California | Judge denies Scott Peterson's attempt to present new evidence in fight for freedom

Scott Peterson's attorneys said they plan to appeal to a higher court.

SAN MATEO, Calif. -- A California judge has denied Scott Peterson's attempt to present new evidence that his attorneys claim exonerates him in the murder of his wife and unborn son.

Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002 when she was eight months pregnant. Her body was found in the San Francisco Bay in April 2003.

Scott Peterson, 53, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife and second-degree murder in the death of their unborn son. A jury found him guilty following a six-month trial in 2004.

The Los Angeles Innocence Project, which took up his case in recent years, filed a habeas petition in August 2025 alleging that he was wrongfully convicted based on what it called false evidence.

RELATED | LA Innocence Project files 'bombshell' petition in Scott Peterson double murder case

In an order issued on Monday, San Mateo, California Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill declined to review the evidence and denied the petition's claims, finding they are procedurally barred or lack merit.

Scott Peterson's attorneys said they plan to appeal to a higher court.

"We disagree with and are disappointed by the court's ruling on every level," LA Innocence Project Deputy Director Hannah Brown said in a statement. "The ruling demonstrates a profound misunderstanding and misapplication of the law applied to habeas corpus petitions."

The LA Innocence Project has claimed Scott Peterson was denied his rights to due process and a fair trial because jurors did not hear evidence that they argue could have affected the outcome of the trial. His attorneys said they have "uncovered compelling new scientific evidence showing that the jury in Mr. Peterson's case relied on unreliable scientific evidence to convict him."

Scott Peterson has previously appealed his conviction, claiming he received an unfair trial based on possible jury misconduct.

A judge denied him a new trial in 2022 following his appeal on stealth juror accusations. The LA Innocence Project said they are challenging that ruling in the California Supreme Court.

Prosecutors and police who were involved in the original trial have stood behind the 2004 conviction.

Scott Peterson was initially sentenced to death for the murders. In 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence, citing that his jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty, according to court documents. He was later resentenced to life in prison without parole.

Source: abc7chicago.com, Meredith Deliso, April 29, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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