Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his wife and unborn baby in 2004, but now his case has been picked up by the Los Angeles Innocence Project. The Los Angeles Innocence Project is a nonprofit organization that "provides pro bono investigatory services and legal representation to indigent individuals in Central and Southern California who were convicted of crimes they did not commit," according to its website. The organization is "investigating [Scott Peterson's] claim of actual innocence."
Scott Peterson's wife, Laci Peterson, was reported missing in December 2002. She was pregnant at the time. Her body and her unborn son's body were found separately several months later. They were found in the San Francisco Bay, and investigators said Scott Peterson was the one who dumped them there.
Laci Peterson was 27 years old at the time of her death and had been married to Scott Peterson for five years. While attorneys representing Scott Peterson claimed that a burglar murdered Laci Peterson, prosecutors argued that Scott Peterson killed her then covered up the crime by saying she was missing.
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Scott Peterson was sentenced to death in 2005, but his death sentence was overturned in 2020. He was resentenced to life in prison in 2021.
The Los Angeles Innocence Project said in court filings obtained by ABC7 News that Scott Peterson's claim of innocence "is supported by newly discovered evidence."
The "new evidence" is connected to a burglary that took place near the Petersons' home during the week that Laci Peterson went missing.
ABC7 reported that the LA Innocence Project is requesting access to video interviews between police and men who were involved in that burglary, especially because one of the men allegedly claimed that Laci Peterson saw him commit the crime.
Scott Peterson has always claimed to be innocent. He said that he was fishing at the time that his wife went missing, which was on Christmas Eve. The location where he claimed to be fishing was a few miles away from where Laci Peterson's body was later discovered.
The recent court filings also allege that there were reports that Laci Peterson was seen walking her dog after Scott Peterson had already left to go fishing, but police did not properly look into these reports.
Scott Peterson became a prime suspect after news came out that he was having an affair. He admitted to relationship problems and to the affair, but still said that he did not kill his wife.
In the court filings, Scott Peterson continued to say that he's innocent. "I had absolutely nothing to do with the disappearance and deaths of my wife and son. I am not a violent person," he wrote in the filings, per ABC7. "I have never had a physical fight or violent incident with anyone in my life."
