Scott Peterson Speaks Out After 20 Years: Was He Wrongfully Convicted of His Wife’s Murder?

After 20 years of silence, Scott Peterson, the man convicted of the 2002 murders of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner, has reemerged into the public eye, asserting his innocence in a new three-part docuseries, Face to Face with Scott Peterson, premiering on Peacock.

The series, along with Netflix’s American Murder: Laci Peterson, has reignited public interest in one of America’s most infamous true crime cases.

Peterson, who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, expressed regret over his affair with Fresno massage therapist Amber Frey, calling his infidelity “horrible” and admitting, “I was a total a-hole to be having sex outside our marriage.” However, he vehemently denies the prosecution’s narrative that he killed Laci to escape the responsibilities of fatherhood and marriage. “I didn’t kill my family,” Peterson stated in the documentary, labeling the accusations against him as “offensive and disgusting.”

He was convicted in 2004 after a trial that painted him as an adulterer who disposed of his wife’s body in the Berkeley Marina on Christmas Eve 2002, making it appear as though she had disappeared.

Laci’s decomposed remains, along with those of Conner, were discovered months later on the shores of the San Francisco Bay.

The case, which has been the subject of numerous films, documentaries, and books, is now being revisited by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, which has taken on Peterson’s appeal, arguing that his conviction was based on circumstantial evidence. The project, known for advocating for wrongfully convicted individuals, is seeking new evidence to support Peterson’s claim of innocence.

A setback occurred earlier this year when a judge denied most of Peterson’s requests for new DNA testing, though some evidence, including a strip of duct tape found on Laci’s remains, will undergo retesting.

Despite the overwhelming evidence presented during his trial, including Peterson’s suspicious behavior, such as bleaching his hair and carrying large sums of cash near the Mexico border when he was arrested, Peterson and his supporters remain hopeful. His sister-in-law, Janey Peterson, who has become a lawyer to help fight for his freedom, continues to believe in his innocence.

“Scott lied about cheating, and that was upsetting,” she said in the documentary. “But he wasn’t charged with infidelity. He was charged with murder.”

Prosecutors have consistently dismissed Peterson’s claims, arguing that the circumstantial evidence presented at trial-such as Laci’s hair found on a pair of pliers in Peterson’s boat and the discovery of Laci’s scent at the Berkeley Marina-points directly to his guilt.

They also refuted Peterson’s alternative theory that burglars from a nearby home were responsible for Laci’s death, noting that the burglary occurred days after she was reported missing.

As Peterson’s new appeal moves forward, legal experts remain skeptical of his chances of securing a retrial.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, noted, “It’s unlikely he’ll get a new trial because there was so much circumstantial evidence of his guilt. Even if he does, the jury will likely find it hard to overlook his infidelity and lack of remorse.”

The docuseries Face to Face with Scott Peterson and American Murder: Laci Peterson aim to shed light on the case from Peterson’s perspective, but they also bring to the forefront the pain and suffering experienced by Laci’s family.

Her mother, Sharon Rocha, and Peterson’s former mistress, Amber Frey, also participate in these documentaries, providing their own harrowing accounts of the events surrounding Laci’s disappearance and death.

As the public once again grapples with the details of this tragic case, his plea for a new trial underscores the ongoing debate over his guilt, the justice system, and the possibility of wrongful convictions.

Whether the new evidence will be enough to overturn his conviction remains to be seen, but for now, Scott Peterson continues to proclaim his innocence from behind bars.