A California district attorney will not seek a new death penalty for Scott Peterson. Last year the state Supreme Court reversed his capital punishment sentence for the killing of his wife Laci Peterson and their unborn son Conner.
In 2004, a jury found Scott guilty for the death of his wife Laci, who was eight months pregnant at the time. On Christmas Eve 2002, Laci was reported missing. The case was one of the most high-profile murder trials in U.S. history. At that time, Prosecutors claimed that Scott killed his wife and unborn child at their home in Modesto, Calif. He also dumped their bodies in the San Francisco Bay.
According to court documents, “The People have met and discussed with the victims’ family what a new penalty trial would involve, pursuant to their rights under Marsy’s Law. While the family of Laci and Conner believe there is no doubt that the defendant is guilty of these crimes and that his conduct warrants the death penalty and the defendant is deserving of the punishment of death, the family has decided this process is simply too painful to endure once again.”
Then the documents continued, “The decision to accept the sentence for defendant of Life Without the Possibility of Parole followed discussions with the family of the victims, Laci and Conner; they are aware that, if the penalty phase is not retried, the defendant will be sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole. Therefore, notice is hereby given that the Office of the District Attorney will not re-try the penalty phase for defendant Scott Lee Peterson. Accordingly, the People respectfully request that this Court set a date for defendant’s sentencing.”
An official Facebook page for Scott’s family and supporters said, “We are grateful that Stanislaus County is no longer seeking to put Scott to death, but it’s #Time4aNewTrial.”