Scott Peterson will only have one additional item tested for DNA evidence in his case to prove his innocence.
A California judge largely denied a motion by Peterson’s defense team and the Los Angeles Innocence Project for further evidence.
The big picture: The Los Angeles Innocence Project requested 14 items be DNA tested. The judge denied the request for all but one item – the duct tape recovered from Laci Peterson’s pants during her autopsy.
- Laci Peterson, who was pregnant, disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002, and her body was found in the San Francisco Bay in April 2003.
- Scott Peterson was convicted in 2004 for first-degree murder in his wife’s death and second-degree murder in their unborn son’s death.
- He was initially sentenced to death, later overturned to life imprisonment without parole.
Go deeper: Attorneys with the LA Innocence Project claim Scott Peterson’s state and federal constitutional rights were violated, and that there is no forensic evidence linking him to the murders.
- His attorneys are seeking additional items for testing and will discuss their motion further in court on July 15.
