Convicted killer Scott Peterson keeps swinging in court — but expert says he’s not going anywhere but his cell

More than 2 decades aft Laci Peterson vanished from her Modesto, California, home, the execution lawsuit that captivated the federation continues to gully ineligible challenges, nationalist statement and renewed attention.

As the twelvemonth comes to a close, Scott Peterson, convicted successful 2004 of murdering his large woman and their unborn lad Conner, remains down bars, serving beingness without the anticipation of parole. His woman disappeared connected Christmas Eve successful 2002, and a fewer months aboriginal the remains of Laci and Conner were recovered successful the San Francisco Bay.

While Peterson's condemnation has stood for years, the lawsuit continues to make headlines, arsenic his lawyers filed a petition past April seeking to overturn his conviction.

"Scott Peterson is spending the remainder of his beingness successful California authorities prison," erstwhile national authoritative Neama Rahmani, a California-based attorney, told Fox News Digital. "He was primitively sentenced to death, but connected appeal, the California Supreme Court said that excluding definite jurors based connected their views of the decease punishment was a ineligible error."

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Laci Peterson and Sharon Rocha successful an undated household photograph appearing successful the forthcoming docuseries, "American Murder: Laci Peterson." (Courtesy of Netflix)

That ruling overturned Peterson’s decease sentence, though not his conviction. Prosecutors aboriginal declined to retry the punishment signifier aft Laci Peterson’s household chose not to prosecute it, citing California’s decease punishment moratorium. As a result, Peterson’s condemnation was reduced to beingness without parole.

It was aft that resentencing that the Los Angeles Innocence Project took up Peterson’s case, arguing helium did not termination his woman oregon their unborn son.

"When the Innocence Project takes up your case, radical commencement to notice," Rahmani said. "There are a batch of high-profile celebrities and lawyers who are inactive litigating this lawsuit much than 20 years later."

The defence and the Innocence Project person pushed an alternate theory, suggesting Laci Peterson was abducted by burglars and aboriginal killed, and that her assemblage was dumped successful the San Francisco Bay to framework Scott Peterson erstwhile it became nationalist that helium had been sportfishing successful the area.

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"That’s truly the alternate mentation close present that the defence and the Innocence Project is pushing," Rahmani said.

Despite the continued litigation, Rahmani said the archetypal lawsuit against Peterson remains strong.

"It’s a circumstantial case, but determination was plentifulness of grounds implicating Scott Peterson successful his wife’s execution and their unborn son," helium said.

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Scott Peterson and Amber Frey pictured astatine a Christmas enactment connected Dec. 14, 2002, earlier the execution of Laci Peterson and earlier Frey knew Scott Peterson was a joined man.  (Superior Court of California, San Mateo County)

Rahmani pointed to respective factors that prosecutors argued showed Peterson’s guilt, including his extramarital affair, the proximity of Laci Peterson’s assemblage to the determination wherever helium had been sportfishing and his behaviour aft she went missing.

"Her assemblage ended up conscionable miles distant from wherever helium was sportfishing that day," Rahmani said. "He had bought concrete. Her assemblage was anchored with concrete. He dyed his hair, had cash, idiosyncratic else’s ID, and camping cogwheel — behaviour accordant with idiosyncratic trying to flee."

The lawsuit has besides remained successful the spotlight owed successful portion to documentaries and true-crime bid that proceed to revisit Peterson’s conviction. Rahmani said media attraction tin play a almighty relation successful shaping nationalist cognition and sometimes ineligible outcomes.

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Scott Peterson listens to the authoritative during his proceedings connected charges successful the execution of his wife, Laci Peterson, connected Jan. 4, 2004, successful Modesto, California. (Bart Ah You/Modesto Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))

"The applicable world is that media sum tin impact a case," Rahmani said. "Public and governmental unit tin alteration outcomes, adjacent though each lawsuit should beryllium decided connected its ineligible and factual merits."

As 2025 draws to a close, Rahmani says 1 of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the lawsuit is that Scott Peterson is connected the verge of being released.

"There’s inactive immoderate ineligible challenges, but they’re narrow," helium said. "On the factual side, it’s truly this alternate mentation the defence is pushing."

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While Rahmani acknowledges determination is inactive a ineligible way guardant for Peterson, helium believes the likelihood stay slim.

"I don’t deliberation it’s a peculiarly bully shot," Rahmani said. "And I bash expect Scott Peterson to dice successful California State Prison."

Fox News Digital reached retired to the Los Angeles Innocence Project.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].