposing of Body in River Following Murder

Inset: Joshua Rogers (Shelby County Jail via WREG). Screenshot: Former Memphis police…

Preschool teacher detained for striking a child

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Paige Julia Nachwalter, age 26, was detained…

Tragic Incident: 12-Year-Old Fatally Shot During Music Video Shoot, Police Report

Inset: Ethan Parker (Facebook/Zakia Brice). Background: The residence where Ethan Parker was…

Mother Sentenced to Prison for Molesting Her Son’s Teenage Friend

Natalie Sorrells (Rockwall County Jail via KFDW). A Texas mom is spending…

Urgent Search for Suspect After Baby Seal Found with Multiple Stab Wounds

This victim can’t speak for itself, can’t identify the attacker, and has…

Cherished Victorian Town’s Sacred Site and Tourist Attraction Found Vandalized

With a population of just over 200, everyone knows everyone in Cheshunt,…

Menendez Brothers: New Court Date Set for Brothers Accused of Killing Parents in California

Despite the prosecution’s efforts, the Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing has been scheduled.…

States Take Legal Action Against Trump’s Dubious Energy Emergency Declaration

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the…

Police Report: Man Found Transporting Mother’s Body in Car Covered with McDonald’s Wrappers

Inset: Kevin Ahn (Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office). A man from Pennsylvania…

Tragic Incident: Mother and Sons Killed by Husband Despite Plea for Help

Left: Jeremy Koch (GoFundMe). Right: Front: Bailey and Hudson Koch. Back: Jeremy…