Scott Peterson Appears In Court, Two New Hearings Scheduled

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Convicted killer Scott Peterson will return to court in June for two new hearings, one on the penalty phase of his murder conviction and a second to petition for a retrial following allegations of juror misconduct in his original trial.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo on Tuesday set a June 28 hearing date on the penalty phase in a hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court. Peterson appeared via Zoom from San Quentin State Prison and waived his rights to a speedy trial for the penalty phase.

She also gave Peterson's attorneys extended time to complete an investigation on Peterson's request for a new trial. Massullo added that she wanted a review of Peterson’s habeas corpus petition for a retrial to be done by the end of this year. A status hearing on the petition was scheduled for June 21.

The California Supreme Court last year ordered a review of Peterson's 2004 murder conviction by a San Mateo County jury in the killing of his 27-year-old wife, Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant with their unborn son, Connor, at the time of her death.

The Supreme Court based its decision on a juror's failure to disclose that she feared for the life of her unborn child while being harassed by her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

That ruling followed a Supreme Court decision last August to overturn Peterson's death sentence, citing judicial error in the penalty phase of his trial.

Peterson, 48, has spent the last 17 years on death row.

Patch editor Gideon Rubin contributed to this report.