A California murder case that captivated the nation is about to take a big turn in court.
Scott Peterson plans to speak out this morning when he's re-sentenced for killing his pregnant wife and their unborn son. It happened in 2002 on Christmas Eve, just a month before Laci was due to give birth. Her family will be there today and making statements as well. Peterson's death sentence was overturned last year because of an error made by a judge. A hearing in February will determine if he gets a new trial. "The People submit to the Court that the only sentence available for this defendant is a sentence of life without the possibility of parole plus 15 years to life for the murders of Laci and Conner," Peterson's wife and unborn son, the prosecutor's December filing stated.
The resentencing comes amid yet another legal tangle in Peterson's case: In October 2020, the California Supreme Court ordered a lower court to reexamine his murder convictions because a juror did not disclose involvement in other legal proceedings. Peterson was sentenced to death in 2005 for the 2002 murders of Laci and Conner in what was arguably one of the most publicized trials in recent memory. But in 2020, the state's highest court found prospective jurors were dismissed in error after they expressed general objections to the death penalty on a questionnaire.