New A&E Documentary Reexamines Scott Peterson Case Amid Rejected Appeal
A new two-part A&E documentary revisiting Scott Peterson's 2004 murder conviction claims to present new evidence that could support his release, even as a California judge rejected nearly identical claims just two months ago.
Scott Peterson: The New Evidence premieres Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17, and is hosted by Chris Pixley, an Atlanta-based defense attorney and ABC News legal analyst. The four-hour special examines the nearly 25-year-old case in which Peterson was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, whose bodies washed ashore in San Francisco Bay in April 2003, months after Laci disappeared from the couple's Modesto home on Christmas Eve 2002.
What the Documentary Claims
According to People, the documentary examines eyewitness accounts that the defense says show Laci was alive after prosecutors argued she had already been killed, along with forensic analyses Peterson's legal team claims undermine the state's timeline. The special also explores the defense's theory that Laci was abducted following an encounter with nearby burglars. Pixley, who leads the documentary, described the project as an effort to "stress-test" findings previously raised by the Los Angeles Innocence Project. "This is new science and new evidence, and every time you drill down, you find more," he told People. "It deserves an examination."
Mark Geragos, Peterson's longtime defense attorney, is featured in the documentary and remains one of his most vocal supporters. "I have always hoped, believed and expected that at some point justice will be done because I don't think what happened to Scott is justice," he said.
A Judge Already Weighed In
The documentary's claims closely track a habeas corpus petition the Los Angeles Innocence Project filed on Peterson's behalf, arguing that new evidence warranted overturning his conviction. In May 2026, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill denied that petition, rejecting all 14 claims raised in it. Hill wrote that she remained "unpersuaded that petitioner has a claim for relief based on actual innocence," and described the new claims as "neither new, admissible, nor material."
Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero was more direct in a statement responding to the ruling, saying Hill "recognized the most recent attempt to undo the jury's verdict for what it was: nothing more than recycled, repackaged and rebranded arguments," adding that "no credible 'new evidence' was presented." Laugero said Peterson's conviction "has been upheld through two decades of post-conviction litigation," arguing that "Laci, Conner and their family deserve the finality that justice promised them." Following the ruling, the Los Angeles Innocence Project said it intends to file the petition with a higher court.
The Case So Far
Peterson, now 53, was convicted in 2004 of first-degree murder in Laci's death and second-degree murder in Conner's, and was initially sentenced to death. The California Supreme Court upheld both convictions in 2020 but overturned his death sentence, ruling that prospective jurors had been improperly dismissed based on their views on capital punishment. Peterson is currently serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in California.
Not everyone connected to the original case is convinced new evidence changes anything. Al Brocchini, a former Modesto police detective who worked the investigation, said in a separate 2024 documentary, Face to Face With Scott Peterson, that he found renewed innocence claims hard to credit. "There is absolutely no reasonable doubt that Scott murdered Laci and his child, Conner, none," he said. "He did it. The jury got it right."
Curious for more stories that keep you informed and entertained? From the latest headlines to everyday insights, YourLifeBuzz has more to explore. Dive into what’s next.