Scott Peterson: A FREE MAN?

SHOCKING NEW EVIDENCE MAY CLEAR SCOTT PETERSON'S NAME NEARLY 22 YEARS AFTER THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE AND UNBORN CHILD.

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IT was a case that gripped the nation. On Christmas Eve in 2002, Laci Peterson, then 27 years old and eight months pregnant, went missing. Four months later, her body and that of her unborn son, Connor, were found in San Francisco Bay. Her clean-cut husband, Scott, became the prime suspect after it was discovered he’d been having an extramarital affair. And in March 2005, he was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death (he was later resentenced to life in prison without parole).

In the nearly two decades since his conviction, Scott has fiercely proclaimed his innocence. Now he may just get a chance to prove it. The Los Angeles Innocence Project — which provides free legal services to incarcerated people who may have been wrongfully convicted — has taken up his case, claiming in legal filings that new evidence “supports Mr. Peterson’s longstanding claim of innocence.”

STRONG REACTIONS 

In light of the new investigation, people close to the case are speaking out. A cousin of Laci’s said the Innocence Project is “barking up the wrong tree,” adding, “As far as we’re concerned, it’s a done deal: He killed Laci.” A source tells Star the thought of having the case upended is “a nightmare” for Laci’s mom, Sharon Rocha. Meanwhile, Scott’s family is hopeful. “They’re looking forward to their day in court,” says the source. “With the Innocence Project on their side, Scott and his lawyers believe they will triumph.”