Scott Peterson sentenced to life in prison for 2002 murder of wife Laci
Scott Peterson was re-sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson in 2002.
Peterson had been sentenced to death in 2005. That punishment was overturned by the California State Supreme Court in 2020 on the grounds that jurors had not been properly vetted for biases with regards to capital punishment. The guilty verdict was upheld.
Before accepting his sentence Wednesday, Peterson, 49, was admonished for his actions by the victim’s still-grieving family.
“I still feel the grief every day, after 19 years,” Laci Peterson’s mom Sharon Rocha told her daughter’s killer. “Your evil, self-centered, unforgivable selfish act ended two beautiful souls. And for what reason? There was no reason other than that you just didn’t want them anymore.”
Rocha blasted the former fertilizer salesman as “a coward” and said she still has dreams about her daughter, who was 27 years old at the time of the murder. Brent Rocha and Amy Rocha, the victim’s siblings, also offered emotional testimony.
Peterson’s attorney contended that client showed no remorse because he’s not responsible for the crime. The defense argued there were burglars near the couple’s Modesto, Calif., home when the victim went missing on Christmas Eve, 2002. Investigators ruled out those burglars as suspects.
Though he didn’t take the stand at his original trial, Peterson was prepared to speak prior to Wednesday’s judgment. The court denied that request. Peterson supporters in the court room were also blocked from speaking on his behalf.
Peterson was arrested after the bodies of his wife and unborn son washed ashore near San Francisco more than three months after they were reported missing.
A massage therapist in Fresno said she was dating Peterson at the time of his wife’s death, but had been told he was already a widow. Peterson was also charged with second-degree murder in the death of his unborn son.
He was moved to a county jail after his death penalty was overturned and is expected to remain there until a judge decides if his case should be retried in late February. Defense lawyers have argued that a woman on Peterson’s jury who didn’t initially reveal she’d been the victim of abuse while pregnant may have been biased against the defendant.
With News Wire Services
