Scott Peterson, the man who was famously accused and convicted of killing his wife and unborn son in 2002, has new evidence to present to the court. His attorneys are convinced this new evidence will prove his innocence. The Los Angeles Innocence Project has filed a petition that contains witness statements that assert Scott Peterson could not have killed Laci Peterson and their son Connor.
LAIP seeks to overturn the 2004 conviction, claiming that if the jury had been aware of this information, “it is highly likely they would not have reached a guilty verdict,” it said in a statement.
His attorneys claim there was no physical evidence in his conviction.
In 2003, both Laci and Connor’s bodies were found in California’s San Francisco Bay, both badly decomposed, People reports. Scott was found responsible and sentenced to death row in 2005. Fifteen years later, his sentence was overturned and reduced to life in prison, without parole, ABC News reports.
The new petition claims the prosecution relied on “false evidence” to convict him. “…no direct, physical or forensic evidence was found supporting any part of the prosecution’s theory, or otherwise implicating Petitioner,” the petition claims.
A witness claims Laci saw a burglary.
New evidence points to a December 2002 burglary of a home across the street from the Peterson home. Scott’s attorneys argue that Laci was killed after she witnessed two men breaking into the home while she walked their dog. They still claim Scott was already on a fishing trip when she disappeared.
A witness reportedly claims that they overheard a conversation “among the burglars about Laci seeing and confronting them. This evidence exonerates Scott Peterson because it shows Laci was alive when he left home on December 24, since the burglary took place.”
The petition refutes many of the claims against Scott Peterson.
Scott’s attorneys state that the burglars got Laci into a van and then set it ablaze. They believe Laci was killed in the van and then transported to the water, where the bodies were eventually recovered. This challenges the prosecution’s argument that Scott disposed of the body during his fishing trip.
LAIP says the bodies “could not have migrated from the area where Peterson went fishing to where they were recovered.” The petition even refutes the claim that Scott secretly bought the boat. Instead, it argues Laci and Scott bought the boat together.
Scott said it’s important to clear his name.
While Scott has always maintained his innocence, Laci’s family believes Scott is responsible for the deaths. Prosecutors and police also stand behind the 2004 conviction. In the petition, Scott provided a new declaration, ABC reports.
“It is important to me that whoever killed my wife and son be found and held accountable,” he stated. “If whoever committed such violence against Laci and Conner is still at large they are a danger to public safety. It is also important to me that I clear my name and my family’s name because I did not and could never harm or kill my family.”
