Judge Grants Scott Peterson's Defense Team Access to Decades-Old Evidence as He Seeks Exoneration

Mar. 15, 2025

Scott Peterson.Photo:Bart Ah You-Pool/Getty

Bart Ah You-Pool/Getty

A California judge has allowedScott Peterson’s defense team access to some decades-old evidence as they appeal his murder convictions.

The approval of some post-conviction discovery materials comes nearly two decades after Peterson was convicted of the 2002 killing of his pregnant wife,Laci, and their unborn son, Conner.

In her 207-page ruling, San Mateo County Super Court Judge Elizabeth Hill addressed the Los Angeles Innocence Project’s request for access to hundreds of pieces of evidence.

In January 2024, the nonprofit organization, known for their work to exonerate wrongly convicted and incarcerated individuals, said they were “investigating [Peterson’s] claim of actual innocence.”

Peterson is allowed access to some discovery materials under a California law that allows a defendant access to materials “in the possession of the prosecution and law enforcement authorities to which the same defendant would have been entitled at the time of trial," according to the state’s penal code.

Scott and Laci Peterson.Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

The code only applies to serious or violent felonies where the defendant was sentenced to 15 or more years in prison.

Laci Peterson.Justin Sullivan/Getty

Justin Sullivan/Getty

In January, the Los Angeles Innocence Projecttook up Peterson’s latest effortsto be released, claiming that Peterson’s state and federal constitutional rights were violated.

The attorneys cited updated witness statements that allegedly pointed to multiple areas of interest including the burglary at the Modesto home across the street from the Petersons. Scott’s attorneys have previously argued his wife was killed after she witnessed the men breaking into the neighbor’s house during a dog walk while Scott was on a solo fishing trip Christmas Eve morning.

In August, the former fertilizer salesperson spoke out in the three-part docuseries,Face to Face with Scott Peterson, once again denying that he had any involvement in the disappearance and death of Laci and the child she was carrying.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com