A man who was convicted of killing his pregnant wife and their unborn baby has been resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for her death in 2002.
Scott Peterson, 49, was convicted in 2004 for the murders of his wife Laci and their unborn son Conner. Peterson was originally sentenced to death.
According to NBC, the California Supreme Court reversed Peterson’s death sentence in August 2020, after finding that potential jurors were dismissed erroneously, in part because they expressed general objections to the death penalty on a questionnaire.
Judge Anne-Christine Massullo on Wednesday ordered Peterson to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of Laci. The judge also sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison for the death of the unborn baby, Conner. The sentences will run concurrently, the judge said.
Peterson, 49, spent more than 15 years on death row in California after he was found guilty in the murders. The state Supreme Court overturned his sentence last year after it was determined that jurors who disagreed with the death penalty were dismissed improperly.
He was moved to a jail in San Mateo County before his sentencing, the county’s Superior Court told NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento.
Before he was sentenced, Laci Peterson’s mother, sister, and brother addressed the court.
