A decades-old murder is set to be cast in a new light as a documentary about Scott Peterson’s conviction aims to “stress test” the science used to put him away for life.
(Video Credit: A&E)
Following a Christmas Eve 2002 disappearance, a months-long search culminated in the recovery of Laci Peterson and her unborn son’s remains along with the widely-covered trial and conviction of the father and husband for their murder. Now, A&E is set to premiere the documentary, “Scott Peterson: The New Evidence,” said to cast doubt on that conviction with unearthed footage, expert opinions, and an alleged handwritten note from the victim.
Legal analyst Chris Pixley, the documentary’s producer, said in the preview ahead of the two-part presentation scheduled to air on July 16 and 17, that he aims to “stress test” scientific evidence to “get a lot closer than anyone has” to answer the question of whether or not Peterson murdered his own family.
Research from the Los Angeles Innocence Project suggests that the pregnant mother and unborn son were murdered anywhere from four to 12 days after her disappearance and further alleges that the Modesto Police Department failed to properly investigate a burglary that may have taken place the same day Peterson disappeared. Officers were accused of having “knowingly and intentionally destroyed the only existing copies of videotaped police interviews conducted with the men who committed the burglary the day they were arrested.”
Scott Peterson’s representatives at LAIP also suggest the evidence presented to the jury to support the claim about where the murderer was said to have dumped the deceased is “no longer considered scientifically sound” as new modeling technology refutes the manner the tides of the San Francisco Bay were said to have behaved.
Additionally, a note from the victim suggests she was aware of the purchase of the fishing boat said to have been used to transport the deceased, contrary to the prosecution’s claim that Peterson bought it without her knowledge.
“I lose sleep — and with Scott, probably more than any other case — when I believe [a client] is innocent,” Peterson’s trial attorney Mark Geragos told the New York Post.
With a list of clients including Sean “Diddy” Combs, the Menendez brothers and Michael Jackson, he added, “You have an instinct or a gut feeling that is honed by doing 10,000 reps, so to speak, and you know when someone is good for a crime or when they’re not.”
As the death penalty was already reversed for Peterson, convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn son on or about Christmas Eve in the midst of an affair, LAIP’s continued efforts to exonerate its client found a California superior court declining review of evidence in April.
This lead it to set sights on appealing to a higher court with deputy director Hannah Brown stating at the time, “In the court’s ruling, strong exculpatory evidence was disregarded as ‘inadmissible’ which is not the correct legal standard. LAIP appreciates the willingness and courage of the witnesses who continue to come forward with information shedding light on what really happened.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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