‘TOO PAINFUL’

Scott Peterson Will Escape Death Penalty

The DA won’t pursue a capital-punishment retrial against Peterson for the murder of his pregnant wife.

Prosecutors have decided not to put Scott Peterson on trial again in pursuit of the death penalty for the 2005 murder of his pregnant wife, Laci. “While the family of Laci and Conner believe there is no doubt that defendant is guilty of these crimes and that his conduct warrants the death penalty and defendant is deserving of the punishment of death, the family has decided this process is simply too painful to endure once again,” the Stanislaus County District Attorney wrote in a court filing. An appeals court had overturned Peterson’s sentence because potential jurors who opposed capital punishment were disqualified from serving. The DA’s decision means that Peterson would be resentenced to life in prison—if a separate bid for a new trial fails. In that appeal, Peterson argues his conviction was tainted by juror misconduct: a woman on the panel didn’t reveal that she had tried to get a restraining order in a personal matter out of fear for her unborn child.