Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 of killing his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son Conner, remains in California state prison serving life without parole. The Los Angeles Innocence Project has reopened scrutiny of the conviction and is advancing an alternate burglary-abduction theory. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani says the prosecution’s circumstantial case—affair, body found near Peterson’s claimed fishing spot, and other evidence—remains persuasive, and he judges Peterson’s chances of release to be slim.
Scott Peterson Remains Behind Bars as Appeals Continue: Expert Says Release Unlikely
Scott Peterson and Amber Frey pictured at a Christmas party on Dec. 14, 2002, before the murder of Laci Peterson and before Frey knew Scott Peterson was a married man.
More than two decades after Laci Peterson vanished from the family home in Modesto, California, the case that riveted the nation continues to draw legal challenges, media attention and public debate.
Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son Conner, remains incarcerated in California state prison, serving life without the possibility of parole. Laci disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002; months later, investigators recovered remains identified as Laci and the fetus in San Francisco Bay.
Recent Legal Moves
Peterson’s legal team filed a petition in April seeking to overturn aspects of his conviction, and the Los Angeles Innocence Project has taken up his case. The Innocence Project argues an alternate theory: that intruders abducted and killed Laci, and her body was later dumped in the bay to make it appear linked to Scott Peterson’s fishing activity in the area.
Expert Assessment
Neama Rahmani, a California-based former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital that while legal avenues remain, they are narrow and Peterson’s prospects for release are slim. Rahmani noted that Peterson’s death sentence was vacated on appeal because the California Supreme Court found error in excluding certain jurors based on their death-penalty views; the conviction itself was left intact. Prosecutors later declined to pursue a new penalty phase amid California’s death-penalty moratorium, and Peterson’s sentence was reduced to life without parole.
Scott Peterson listens to the prosecutor during his trial on charges in the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, on Jan. 4, 2004, in Modesto, California.
"Scott Peterson is spending the rest of his life in California state prison," Rahmani said. "There’s still some legal challenges, but they’re narrow."
Prosecution Evidence And The Defense Theory
Rahmani characterized the original prosecution as a largely circumstantial but persuasive case. Prosecutors pointed to several factors they say support Peterson’s guilt: his admitted extramarital affair, the proximity of Laci’s remains to where Peterson said he had been fishing, and aspects of his behavior after Laci disappeared. Prosecutors also highlighted physical details—such as concrete used to anchor the body—and items investigators said tied to Peterson, including a concrete purchase, a change in appearance, cash and an ID in someone else’s name, and camping gear.
The defense and the Innocence Project maintain that those facts do not conclusively show Peterson’s guilt and push the burglary-abduction theory as an alternative explanation.
Media, Public Perception And Next Steps
The case remains in the public eye through documentaries and true‑crime series that revisit the evidence and the verdict. Rahmani said media attention can shape public perception and occasionally influence legal momentum, but he reiterated that he believes Peterson’s chances of overturning the conviction are low.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to the Los Angeles Innocence Project for comment.
