California’s Supreme Court overturned the 2005 death sentence for Scott Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife Laci and their unborn son, Conner, more than 15 years ago.
The court upheld the 2004 murder conviction, however, and prosecutors may try again for the death sentence.
A “series of clear and significant errors in jury selection” undermined Peterson’s right to an impartial jury as part of its justification for overturning the sentence, the court said in a ruling Monday, according to the Associated Press.
“Peterson contends his trial was flawed for multiple reasons, beginning with the unusual amount of pretrial publicity that surrounded the case,” the court said. “We reject Peterson’s claim that he received an unfair trial as to guilt and thus affirm his convictions for murder.”
The court agreed with Peterson that potential jurors who personally disagreed with the death penalty were improperly dismissed. He also argued he couldn’t get a fair trial because of how high-profile the case became.
Laci Peterson was 27 years old at the time of her death and eight months pregnant with Connor. Investigators say Peterson dumped the bodies on Christmas Eve in 2002 from his fishing boat into the San Francisco Bay, where they later resurfaced.
Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Laci Peterson and second-degree murder in the death of their unborn son.
The case continues to garner national interest and attention, becoming the subject of many documentaries, news shows, and other coverage.
