Two decades after he was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, the judge presiding over Scott Peterson's case Monday gave the green light to the convicted murderer's discovery process.
The latest court filing marks a victory for Peterson, who was convicted in 2002 of murdering Laci Peterson. He has been supported by the Los Angeles Innocence Project since January of this year.
In the document, obtained by Fox News on Monday, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill granted Peterson's request for a post-conviction discovery period. Hill denied many of the team's requests for specific evidence, but approved others.
Peterson is entitled to discovery under California Penal Code § 1054.9, which provides discovery rights to defendants convicted of a felony or violent felony and sentenced to 15 years or more in prison. Peterson is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
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A still photo of Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson from the upcoming documentary series “American Murder: Laci Peterson.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
The law allows defendants to access materials “in the possession of prosecutors and law enforcement authorities that would have been entitled to the same defendant at the time of trial.”
“The court has considered the arguments submitted by all parties and the oral arguments of counsel and ordered post-conviction discovery pursuant to Penal Code § 1054.9 as follows,” the judge wrote.
Whether Peterson, who is incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison, will be granted a new trial will depend on how the discovery process progresses.
In 2004, Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife, Lacey, and their unborn child in 2002. Lacey, who was eight months pregnant, disappeared on Christmas Eve and a missing person report was filed by Peterson the next day. Peterson claimed that when he returned from a solo fishing trip, he found his home in Modesto, California, vacant and called authorities.
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Scott Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Lacey and their unborn son Connor in 2005, will appear remotely in his appeals court on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Mr. Peterson's latest attempt to have his conviction overturned has the backing of the Los Angeles Innocence Institute. project. Judge Elizabeth Hill (right) oversaw the case. (KTVU/Pool)
Four months later, Lacey's body washed up on a beach several miles from where Peterson went fishing. Peterson, who bleached his hair after the murder, was later arrested at the Mexican border with his brother's passport.
Last month, Peterson gave his first on-camera interview for Peacock's three-part series. Meet Scott Peterson So he said, “I regret it.''[ted] “I did not testify,” he said during the trial.
“I have an opportunity to show people what the truth is, and if they're willing to accept it, that's going to be the biggest thing I can accomplish right now, because… I didn't kill my family, but' he claimed.
The convict also theorized that Ms. Lacey was killed by robbers targeting a nearby home at the time of the murder. The robbers later testified that they broke into a nearby home on December 26, 2002, after Lacey went missing.
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An undated family photo of Laci Peterson and Sharon Rocha will be featured in the upcoming documentary series “American Murder: Laci Peterson.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
“There was a robbery across the street from my house,” Peterson said on the TV series. “So I think Lacey went there to see what was going on and was taken there.”
Fox News Digital's Christina Coulter and Michael Lundin contributed to this report.
