Sagsmappe
Scott Peterson: From Death Row to Life Without Parole
How California's highest court overturned a death sentence in one of America's most controversial murder cases
BEVIS
Scott Peterson murdered his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son Conner in December 2002, in a case that gripped America and exposed deep fractures in how capital trials are conducted.
Laci Denise Peterson, seven and a half months pregnant, vanished on Christmas Eve 2002 from her home in Modesto, California. Her husband Scott reported her missing that evening after returning from what he claimed was a fishing trip to the Berkeley Marina. More than three months later, decomposed remains of both Laci and her unborn son washed ashore in San Francisco Bay in April 2003—just miles from where Scott said he had been fishing that morning. DNA testing confirmed their identities.
Scott Peterson became the primary suspect almost immediately. When arrested on April 18, 2003, at a golf course near the Mexican border in San Diego, authorities found his vehicle packed with cash, his brother's identification, multiple cell phones, knives, and credit cards. His hair had been dyed blonde. Police also discovered that Scott had been conducting an extramarital affair with Amber Frey, a massage therapist. Recorded conversations revealed Scott lying repeatedly to Frey—most notably claiming to be in Paris when he was actually in California.
Timeline
24 December 2002
Laci Peterson verschwindet
Die 27-jährige hochschwangere Laci Peterson verschwindet an Heiligabend aus ihrem Haus in Modesto, Kalifornien.
1 April 2003
Leichenfund in der San Francisco Bay
Die Leichen von Laci Peterson und ihrem ungeborenen Sohn Conner werden in der San Francisco Bay gefunden.
12 November 2004
Scott Peterson schuldig gesprochen
Ein Geschworenengericht spricht Scott Peterson des Mordes an seiner Frau und seines ungeborenen Sohnes schuldig.
16 March 2005
Todesstrafe verhängt
Scott Peterson wird zum Tode verurteilt.
24 August 2020
Todesstrafe aufgehoben
Der Oberste Gerichtshof Kaliforniens hebt das Todesurteil gegen Peterson auf.
8 December 2021
Umwandlung in lebenslange Haft
Scott Peterson wird zu lebenslanger Haft ohne Möglichkeit auf Bewährung verurteilt.
1 August 2025
Antrag auf Wiederaufnahme abgelehnt
Ein kalifornischer Richter lehnt den Antrag des Los Angeles Innocence Project auf Wiederaufnahme des Verfahrens ab.
The prosecution built a circumstantial case against him. Prosecutors argued Scott strangled or smothered Laci on the night of December 23 or the morning of December 24—a "soft kill" that left no blood or obvious weapon. The evidence was largely circumstantial: Scott's suspicious behavior after Laci's disappearance, his lies to his mistress, his interest in selling the house in January 2003, his mounting financial problems ($23,000 in credit card debt), and the location where Laci's body was discovered near where he claimed to have been fishing. Jurors cited "hundreds of small puzzle pieces" that together painted a portrait of guilt.
On November 12, 2004, a jury convicted Peterson of first-degree murder of Laci with special circumstances and second-degree murder of Conner. Judge Alfred Delucchi sentenced him to death by lethal injection on March 16, 2005, describing the murder as "cruel, uncaring, heartless, and callous." Peterson was also ordered to pay $10,000 toward Laci's funeral expenses.
For fifteen years, Peterson sat on California's death row. But on August 24, 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence—not because of doubt about his guilt, but because of fundamental errors in how his jury was selected. Judge Delucchi, the same judge who imposed the death sentence, had improperly dismissed potential jurors who had general concerns about capital punishment. This created a jury that was allegedly skewed toward those predisposed to impose a death sentence, violating Peterson's constitutional rights.
The court ordered Peterson resentenced to life without the possibility of parole. He remains incarcerated, no longer facing execution but with no realistic prospect of ever being released.