Scott Peterson in 2004. by BART AH YOU-POOL/GETTY
Scott Peterson‘s conviction in the 2002 murder of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson and their unborn son is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Innocence Project.
The nonprofit organization, known for their work to exonerate wrongly convicted and incarcerated individuals, told PEOPLE in a statement that they represent Scott now and are “investigating his claim of actual innocence.”
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Well, this is an unexpected development. I remember when this case was huge tabloid news, starting from Laci Peterson’s disappearance and then as suspicion started to fall on Scott, leading to his arrest, trial, and eventual conviction. And all these years later, the matter seemed settled. So this news was a surprise to me. But an even bigger surprise to me was the reactions I saw to this news when it was posted on Threads.
ANGER.
Almost universally, people were pissed. WFT?!? Why are they doing this?!? Fuck that guy! He should rot in jail! And so on.
I tried replying to a few people, just asking what were they opposed to? I pointed out that innocent people do get falsely convicted sometimes. It happens. I didn’t get many replies, one woman just wrote “Anyone with a brain knows that Scott Peterson is guilty though.”
And that’s the crux of the issue. People are looking at this as Scott Peterson is 100% guilty, and the Innocence Project is trying to help him get away with it.
Well, that’s not how I see it. I’ve supported this organization for years, sending small donations when I can (which is not often enough). I’ve written here about some of their success stories, over the years, freeing people who also were once thought to be “obviously” guilty.
Henry Lee McCollum and Leon Brown
To be clear. I’m not saying that Scott Peterson IS innocent. And sure there’s reason to not like him as a person. But being a scumbag who cheated on his pregnant does not necessarily mean that he’s a scumbag who murdered his pregnant wife. And I trust that the Innocence Project would not take his case unless they think that there is compelling evidence of his innocence. And if there is, that should be brought forward and judged fairly. And if it doesn’t prove his innocence, then so bet it. Let him stay in prison. But IF he is innocent, then that means whoever really murdered Laci Peterson is still at large and needs to be caught. So, whatever happens with this case, I’m at least keeping an open mind about it.
Los Angeles Innocence Project
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