Scott Peterson's criminal conviction explained and where he is today

This article contains a discussion of the murder.

Spoilers for American Murder: Laci Peterson and Scott Peterson face off ahead!

Summary

• Jurors recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson because they were unimpressed by the defense's lengthy argument about reasonable doubt.
• Scott confronts Peterson, challenges his guilt, and offers alternative theories about the case.
• Scott Peterson's appeals met with mixed success, leading to outrage and his incarceration in a California state prison.

Netflix true crime documentaries, American Crime: Laci Petersonand Peacock's competing documentaries, Face to face with Scott PetersonFocusing on the investigation and trial of Scott Peterson, it raises questions about his conviction and current whereabouts. The two shows explore the tragic true story of the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Conner Peterson. Further investigation – determined by the investigators American Crime: Laci Peterson – Her husband, Scott Peterson, quickly fell in love with her because of her quirky behavior, attitude, and plenty of factual evidence..

The documentary is very similar to Netflix's previous one. American Crime: The Family Next Doorboth show arguments for both the prosecution and the defense. This is a feature American Crime documentaries. However, Face to face with Scott Peterson – released on August 20 – doubles down on the husband's innocence by introducing other theories about what happened. Because of the contrasting perspectives, viewers can make up their own minds about whether or not Scott Peterson killed his wife, his sentence, and current events in the case.

Scott Peterson was found guilty of murdering Laci and their unborn son

Scott Peterson's trial lasted six months

From June 1, 2004 to November 3, 2004, the jury heard all the facts, evidence, and arguments in the case. according to American Crime: Laci Peterson, The prosecution argued that Scott Peterson killed his wife because he didn't want to worry about a divorce or child support.. On the other hand, the defense argued that the fact that Scott Peterson was an adulterer did not make him a murderer. Additionally, they claimed that Laci Peterson was killed after witnessing a burglary at a house across the street — a burglary that happened on a different day than the state said.

The fact that there was no direct evidence of a crime obviously did not sway the jury because of the large amount of circumstantial evidence.

The jury deliberated for 10 days and returned guilty verdicts of first-degree murder for Laci Peterson and second-degree murder for Conner Peterson. After the verdict, the foreman of the jury said about the verdict:Collectively, when you add it all up, there is no other possibility” (via FindLaw). The fact that there was no direct evidence of a crime obviously did not sway the jury because of the large amount of circumstantial evidence.

Scott Peterson's 2004 conviction explained

Scott Peterson could have been sentenced to life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

After a jury found Scott Peterson guilty of first- and second-degree murder, they had to decide whether to sentence him to death. The description of this process is not explained here American Crime: Laci Petersonleaving many viewers with questions. To receive the death penalty in California, Each juror must agree beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant meets these three criteria:

1. The accused must be convicted of an offense punishable by death.
2. If the charge is first degree murder, the trier of fact (whether a jury in a jury trial or a judge in a bench trial) must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that a special (aggravating) circumstance must be established from a list in the Criminal Code. 190.2.
3. Aggravating circumstances must outweigh mitigating factors.

If everyone disagreed, he would have been sentenced to life in prison without parole. The defense was in a difficult position during the sentencing phase, noted by FindLaw, because they couldn't plead guilty to Peterson because it would have prejudiced their client when they filed an appeal. Furthermore, they could not claim that Scott Peterson was a good person because the lawyer had already described his client as “14 carat a-hole” and “cad” in the guilt phase.

As a result, Peterson's attorneys relied on a mitigating factor called reasonable doubt, which is the level between reasonable doubt and zero doubt. The jury was unmoved by this argument. Thirty-one days after his conviction, the jury returned with their recommended sentence of death. Three months later, on March 16, 2005 The Honorable Judge Alfred Delucchi followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Scott Peterson to death by lethal injection.

What happened after Scott Peterson's appeals

Scott Peterson's appeals met with mixed success

Since Scott Peterson was sentenced to death, his appeal was bypassed by the Court of Appeals and sent to the state's highest court, the California Supreme Court. Although he was originally sentenced to death, Scott Peterson's death sentence was overturned in 2020After two protests, the jury was removed from the jury due to a general objection to the death penalty by this court. According to United States case law, a juror who opposes the death penalty can still sit on a jury if he follows any jury instructions and obeys the jury's oath, including obeying the law.

The DA has announced that they will honor the wishes of Lacy's family, who decided not to pursue the death penalty a second time in 2021 — even though they believed Peterson deserved the punishment …

Britannica explains that the only way a juror can be excluded is if the defendant refuses to impose the death penalty under any circumstances, even if the defendant meets all the criteria of the law, or if their views on the death penalty prevent them. to determine impartially whether the accused person is guilty or innocent of the crime charged. As for the dismissal of the jurors under the California Supreme Court's decision in the Scott Peterson case (via CNN ), because none of these circumstances were met, the Supreme Court ruled that their dismissal was erroneous.

The Supreme Court remanded the case to Stanislaus County Superior Court to dismiss the appeal. At this point, the prosecution had two options. First, they could re-sentence with a new jury, and second, they could sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Finally, the DA announced in 2021 that they would honor the wishes of Lacy's family, who decided not to pursue the death penalty a second time — even though they believed Peterson deserved the punishment — because of the pain and emotional toll a retrial would entail. they (via CNN).

In addition to ruling on Scott Peterson's tort claim, the court also said the high court should review whether he needed a new trial because of the secret jury charges. Peterson's attorneys argued that the juror lied when he said he had never been involved in a domestic violence case. However, Chief Justice Anne-Christine Massullo found that the jury's response was not biased against Peterson.misunderstanding questions and sloppiness in answering” (via NBC Bay Area). So he denied him a new trial.

Scott Peterson is currently in California State Prison

Scott Peterson will spend the rest of his life in prison unless his conviction is overturned

Scott Peterson was removed from death row after his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole. In October 2022 Transferred from San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California (near San Francisco). Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California – where he remains upon release of A sequel to Netflix's Laci Peterson documentary and Peacock's Scott Peterson. Mule Creek State Prison is a medium security prison that has housed many prominent serial killers, rapists, murderers and kidnappers. Scott Peterson gives the interview Face to face with Scott Peterson via video call from the prison's day room.

Is Scott Peterson still fighting a double murder conviction?

Scott Peterson works with the Los Angeles Innocence Project

Since its release American Crime: Laci Peterson and Face to face with Scott PetersonA convicted murderer maintains his innocence and is still fighting to have his conviction overturned. In January 2024, the LA Innocence Project (LAIP) took on Scott Peterson's case.stated that his state and federal constitutional rights were violated. They also claim that new evidence supports Scott Peterson's claim of innocence in the murders of Laci and Conner Peterson and points to a robbery instead (via ABC News). LAIP has filed several motions for its clients.

They requested about 600 possible pieces of evidence from the DA's office. The defense team asked for Lacy to be retested on a mattress in a burned-out van found a mile from the Peterson home the day after she disappeared. LAIP also introduced prison informants and a corrections lieutenant who said they knew who killed Lacy (via Oxygen True Crime). It was not mentioned in the application made with the help of the judicial organization American Crime: Laci Petersonbut this will be discussed Face to face with Scott Peterson.

Sources: FindLaw, Britannica, CNN, CNN, NBC Bay Area, ABC News and Oxygen True Crime