A Scott Peterson juror said the killer’s renewed efforts to blame his wife’s murder on a nearby burglar were wrong.
In 2004, Mike Belmessieri and 11 other jurors found Scott Peterson guilty of murdering his 8-month pregnant wife, Laci Peterson.
During the preliminary hearing, Scott Peterson’s attorney Mark Geragos claimed a burglary near the couple’s Modesto home around the time of Laci Peterson’s disappearance may have had something to do with her death, Belmessieri told NewsNation.
Scott Peterson’s attorney is now asking for items from the burglary investigation to help exonerate the convicted killer, according to reports, but Belmessieri said police who worked on the 2002 burglary found no connection between the two crimes.
“The Modesto [Police Department] have investigated the issue and cleared the individuals involved in the burglary,” Belmessieri told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.
Juror Mike Belmessieri and 11 others found Scott Peterson guilty of killing his wife and unborn son. IMDB
The Los Angeles Innocence Project, which provides pro bono legal aid to inmates, announced this week it would take over Peterson’s case.
In a story that gripped the world, Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002.
Scott Peterson told investigators he had gone to Berkeley Marina to go fishing the morning of his disappearance.
Police found her body and their unborn child months later along San Francisco Bay.
Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. AP
Scott Peterson, who began an affair with massage therapist Amber Frey a month before his wife disappeared, has pleaded not guilty to murder and insists he was wrongly convicted.
The 51-year-old, whose original death sentence was overturned, is serving a life sentence.
Along with evidence recovered from the burglarized home, Peterson’s attorneys requested various items they could not find in his trial file, including the missing watch worn by Laci Peterson, items from the van that was burned in Modesto the day after she disappeared, and documents related to witness interviews, according to the report.
Scott Peterson has pleaded not guilty to murder charges and has maintained his innocence in his wife’s death. Getty Images
LAIP has also filed a motion to request DNA testing of evidence from the original trial, NBC4 reported.
Belmessieri said he was “glad” LAIP took over Peterson’s case.
“If there’s new evidence that shows he’s innocent, then he’s innocent,” the former juror said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
