Scott Peterson's attorneys argue for new trial in murder of wife Lacey Peterson and unborn son

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Scott Peterson appeared Thursday in California court forprosecutors and attorneys to find out that the convicted murderer he was killed in 2002 We debated each case as to whether it deserves a new trial for the 2016 murders. his wife and unborn son. After more than five-and-a-half hours, the day's proceedings were concluded with a judge requesting that both sides submit memorandums, if necessary, by mid-September. Legal scholars have up to 90 days to render judgment. 

Peterson, now 49, said at a hearing on Thursday morning in connection with a possible retrial for the 20-year-old that the blue coronavirus his face his mask, handcuffs and jail. He wore the provided dark orange clothes. The case that shocked the nation was the murder of his wife Lacey and unborn child Connor.

The hearing resulted from defense counsel's allegation that juror Richelle Nice was biased. They claimed Nice lied to the jury that convicted Peterson in 2004 and put him on death row for the murder of 27-year-old Lacey and the unborn child they planned to name Connor. .

I would be very surprised if the court overturned Scott Peterson's verdict

— Ted Williams, prominent attorney and former homicide detective

The California Supreme Court overturned Peterson's death sentence in 2020, telling Superior Court Judge Anne Christine Maslo that he was justified. ordered to determine whether or not he was tried.

Lacy Peterson disappeared 19 years ago: a tragic incident that sent families and civilians on a crusade for justice

Masullo argued that Peterson's attorney at the time could have asked additional questions to clarify some of Nice's answers. . She noted that there were some discrepancies in the jury candidate questionnaire for the original trial. 

During Thursday's court hearing, Peterson's attorney, Cliff Gardner, said Nice contradicted herself in multiple statements, later defending her personal changed responses to specific questions about emotional experiences and emotions. He claimed she was inconsistent and uncooperative. 

"Major Contradiction"

Photo by Scott Peterson, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, May 11, 2018. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP, Files)

Gardner said Nice refused to speak to the defense or prosecution in 2015. He said he only testified in 2022. because the exemption was granted. 

He noted that "Nice's version of events, the evolution of her version of events from 2020 to 2020, has some significant discrepancies.

``We judge it as reliable as a witness, to be consistent,'' Gardner added. 

December 13, 2004, California Richelle Nice gets her hair done as a juror speaks to the media at the former San Mateo County Courthouse in Redwood City, Texas.(AP Photo/Lou Dematteis, File)

He added: I think this is as far from a cooperating witness as you can get. 

Gardner also said Nice answered "no" to a question asking whether he could make decisions based entirely on the evidence produced. In court, not from outside or existing opinions and attitudes. Peterson's attorney at the time, who is no longer involved in the case, did not follow up on this response.

A young child stops and makes ends meet memorial and a banner offering a $500,000 reward for the safe return of missing persons. Lacy Her Peterson at East La Loma Park in Modesto, California on January 4, 2003.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California hearing for convicted murderer Scott Peterson

Nice took steps to contact Peterson after convicting him, Gardner says. said. 

She gave Connor a nickname and called him 'Little Man,'" he told the court. "She took an extraordinary step after convicting and putting Mr. Peterson on death row, after initiating correspondence with a series of letters. And the court saw letters and letters. There are different focuses, but one of every character's focus is his ``Little Man.''

``Really bad at filling out forms.''

After a nationwide high-profile trial, On November 12, 2004, California fertilizer salesman Scott Peterson, 32, was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Lacy, on Christmas Eve 2002.(REUTERS/Lou Dematteis LD/MR)

David Harris of the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office explains why Nice considers itself "fair." When asked if he was, he said:

Scott Peterson faces new life sentence for murder of wife Lacey Peterson

Prosecutors Nice, a single mother, had never served on a jury until this trial, and thought it would be part of her civic duty.

The 23-page questionnaire included 163 questions, and ``she did the best she could''.

Scott Peterson had his pregnant wife Lacey reported missing on Christmas Eve 2002 in Modesto, California. Police did not initially consider Peterson a prime suspect until a string of extramarital affairs was discovered. (AFP)

Harris leaves no doubt that Nice made her mistake, but that doesn't make her a liar Say. 

