There are some crimes so heinous that you can’t help but remember how they imprinted themselves upon your brain as a mere child, just trying to through a chill day in pre-K. For me, the murder of Laci Peterson is one at the top of that tragic list (for an embarrassing long time I thought Dean Cain actually was Scott Peterson after his captivating performance in a Lifetime movie I was high-key too young to be watching). As I got older, wiser, and frighteningly more aware of the statistic that 50% of female homicides are due to inter-partner violence, Laci’s deeply upsetting story stuck with me, like many women. So you can imagine the world’s surprise when the Los Angeles Innocence Project (which is distinct from The Innocence Project you might associate with famously overturned convictions like that of Walter McMillian) took on Scott’s case to attempt to prove his innocence, a process now being shared in Peacock documentary Face to Face with Scott Peterson. Need a refresher on the details of what happened after Laci’s disappearance and how this could possibly be true or not? Here’s a look at the new evidence claiming Scott Peterson is innocent of Laci Peterson’s murder.
What is the new evidence in the Scott Peterson case that claims he is innocent?
The Los Angeles Innocence Project is convinced there could be another side to the horrifying story that ended in Scott Peterson being convicted of his pregnant wife Laci’s murder in 2003. In Face to Face, Scott and his new team walk through a number of items they believe are enough evidence to get Scott another trial. Scott’s sister-in-law Janey (on his brother’s side) is so convinced of his hypothetical exoneration that she went back to school to get a law degree in the hopes of joining his legal team when the day comes and has a “war room” full of theories and “evidence.” The main point shared by Scott’s side in the documentary is that there was a burglary around the same time Laci went missing at a next-door neighbor’s house. This burglary was investigated and arrests were made, but during the original trial, the judge determined it was irrelevant since police stated the incident happened two days after Laci went missing and the suspects had been cleared. Now, a neighbor’s new testimony alleges she saw three men and a van on December 24 (the day of Laci’s disappearance), outside the same home that was later robbed. Scott tells the documentarians he thinks Laci (his 27-year-old 8-months-pregnant wife) went to confront the burglars on Christmas Eve, and it went violently wrong.
Scott’s new legal team also pressed for new DNA testing, including a potential blood sample on a mattress found in a van that has no known ties to Laci but could contain DNA related to hers or another unknown crime. Only testing of a piece of duct tape on Laci’s pants has been granted, with the results pending. They also highlight witness sightings of a pregnant woman walking a golden retriever that supports their theory Scott was not the last one to see Laci alive.
What was the evidence that got Scott Peterson convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison?
Investigators found an “overwhelming” amount of circumstantial evidence that led to Scott Peterson’s conviction. Scott told several alleged lies, disproven by police during their investigation, about where he was that morning when Laci died and the state of their marriage. Behavior like Scott speaking to Amber Frey (a woman he was having an affair with that Scott wasn’t aware had begun cooperating with police) during a candlelit vigil for Laci, pretending all the noise was because he was out of town in Paris, gave a disturbing perception of Scott to the public and authorities. There was also mitochondrial DNA evidence from Laci found on a pair of pliers found on Scott’s brand new fishing boat that Laci allegedly hadn’t been on yet since it was recently attained, along with Scott’s apparent sudden interest in fishing, just weeks before her murder. Ultimately, police were able to confirm evidence of Scott making multiple cement anchors. When only one cement anchor was found after Laci and her child’s bodies were discovered in the San Francisco Bay, authorities came to the conclusion he had used one to attempt to tie her down.
