Where is Scott Peterson now? NBC 'Dateline' to re-examine shocking case that inspired 'Gone Girl'
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, were found murdered, Scott Peterson became the focus of a media firestorm for years in the early 2000s. A beautiful victim, a baby, a handsome suspect and enough mystery and intrigue to largely inspire Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl' (as well as the movie adaptation, which starred Ben Affleck) made the case both horrible but it captured people's attention for years to come.
From 2002 to 2005, the case dominated the news, but some questions linger after all these years. What is Scott Peterson doing right now? Why could Scott Peterson be granted a fresh trial? Read on to know more.
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What was Scott Peterson accused of?
San Diego-native Peterson was accused of murdering his wife and newborn child after she went missing in December 2002. In April 2003, the remains of a woman and a foetus were discovered on the San Francisco Bay shoreline, just a few miles from where Peterson claimed to have been on the night Laci vanished on Christmas Eve. This discovery led to his arrest.
Amber Frey, a massage therapist from Fresno, came forward about their relationship after his arrest. She later testified that Peterson had told her he was a widower. According to the prosecution, Peterson created the anchors that dragged his wife's body to the bottom of San Francisco Bay using the same cement that he used to build his driveway. On the jury's recommendation, he was later found guilty and given a death sentence.
Where is Scott Peterson now?
Peterson's death sentence was reversed on August 24, 2020, by the California Supreme Court after it was decided that his sentencing was unfair and the jury selection process was biased. The San Mateo County Superior Court was instructed to re-examine the case after a jury failed to disclose that they were participating in other legal processes, which led to the court overturning his death sentence. Judge Anne-Christine Massullo of the Superior Court then set a new hearing date for September 22, 2021, to decide if there was juror misconduct in the defendant's initial trial and whether he was entitled to a fresh trial. The decision was made more than a year after the court's ruling because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
After Peterson's legal team said that Juror 7, Richelle Nice, had lied and withheld information about her personal life that they said constituted a conflict, Peterson was granted a new trial in December 2022. Because Nice failed to reveal that she had experienced domestic abuse and had requested a restraining order in 2000 out of concern that her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend would hurt her pregnant child, she was charged with "prejudicial misconduct."
Peterson is currently serving out his conviction in San Quentin State Prison. Despite their opposition to the death sentence, the jury members stated that they would maintain and carry out the law. The San Mateo County Superior Court Judge determined in 2021 that Perterson would be sentenced to life in prison without parole