TRUE CRIME NEWSScott Peterson Case Erupts as Convicted Killer's Lawyers Tear Apart Judge for Refusing to Review New Evidence That Could Prove His Innocence
Scott Peterson is serving life in prison for killing his pregnant wife in December 2002.
April 29 2026, Published 12:24 p.m. ET
A California judge this week declined to review new evidence submitted by Scott Peterson’s defense team in an attempt to overturn his 2004 conviction for killing his family.
Peterson, 53, has been in prison for over two decades since a jury determined that he murdered his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner, on Christmas Eve in 2002.
Attorneys with the Los Angeles Innocence Project (LAIP) filed a habeas corpus petition on his behalf in August 2025, claiming its investigators discovered "compelling new scientific evidence" that could prove his innocence.
'Profound Misunderstanding'
He's maintained his innocence over the years.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill denied the LAIP's request to present the allegedly exculpatory evidence on Monday, April 27, according to ABC News.
"We disagree with and are disappointed by the court’s ruling on every level," LAIP Deputy Director Hannah Brown said in a statement. "The ruling demonstrates a profound misunderstanding and misapplication of the law applied to habeas corpus petitions."
She continued, "In the court’s ruling, strong exculpatory evidence was disregarded as 'inadmissible' which is not the correct legal standard."
'Unreliable Scientific Evidence'
Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she was murdered.
The nonprofit said it plans to file the petition in a higher court following the San Mateo County judge's decision.
Scott's attorneys claim they have "uncovered compelling new scientific evidence showing that the jury in Mr. Peterson's case relied on unreliable scientific evidence to convict him."
They also apparently conducted over 50 interviews with witnesses who supposedly have information "shedding light on what really happened."
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Her body wasn't found for months after she went missing.
Laci was eight months pregnant when she vanished from their home in Modesto, Calif. on December 24, 2002.
Scott claimed he was on a solo fishing trip in San Francisco at the time and found his wife missing upon his return. Four months later, Laci's body turned up in the San Francisco Bay.
As OK! reported, the Innocence Project previously filed a petition with the California Court of Appeals in San Francisco last year requesting a new trial for Scott. The petition was rejected in June 2025.
Scott Peterson's initial death sentence was overturned in 2020.
The LAIP claimed to have found that fetal testing suggested the unborn child and Laci's deaths took place between December 28, 2002 and January 5, 2003. Prosecutors had initially listed their passings as occurring on Christmas Eve.
The nonprofit argued the aforementioned proved Scott could not have murdered his wife since he was already a suspect by December 28.
Scott is serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif. While he was originally given the death penalty, the California Supreme Court resentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2021.
