Laci Peterson's family worried that Scott may go free after retrial, source says 'This Christmas is different'
Laci Peterson's family is reportedly concerned that her "killer"" husband Scott Peterson will be freed from prison — 18 years after she was last seen alive. Now 47, Peterson scored two major court battles this year.
In August, his death penalty sentence was overturned, paving the way for a new penalty phase trial. Then, in October, the California Supreme Court ruled that a lower court should take another look at his case to determine whether his guilty verdict should be overturned. Meanwhile, Laci's family has struggled to cope with this year's developments in the case.
"This Christmas is different than last Christmas," a source close to Laci's family told People magazine. "The holidays are always hard for them because Laci was taken from them on Christmas Eve. But now, with the thought that Scott could eventually go free? That's devastating. The family is really worried."
In 2005, Peterson was sentenced to death after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2002 death of wife Laci and their unborn son, Conner. Laci disappeared from her Modesto residence on Christmas Eve, 2002. She was eight months pregnant when she went missing.
In April 2003, authorities found her body in the San Francisco Bay. Peterson had originally claimed that Laci was killed as she walked their dog while he was out on a solo fishing trip that fateful morning. However, jurors became familiar with Peterson's secrets as the case moved forward, including a months-long affair with a woman named Amber Frey, who was unaware Peterson was married when they started dating.
Frey would later work with prosecutors, taping a number of questionable phone calls with Peterson. In court, she testified for several days about her relationship with Peterson, her subsequent realization that he was still married, and then eventually Laci's disappearance. According to People, Frey first contacted Modesto authorities in late December 2002 to reveal the affair.
Peterson was convicted by a Redwood City jury in 2004, with Frey's testimony playing a crucial role in the court proceedings. He was sentenced to death the following year and has remained on death row while his appeal made its way through the courts.
In October, it emerged that the California Supreme Court ruled that a lower court take a second look at Peterson's case to determine whether his convictions should be overturned. As reported by CBS News, the court ruled that a juror had committed "prejudicial misconduct" by failing to disclose she had previously been involved with unrelated legal proceedings.
The juror had reportedly filed a lawsuit in 2000 to obtain a restraining order after her boyfriend's ex allegedly harassed her while she was pregnant, according to the report. Speaking to Los Angeles Times, Peterson's attorney said that the juror had been asked beforehand if she was ever a crime victim or involved in a lawsuit. However, she allegedly said no at the time, despite the lawsuit that was filed four years before she became a juror at Peterson's trial.
Laci's family is now struggling to get through the holidays now that Peterson's fate is uncertain. "They're sad and concerned," the family source told People. "This is a nightmare without end."