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California Supreme Court orders reexamination of Scott Peterson’s murder convictions after overturning death sentence

In this March 17, 2005, file photo, Scott Peterson is escorted by two San Mateo County Sheriff deputies to a waiting van in Redwood City, California. (Justin Sullivan / Associated Press)

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a trial judge to consider whether Scott Peterson’s convictions for murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son should be overturned.

The state’s highest court already overturned Peterson’s death sentence on appeal this year. In a separate petition, Peterson’s lawyers cited an array of reasons the convictions should be overturned as well.


The court agreed that one matter warranted attention: a juror who failed to disclose that she had once feared for her unborn child when being harassed by the ex-girlfriend of her boyfriend.

In a brief order, the court sent the case back to San Mateo County Superior Court to determine whether Peterson should be granted a new trial on the grounds that “Juror No. 7 committed prejudicial misconduct by not disclosing her prior involvement with other legal proceedings, including but not limited to being the victim of a crime.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com.