Scott Peterson, the man who was sentenced to life imprisonment nearly two decades ago for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Connor, is back in the public eye.
He has recently presented a new theory that he hopes might exonerate him from the charges.
In his first on-camera interview since his sentencing, Peterson spoke to Peacock's new documentary "Face to Face with Scott Peterson." According to The New York Post, Peterson, now 49, insists he did not murder his family. Instead, he suggests that a burglary in their Modesto, California neighborhood led to his wife's disappearance when she was eight months pregnant.
Peterson, speaking from Mule Creek State Prison, stated, "There was a burglary across the street from our home. And I believe that Laci went over there to see what was going on, and that's when she was taken." Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002, and her body was found in the San Francisco Bay in April of the following year. The body of their unborn son was discovered nearby just days later.
Peterson accuses investigators of withholding evidence that could have potentially exonerated him during his trial. "There are so many instances where there was evidence that didn't fit the detectives' theory that they ignored," Peterson claimed. "People want the answer they believed in to be the answer."
The documentary series includes input from journalists and legal experts, who reveal that witnesses reported a suspicious van near the burgled home on the day of Laci's disappearance. One witness even claimed to have seen a pregnant woman being forced into a van.
However, former Modesto Police detectives Jon Buehler and Al Brocchini have dismissed Peterson's claims, asserting there is no new evidence that would absolve him of the murders.
Peterson, expressing regret for not testifying at his trial, is now speaking out in an attempt to alleviate his family's suffering. "If I have a chance to get the reality out there, if I have the chance to show people what the truth is and if they're willing to accept it, maybe that takes a little bit of hurt off my family," he said. "And that would be the biggest thing that I can accomplish right now."
Janey Peterson, Scott's sister-in-law, also strongly asserts in the documentary that she believes Scott was wrongfully convicted.
The Los Angeles Innocence Project took on Peterson's case in January, arguing that new evidence would prove his innocence. The documentary also delves into a potential motive for the crime, revealing that Peterson was having an extramarital affair with Amber Frey.
Peterson admits the affair was "horrible" and that he "was a total ahole to be having sex outside our marriage." However, Janey Peterson points out, "Scott lied about cheating and that was upsetting. But he wasn't charged with infidelity. He was charged with murder."
Peterson is now seeking public support to challenge the "so-called investigation" that led to his imprisonment. During his five-month trial, prosecutors painted him as a man who regretted becoming a father and murdered his wife to escape his marriage and avoid paying child support. He was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection, but the California Supreme Court overturned the sentence in 2020.
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