Nearly ten years after the death of Laci Peterson and her unborn child, the convicted murderer in the case has formally appealed the death sentence he received. In the 470-page appeal, Scott Peterson and his defense attorney stated that the massive amount of media attention at the time prohibited him from receiving a fair trial. However, if this attempt is unsuccessful, he could be given the death sentence even sooner than scheduled. His attorney stated that Scott Peterson understood that it is not possible to receive a perfect trial, but he does deserve to receive a fair trial.
Themurder of Laci Peterson and her child was one of the most highly-publicized cases of the past decade. Laci and Scott Peterson were married in August of 1997 but did not become pregnant until 2002. In December of 2002, only two and a half months before the baby was born, Laci Peterson disappeared. The last people to see her alive were her half-sister and her mother. The next day, the family dog was found wandering the neighborhood. Laci was not home, but her purse was in the house and her car was in the driveway. Her husband stated that he had been fishing all day and returned home to find her missing.
A search continued until the body of a male fetus and recently pregnant mother washed up on shore, the bodies of Laci Peterson and her son. Although Laci’s family believed her husband was innocent, doubts arose when it was discovered he had had numerous affairs. He was arrested and found to be in possession of supplies which would aid him in fleeing the country. He was convicted ofmurder and has been serving his sentence on death row in San Quentin State Prison. It remains to be seen what the outcome of his appeal will be.
