Scott Peterson’s Bid to Overturn Murder Conviction of Wife Laci and Unborn Child Denied by Judge

Scott Peterson, who was found guilty in the murder of his wife Laci Peterson and unborn son Conner, will remain behind bars.

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release issued Tuesday, May 12, that San Mateo County Superior Court judge Elizabeth M. Hill denied Peterson’s third petition for writ of habeas corpus in its entirety, rejecting every single one of his 14 claims.

The decision was made on April 27. According to the United States Courts, writ of habeas corpus is “to justify the prisoner’s continued confinement.”

The murder of Laci captivated the nation after she disappeared from her home in Modesto, California, on Christmas Eve in 2002 while eight months pregnant with their child, who she and Scott planned to name Conner.

Months later, their remains were found along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay.

Peterson, who was discovered to have had an extramarital affair with Amber Frey, was eventually convicted of two counts of murder, including first-degree murder with special circumstances for killing Laci and second-degree murder for killing their baby she was carrying.

Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero said in a statement issued this week that “Judge Hill recognized the most recent attempt to undo the jury’s verdict for what it was — nothing more than recycled, repackaged and rebranded arguments.”

“No credible ‘new evidence’ was presented, and I found the real bombshell to be the unsealing of a transcript that contradicted the claims Peterson has made for years attempting to discredit law enforcement, the investigation and the prosecution,” Laugero added. “Peterson’s 2004 conviction has been upheld through two decades of post-conviction litigation and again with this ruling in 2026. Laci, Conner and their family deserve the finality that justice promised them.”

Peterson’s third petition, filed in August 2025, included a claim of actual innocence and recycled arguments that courts have already rejected.

Peterson was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection, but his death sentence was overturned. He was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.