The California Supreme Court has requested a reexamination of Scott Peterson, asking a trial judge to consider whether his murder convictions should be overturned.
Peterson’s lawyers cited several reasons they believe the convictions should be overturned, but the high court had only agreed to one matter worth looking at, which was a juror’s failure to disclose she had been harassed by the ex-girlfriend of her boyfriend while she was pregnant.
The juror, Richelle Nice, also known as “Strawberry Shortcake,” didn’t mention she had filed a lawsuit in 2000 to obtain a restraining order against her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, saying in the lawsuit that she feared for her unborn child.
Nice was initially seated as an alternate, and Peterson’s lawyers said she worked hard to be placed on the jury, according to the Los Angeles Times. The lawyers said that despite Nice’s employer refusing to pay her throughout the duration of jury duty, she was willing to participate. She is one of several jurors who have since published books about serving on the 2004 trial.
In a short order, the court sent the case back to San Mateo County Superior Court to determine if Peterson should be granted a new trial, citing, “Juror No. 7 committed prejudicial misconduct by not disclosing her prior involvement with other legal proceedings, including but not limited to being the victim of a crime.”
The move comes two months after the California Supreme Court overturned Peterson’s 2005 death sentence.
Peterson was convicted of murdering his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and their unborn son Conner, almost 20 years ago.
Laci Peterson was due to give birth in just four weeks when she disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002. Four months later, her remains and the body of her unborn son were found washed up on a rocky shore of the San Francisco Bay.
Peterson, now 47, has been held at San Quentin State Prison since 2005.
The case continues to garner national attention and has been the subject of many documentaries, news programs, and dramatized films.
