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Scott Peterson resentenced to life in prison for 2002 murder of wife, unborn child

Scott Peterson
Posted at 3:01 PM, Dec 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-08 15:01:37-05

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly 17 years after being sentenced to die, Scott Peterson was resentenced to life without parole Wednesday during an emotional hearing in which family members of his slain pregnant wife, Laci, called him out for the killing in 2002 and his apparent lack of remorse.

The California Supreme Court ruled a year ago that his jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty in a case that gripped the world then and since.

The court ruled that one juror in the case failed to disclose their prior involvement with other legal proceedings, "including but not limited to being the victim of a crime."

Prosecutors opted to settle this time for life without parole.

Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his wife and her unborn child just before Christmas in 2002. Prosecutors say he dumped Laci Peterson's body in the San Francisco bay.

The search for Laci Peterson and Scott Peterson's subsequent trial was closely followed in the U.S. and worldwide. The body of Laci Peterson and her unborn child washed ashore separately in 2003, and Scott Peterson was convicted of multiple murder counts in 2005.