SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly 17 years after being sentenced to die, Scott Peterson will be resentenced Wednesday to life in prison in the 2002 slayings of his pregnant wife and unborn son that gripped the world then and since.
The California Supreme Court ruled a year ago that his jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager, who came to fame as one of three prosecutors in Peterson’s trial, opted this time to settle for life without parole.
Wednesday’s hearing is expected to be brief but could be emotional, with statements from some family members of 27-year-old Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant when she was killed carrying the boy the couple planned to name Connor.
“You are going to burn in hell for this,” Laci’s father, Dennis Rocha, who died in 2018, yelled at Peterson during his first sentencing. “Your life is done.”
Up to 16 of her family and friends are to be seated in the jury box, and up to 16 of his supporters elsewhere in the courtroom.
Prosecutors say they expect either written or spoken statements from Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, and her brother and sister, Brent Rocha and Amy Rocha.
Defense attorney Pat Harris said Tuesday that Peterson is prepared to speak if the judge allows it, something Peterson didn’t do during his initial trial and sentencing.
“This would be the first (time) that he speaks substantively about the case,” said Harris, who also participated in the original trial. He expects Peterson’s supporters to also be in the courtroom to show their support, but they are not allowed to speak.
Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo, who will resentence Peterson, is separately considering if Peterson was prejudiced by juror misconduct.
But she opted to resentence Peterson first, over the objections of his lawyers, to resolve a problem with his status.
He has been in San Quentin State Prison, home to California’s death row, since he…
Source : yahoo
