Stanislaus County district attorney to retry death penalty phase of Scott Peterson murder case

The California Supreme Court ordered a reexamination of Peterson's murder charges due to possible juror misconduct.

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Friday, October 23, 2020
Stanislaus County district attorney to retry death penalty phase of Scott Peterson murder case
The DA will retry the penalty phase of Scott Peterson's murder case, meaning he could face the death penalty once again.

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office will retry the penalty phase of Scott Peterson's murder case, meaning he could face the death penalty once again, prosecutors said during a hearing on Friday morning.

The hearing was held in Stanislaus County Superior Court after California's Supreme Court reversed Peterson's death penalty conviction in August and ordered a reexamination of Peterson's murder charges due to possible misconduct when it came to selecting jurors.

RELATED: Scott Peterson's murder convictions to be reexamined in California court

The court also determined that Peterson could retain his private trial counsel through Attorney Pat Harris, who was one of Peterson's attorney during the 2005 trial.

The new penalty hearing will begin on November 6 at 8:30 am.

Peterson was convicted in 2005 of murdering his 27-year-old wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son in a highly publicized case that made national headlines.