Scott Peterson Loses New Negotiation Offer – Convicted Murderer Must Be Behind Bars For Life
- Scott Peterson has been denied a bid for a new trial and is scheduled to remain behind bars
- Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife and unborn child
- He was sentenced to life in prison but later said his conviction was compromised by a biased jury
- Judge Anne-Christine Massullo ruled that the juror in question acted not out of wrongdoing but out of emotions evoked by the proceedings
A man convicted of murdering his wife and unborn child in 2002 will not get a new trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Scott Peterson will remain behind bars for the rest of his life after his request for a new trial was dismissed on the grounds that his conviction was compromised by a biased jury. He was convicted in 2004.
Judge Anne-Christine Massullo ruled that the juror in question acted not out of wrongdoing but out of emotions evoked by the proceedings.
Peterson’s attorney called the verdict “disappointing” in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Only in the last few months have we received new information that will prove Scott Peterson did not murder his wife, Laci. And we will keep advancing until he is freed,” he said. “As for the verdict, the judge acknowledges that Jury No. 7 committed wrongdoing, but excuses that wrongdoing by writing that her background, disputed relationship with her boyfriend, and frequent lapses in memory are all excuses for her wrongdoing . We respectfully disagree.’
Prosecutors say Peterson did not want to take responsibility for paternity
Peterson’s 27-year-old pregnant wife, Laci, disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. Her mutilated body was later found in San Francisco Bay
Attorneys for Peterson said Richelle Nice was actively biased because she lied in her jury questionnaire to gain access to the trial.
However, prosecutors argued that they merely made errors in answering some of the 163 questions in the 23-page document.
“She’s conflicted in her answers,” prosecutor David Harris said in court. “But being wrong doesn’t necessarily make it wrong or make her a liar. It could just be that she’s really bad at filling out forms.”
Nice said she had no bias against Peterson until she heard the evidence against him at trial.
Laci disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002 at the age of 27. She was eight months pregnant with the couple’s son and they had been married for five years.
Days after her disappearance, her mutilated body washed up on the shore of San Francisco Bay.
Prosecutors said Peterson wanted to escape married life and didn’t want to take on the responsibility of becoming a father, so he allegedly killed the couple and threw them off his boat.
They said he killed her in her home and then dumped her body – and that of the baby she was carrying – in the water.
He has always maintained his innocence. Some of his relatives, like his brother’s wife, support him.
One said in November when his sentence was overturned: “We still need justice for Laci, Connor and Scott.
“We have no justice for Laci with Scott on death row because Scott is innocent.”