Scott Peterson Murder Case: Sister-in-Law Says New Evidence Will Prove He’s Innocent of Killing Pregnant Wife
In this handout image provided by the California Department of Corrections, convicted murderer Scott Peterson poses for a mug shot March 17, 2005 in San Quentin, California. Judge Alfred A. Delucchi sentenced Peterson to death March 16 for murdering his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child. California Department of Corrections via Getty Images

Scott Peterson's sister-in-law claimed that new evidence showed that his brother-in-law did not murder his pregnant wife in 2002.

Janey Peterson, who is married to Peterson's older brother, told the TODAY show on Wednesday that the commonly accepted timeline of the Laci Peterson murder case is wrong.

Scott Peterson Murder Case: Incorrect Timeline

The 49-year-old suspect is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2004 of killing his wife and unborn child.

Scott Peterson was sentenced to death in 2005. He remained on death row until last year when his death was overturned. That means he would face a new penalty phase trial.

Based on the California Supreme Court ruling in October, the lower court should take a second look at the murder case to determine whether Peterson's guilty verdict should be overturned and whether he should face a new trial, People reported.

According to Janey, Laci was not killed on 2002 Christmas Eve but was killed later. Janey noted that there was evidence completely ignored and that showed that Laci was alive after Scott Peterson "left for the day."

She added that there was also "no evidence that he (Scott) had anything to do with what happened to Laci."

According to Janey's theory, Laci had a confrontation with men who were robbing the house across the street on the day she went missing. This theory was part of Peterson's appeal but was earlier rejected by the court.

Janey believed that these burglars killed Laci and framed Scott Peterson by disposing of her body in an area where his brother-in-law happened to be fishing at the time. Peterson's legal team reportedly plans to make this argument.

A police investigation has cleared the burglars after they denied any involvement in the murder case. Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant with their son when she was reported missing on Dec. 24, 2002.

Four months after she went missing, locals found two decomposed bodies washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay. Scott Peterson was arrested on Apr. 18, 2003. It was the same day that the two decomposed bodies were identified as Laci Peterson and their son, Conner.

Scott Peterson Returns to Court

Scott Peterson appeared in court in California on Wednesday as a judge evaluates the allegations of juror misconduct and, in the end, determines whether to grant a new trial, Fox News reported.

Due to the threat of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Scott Peterson participated in the hearing virtually from San Quentin State Prison, while prosecutors and defense attorneys appeared in person at San Mateo County Superior Court.

Peterson's defense team has argued in a habeas corpus petition that given the pre-trial publicity, a juror failed to disclose that she had sought a restraining order against her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend in 2000 to get on the jury to convict Peterson.

The hearing was brief as the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office and Peterson's legal team weighed in on the timeline for several motions to be considered by the court.

During the hearing, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo did not announce any decision on evaluations into juror misconduct but scheduled the next hearing for September 22.

Massullo said she would set a date for the evidentiary hearing that would be crucial in determining whether there would be a new trial. The sentencing hearing of Scott Peterson would also be postponed until next month.

Scott Peterson's Dark Secrets

According to Scott Peterson, Laci was killed by an unknown assailant when she walked their dog after he left to go on a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve morning.

However, as the case moved forward, jurors heard about his dark secrets. The court has discovered the months-long affair of Peterson with a woman named Amber Frey. The woman was not aware that Peterson was married when she started dating him.

Amber Frey later worked with prosecutors, taping damning phone calls with Scott Peterson. During the trial, Frey testified for several days regarding her relationship with Peterson. She cited her realization that the suspect was still married and that Laci Peterson went missing.

Frey, a massage therapist, came forward and admitted to police that she started dating Peterson two months earlier before Laci had vanished.

But during Wednesday's interview, Janey said that being an adulterer does not mean that her brother-in-law is a killer.

"I don't think you can take that leap," Janey noted.

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Scott Peterson Faces Judge to Request New Trial - From Good Morning America