"She is inconsistent in her answers," he told the court. "But just because it's wrong doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong or that she's a liar. Maybe she's really bad at filling out forms."

Harris later added:

Prosecutors also argued that Nice did not lie when she answered "no" to the original trial jury questionnaire regarding her involvement in the lawsuit. Laymen can misuse or misunderstand legal terminology, he said. 

Richelle Nice Jury, Center, Hug Attorney Gloria Allred after speaking at Scott Peterson's post-judgment press conference March 16, 2005 in Redwood City, California.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Files)

"I don't want a jury sitting in a box saying, 'My house was burgled.' How many times have I heard it?" He said, giving an example of his claim. "They're wrong because a home can't be legally burgled. But they're telling you what they believe is the circumstances of that particular case. It was a burglary." It wasn't a robbery.So they are wrong.What is a crime?It doesn't make them liars."

Peterson's attorneys said she filed a lawsuit against He disputed Harris' claim by presenting Nice's transcripts admitting that he had been. 

Harris further pointed to evidence Peterson had collected during the course of investigating the deaths of Lacy and Connor. 

"The simple fact that Lacy and Connor's bodies washed up on the shore 90 miles from their home suggests that Peter went fishing the day they went missing." From the simple fact that she was right next to the place Son admitted, Investigating Peterson had been riding the currents for weeks before she disappeared, that he had purchased but who Peterson's inability to explain what he was fishing for during the day, and the many occasional trips he made to the marina in the weeks after she went missing. and the many steps he took in the weeks after her disappearance, including selling her car, considering selling her house, and turning her children's room into a storage room. is shown.He already knew Lacey and Connor would never come back," Harris said. 

Nice was an alternate juror who joined the jury's deliberations after two original jurors were dismissed. A panel ultimately found him 2004 Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife and second-degree murder of an unborn son. He was sentenced to death in his 2005.

Peterson's attorneys allege, among other things, that Nice wanted to be on the jury because he wanted notoriety and for financial reasons. They also lied about her lack of prejudice to be on her jury, alleging she lied again in her affidavit in 2020.

Authorities said Lacy her Peterson husband Scott Berkeley, who said she was fishing when she went missing, searches her marina. (AP)

Peterson's attorney says Nice's nickname for Connor, 'little man', was that she was prejudiced against her clients She claims to be one of several indications.

Scott Peterson's ex-attorney boasts new evidence: ``I really believe in Scott's innocence.''

and a former fellow juror said in March that Nice walked into the jury room during a 2004 deliberation and said, "He basically said that 'little'You should pay for the murder of the man,'

testified. Nice previously testified that he had no prejudice against Peterson until he heard evidence that he dumped his wife's body into the San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve 2002. While pregnant in 2000, he said he was "really afraid of the unborn baby" because of threats from his boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

In her affidavit  twenty years after her

she stated, "In such a way that the law defines the term, she was 'victimized.' 'I didn't feel like,'" he said.

``It won't be easy''

Prominent attorney and former homicide investigator Ted Williams has followed the ongoing proceedings, Thursday's lunch break. he told Fox News Digital. He said the defense team had "high hurdles to overturn Scott Peterson's verdict." 

"Even if the jury did not properly answer the questionnaire, I do not believe that that alone would be enough to overturn the verdict," Williams said. He is also a Fox News contributor. "Unless they can prove … she could not only participate as a juror, but influence all jurors by what she had to say.

Williams said he was "very concerned" and had personal experience as a lawyer trying to reach a jury verdict. 

"They must prove that this jury biased the case against Scott Peterson and convicted her on the basis of what she specifically did. ' he continued. "It's not easy." 

According to Williams, the evidence against Peterson was "overwhelming." 

"Scott Peterson is lucky because from everything I know about this case, Scott Peterson will spend the rest of his life in prison. Because I believe he should be put on death row, not in the cell,” he added.

Williams said he believed both sides were making "very good arguments." He called Gardner "loud" in making his case and said he was "dealing with the law as best he could." 

He added:

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Fox News Laura Prabucki of and her Associated Press contributed to this report.