LA Innocence Project Claims New Evidence Could Overturn Scott Peterson's Conviction | Crime Alert 12PM 05.01.25

The Los Angeles Innocence Project has submitted new evidence in a bid to overturn Scott Peterson's conviction.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alart hourly update, breaking crime news Now. I'm Nicole Parton.
The Los Angeles Innocence Project has submitted new evidence in
a bid to overturn Scott Peterson's conviction. In their filing,
they assert that Peterson, who was found guilty in two
thousand and four of murdering his wife Lacy and their
unborn child, Connor, was deprived of his rights to due

(00:22):
process and a fair trial due to the prosecution's destruction
of crucial evidence that could have exonerated him. The petition
introduces new evidence that was unavailable during the trial, quote
bolstering the petition's claims of innocence and demonstrating that he
was wrongfully convicted. The document states this new information significantly

(00:44):
undermines the prosecution's circumstantial case against the petitioner and reveals
that the jury was influenced by misleading evidence, including inaccurate
scientific findings. The claim says. John sonogo chair of the
board for the La Innocence Project, says they believe the
new information could lead to a reversal of Peterson's conviction. Well,

(01:08):
we do believe that the evidence that we are producing
in this particular filing should lead to his exoneration proof
of his innocence. Among the new evidence presented in the
filings are details concerning a burglary that occurred near the
Peterson residence around the time Lacey disappeared. The new submissions
also encompassed quote, advanced scientific and medical research, witness testimonies,

(01:32):
an additional documentation regarding the Modesto Police Department's involvement in
the investigation. The petition further argues that the initial determination
of Connor's the unborn child's date of death was erroneous,
suggesting that he was alive for at least an additional
week quote. What particularly caught my attention was the application

(01:54):
of fetal biometry, which is fundamentally crucial. Senego explained, this
was one of the main elements we introduced as scientific
evidence to clarify the actual date of Connor's death. Last October,
a judge in San Mateo County allowed Peterson's legal team
access to previously undisclosed evidence that could validate their allegations

(02:17):
of trial irregularities and potential mishandling of evidence. The La
Innocence Project requested over six hundred pieces of evidence, but
was granted access to only about thirty six. Peterson received
a death sentence in March twenty twenty five, but in
twenty twenty the California Supreme Court overturned that sentence after

(02:38):
discovering that potential jurors had been improperly removed. The following year,
he was re sentenced to life in prison without the
possibility of parole or primate justice. News after this and
now to Utah, where a seven year old boy who

(03:00):
wants to be a truck driver when he grows up
got some early practice in on Sunday morning when he
took his little sister on a drive to McDonald's while
their mom was asleep. Whitney Bush, a single mom from Clearfield, Utah,
told KTVX that she had checked on her children early
in the morning and returned to bed. Hours later, police

(03:22):
came to her door to inform her that her vehicle
and two of her children were missing. I absolutely had
my heart and my stomach, the mother said, I had
no idea what was going on. Around eight am, Ogden
police received reports of a reckless driver and began pursuing
the vehicle. They quickly realized the driver was a child
and disengaged pursuit to avoid further risk. The car soon

(03:45):
crashed into a parking strip, and police found both the
driver and his five year old sister unharmed. Bush acknowledged
that her son had previously exhibited behavioral challenges, but that
an escalation this extreme was a I don't think anyone
expects to wake up and find their seven year old
has taken the car for a joy ride. She said

(04:07):
the boy was planning to go to McDonald's and even
brought along some money. Although he reportedly passed several McDonald's
along the way, police say he was in a world
of his own and probably didn't even realize he had
passed his restaurant of choice. Bush acknowledges her son's determination.
He's got a family full of truck drivers. He's going
to be one when he grows up, he says. As

(04:29):
for now, he may not get that opportunity. As his
mother says, he's crowned for life. For the latest crime
injustice news, follow crime alert hourly update on your favorite
podcasting app with this crime Alert. I'm Nicole Pardon