The Trials and Convictions of Scott Peterson
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On April 23, 2003 Scott was arraigned and he was charged with two felony counts of murder with premeditation and "special circumstances". Of course he pled not guilty.
The trial began on June 1, 2004... to make a long story short, this trial did not come without its own set of drama. A juror had to be dismissed after it was discovered they had spoken to Laci's brother. The prosecution didn't have much to go on; since being a cheater doesn't necessarily make you a murderer. The lack of circumstantial evidence was also an issue BUT there were several motives for Scott to do this.
1. he was tired of his marriage. 2. he felt pressure from her with the pregnancy. 3. He wanted to continue his affair with Amber, free and clear with no strings left behind. 4. He was under financial pressure...
Scott was desperate.. He tried to sell the house, he did sell Laci's car, but he got more suspicious when he ordered porn channels a couple days after she disappeared.
A long version put short is that after all the back and forth between prosecutor and defense, there wasn't really any irrefutable evidence that made it 100% certain that Scott was guilty nor innocent. On November 12, 2004, Scott was convicted of two counts of murder... 1st degree with special circumstances in the killing of his wife, Laci. He got 2nd degree murder for killing the fetus she carried.
The penalty part of the trial began on November 30 and ended December 13th, where the jury (rightfully so) unanimously decided on a "sentence of death", by lethal injection. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 towards Laci's funeral expenses. The hits continued for Scott, when Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha was given the life insurance money instead of it going to Scott. (That was $250,000.00).
In June 2020, there was Scott's direct appeal... it was determined there was nothing that was "unfair or partial" about the first trial and on August 24, 2020, it was voted 7 to 0 upholding Scott's conviction BUT the death penalty was taken off the table. On September 22, 2021, the California Superior ruled that Scott would be resentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole.
Scott also tried a habeas corpus petition, which is basically a recourse challenging the reasons or conditions of a person's confinement under color of law.He filed this back in 2015. On December 22, 2022, the judge denied him (Thank God).
Now I can FINALLY explain why this case is pissing me off soooooo much...
In January this year, the Los Angeles Innocence Project has taken Scott's case and are working to prove that he was wrongfully convicted and didn't get a fair trial; claiming new evidence has surfaced, proving his innocence. The next court dates are April 16, 2024 and May 29, 2024... Scott can appear virtually for the hearing.
I am sending out every vibe into the universe that this sick person doesn't get out of prison. He is guilty as hell. He disgusts me. No one deserves what happened to Laci, and he didn't even give his son, Conner a chance to live. Who does that? Who kills their own baby??? Like what a twisted story.
RiP Laci Denise Peterson (nee Rocha) May 4, 1975 - December 24, 2002
~Phoenix
(Originally posted in my blog Ramblings of a Canadian Gypsy Phoenix)
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