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On Wednesday, December 14, a California judge temporarily halted her decision as to whether or not Scott Peterson would receive a new trial, stating that there had been a clerical error in the court filings.
50-year-old Scott Peterson, who attended the hearing virtually, is currently serving a life sentence for the 2002 murder of his pregnant wife, Lacy Peterson. According to The Atlantic, Peterson was sentenced to death in 2004 for the first-degree murder of his wife and second-degree murder of his unborn son, who was going to be named Connor.
Fox reported that in 2012, Peterson's attorney, Cliff Gardner, filed an appeal on the convicted killer's behalf, claiming that his client was not given a fair trial, citing alleged juror misconduct.
As per the Modesto Bee, the California Supreme Court overturned the decision to execute Peterson in 2020, as his attorneys claimed certain jurors had been improperly dismissed in the original 2004 case. While Peterson was officially taken off death row in October of this year, his sentence was upheld, and he received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Peterson's request for a new trial is currently pending.
Details of the decision to delay Scott Peterson's trial
On Wednesday, December 14, NBC reported that Judge Anne-Christine Massulo noted a mistake during court proceedings. As per Fox, in a December 9 filing, she said that she arranged a court date with Scott Peterson to deliver the news to him and his defense team.
Massulo wrote in the proceedings:
"(The court date is scheduled) for the limited purpose of addressing a recently noticed issue regarding admitted exhibits."
Judge Massulo further said that the court Habeas Corpus exhibits included a driver's license number and an unredacted social security number, violating court rules.
She said:
"(The rule is) intended to protect personal privacy and other legitimate interests when documents are filed in the court and open to the public."
She added:
"In preparing the decision in this matter, which is not final, and reviewing the record again, it came to my attention that a rule of court has been violated."
The Modesto Bee reported that while the court's decision was initially scheduled for Friday, December 16, the deadline was suspended as of December 8, pending Wednesday's court appearance.
Massulo told Scott Peterson's attorneys to submit another filing on the morning of Thursday, December 15. Based on the new documents, the judge will decide when the next hearing will be scheduled.
While it may be possible that the court may proceed with its original decision to announce the decision on Friday, local outlets stated that it is unlikely. Peterson is currently incarcerated at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.
