Convicted murderer Scott Peterson has been granted post-conviction discovery in the latest series of events in his bid for a new trial.
In a filing dated Oct. 7 and obtained by Court TV, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill addressed more than 600 pieces of evidence that Peterson’s defense had requested access to.
Peterson was sentenced to death for the 2002 murders of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. In 2021, he was resentenced to life in prison without parole. The following year, he was denied a new trial on allegations of juror misconduct.
Peterson’s defense, in their attempt to convince a judge he deserves a new trial, had asked for a number of items related to a burglary at the home of Rudy and Susan Medina, who lived diagonally across from the Petersons. Two men tied to the burglary, Steven Todd and Donald Pearce, were cleared as suspects in Laci’s disappearance.
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Judge Hill denied Peterson’s request for all Modesto police reports, the steps officers took to verify Pearce and Todd’s alibis and more information about their polygraph exams. But Judge Hill granted Peterson’s team access to audio and video recordings, as well as transcripts of the suspects’ interviews with police and handwritten notes from the officers who conducted the interviews. Peterson’s team will also be able to review the 2003 search warrants relating to the Medina burglary as well as photos of the evidence found, which includes items identified as not belonging to the Medinas.