Los Angeles Innocence Project Presents New Evidence Claims in Scott Peterson Case

Scott Peterson's legal team with the Los Angeles Innocence Project says it has uncovered new evidence that could overturn his conviction for the murder of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson, the New York Post reported. ” Retired LAPD detective Ninette Toosbuy, who appears in the series, said Modesto police did not follow up on every possible lead during the missing person investigation and that Peterson deserves a new trial.

The docuseries identifies 15 people who claimed they saw Laci Peterson walking her dog McKenzie on the morning of December 24, 2002, after Peterson said he had left for a fishing trip.

The series also examines a burglary reported at a home across the street from the Petersons that morning and a burned-out van containing a mattress with apparent bloodstains found about one mile away on December 25, 2002. Only a small portion of the mattress fabric was previously tested for DNA, and Laci’s DNA was not identified on that portion, according to the Los Angeles Innocence Project.

An expert retained by the project used Delft3D hydrodynamic modeling and concluded Laci could have been placed in the water off Albany Bulb, miles from where Peterson said he fished.

Handwritten notes recovered from the Peterson home appear to indicate Laci knew about the boat and may have been buying equipment for it, a forensic examiner said. Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on December 24, 2002. Her body and the body of her unborn son Conner washed ashore in San Francisco Bay months later.

Peterson was convicted in 2004, originally sentenced to death and later resentenced to life without parole. In April 2026, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill denied Peterson’s latest petition to overturn the conviction. Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero said in May 2026 that the judge recognized the petition as recycled arguments.