(NewsNation) — The Los Angeles Innocence Project has taken on the notorious case of Scott Peterson, NewsNation has confirmed. He was convicted by a San Mateo County jury in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son.
Gloria Allred, who represented Amber Frey, who dated Peterson, and Anne Bird, Peterson’s sister, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield on Thursday night that Peterson “has every right to exhaust any legal avenue open to him.”
“He should have the right to DNA testing. … He has a big mountain to climb. He is fortunate that he is still alive today, while, unfortunately, his victims, are no longer alive,” Allred added.
Allred also said neither Frey nor Bird wish to express an opinion at this time: “This is really shocking, so they really have to think about it.”
The Innocence Project said in a statement Thursday that it is investigating Peterson’s “claim of actual innocence.” In a court filing, lawyers are seeking evidence from a burglary that took place on the same day his wife went missing, as well as documents from interviews with witnesses.
Peterson was originally given the death penalty after he was convicted of the 2002 killing, but the state Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that Peterson’s jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. Prosecutors opted to settle for life without parole in a resentencing.
NewsNation’s Tyler Wornell contributed to this report.