Case file · San Mateo County Superior Court (case moved from Stanislaus County), California, United States

Scott Lee Peterson: charges, verdict and sentence

Scott Peterson was convicted by a jury on 11 November 2004 of the first-degree murder of his wife and the second-degree murder of their unborn son, and was sentenced to death. In 2020 the California Supreme Court affirmed the convictions but reversed the death sentence because of errors in jury selection, and he was resentenced to life without parole. Later petitions for a new trial and for habeas corpus relief, including a 2025 petition by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, were denied, most recently on 27 April 2026.

Charges and outcomes

Sentence

Death (March 2005), reversed by the California Supreme Court in August 2020. Resentenced on 8 December 2021 to life without the possibility of parole.

Court record, stage by stage

1. 2004
   trialSix month jury trial, moved to San Mateo County from Stanislaus County because of publicity^2,4

   San Mateo County Superior Court
2. 11 November 2004
   verdictJury convicted him on both murder counts¹

   San Mateo County Superior Court
3. March 2005
   sentenceSentenced to death^2,3,4

   Superior Court of California
4. August 2020
   appealCalifornia Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and reversed the death sentence, People v. Peterson (2020) 10 Cal.5th 409^1,3,4

   Supreme Court of California
5. 8 December 2021
   resentencingResentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole^2,4

   San Mateo County Superior Court, Judge Anne-Christine Massullo
6. 2022
   appealA judge denied a new trial on claims of juror misconduct, a ruling being challenged in the California Supreme Court²

   San Mateo County Superior Court
7. May 2025
   appealCourt of Appeal severed new evidence and actual innocence claims and returned them to the trial court¹

   California Court of Appeal, First District
8. 4 August 2025
   appealThird habeas corpus petition filed, asserting 14 claims, with the Los Angeles Innocence Project^1,2

   San Mateo County Superior Court
9. 2 April 2026
   appealFourth request for DNA testing denied¹

   San Mateo County Superior Court
10. 27 April 2026
    appealJudge Elizabeth M. Hill denied the third habeas petition in full, finding claims procedurally barred, without merit, or both^1,2

    San Mateo County Superior Court

Notable rulings

• Supreme Court of California, August 2020. The guilt trial was fair, but the trial court wrongly excused many prospective jurors over written questionnaire answers opposing the death penalty, which required reversal of the death sentence.^3,4
• San Mateo County Superior Court, 27 April 2026. Found no prima facie case of actual innocence and no miscarriage of justice, and denied the third habeas petition.¹

Sources

1. Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office, Press release: Third habeas petition of Scott Peterson denied (12 May 2026) · court or official record
2. ABC7 News, Judge denies Scott Peterson's attempt to present new evidence in fight for freedom (29 April 2026)
3. Justia (Supreme Court of California opinion), People v. Peterson, 10 Cal.5th 409 (2020) (2020) · court or official record
4. Associated Press via ClickOnDetroit, Scott Peterson faces new life sentence in wife's 2002 death (AP) (8 December 2021)

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